Side by side
| beehiiv | MailerLite | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes. Free for up to 2,500 subscribers, with 1 publication, 1 team seat and a 30-day analytics lookback. beehiiv branding stays on the newsletter. | Yes. Free for up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month, with 2 seats. If active subscribers go over 250, sending is locked until you upgrade or remove subscribers. |
| Starting price | Lite is $49 a month, billed yearly. | Comfort starts at $12 a month. It can be billed yearly, which saves 10%, or monthly. |
| How it charges | By plan tier, with subscriber count setting the limits: Free up to 2,500, Lite up to 100,000, Pro up to 250,000, and Enterprise at a custom price. | By subscriber count and sending volume. You pay for the number of subscribers you have and the volume you send. |
| Works with | Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Overcast for podcast distribution. It also offers an API, a Send API and an MCP connection compatible with Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini. | ChatGPT and Claude through MailerLite MCP, Shopify, WooCommerce, Stripe, Mailchimp, Zapier, WordPress and Canva. There are 150+ integrations. |
| AI features | beehiiv AI is part of the Publish tools, and AI can create a website or landing page from a prompt. beehiiv MCP is included on Lite and up, and AI Credits are available on Pro. | An AI email generator, plus an AI writing assistant and subject line generator on Comfort. The free plan has MCP access for tools like Claude and ChatGPT, limited and excluding sending. |
Prices and plans change. We checked these figures on October 10, 2026, so confirm them before you buy.
What beehiiv is
beehiiv is an all-in-one platform for newsletters, podcasts, digital products, communities and websites. The tools are grouped into Publish, Grow, Earn, Analyze and Connect.
A newsletter operator can use it to write and send issues, build a website, run a referral program and recommendations, sell paid subscriptions, and earn from ads. It also offers a free plan.
Paid subscriptions carry a 0% take rate, with Stripe's processing fees still applying.
What MailerLite is
MailerLite is an email marketing platform for email marketers and businesses that want advanced email tools without complicated software. More than 1 million businesses use it.
A newsletter operator can use it to send campaigns, build forms and pop-ups, run automations, make landing pages and websites, and take paid newsletter subscriptions.
A/B testing is on all plans, including the free plan.
Which one fits
The free plans differ in size. beehiiv's covers up to 2,500 subscribers with 1 publication and 1 team seat. MailerLite's covers up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month, with 2 seats.
The first paid plans differ too. beehiiv's Lite is $49 a month billed yearly, with limits set by subscriber count. MailerLite's Comfort starts at $12 a month and prices by subscribers and sending volume. If a larger free list matters, beehiiv has the larger one. If a lower first paid price matters, MailerLite has the lower one.
Does beehiiv have a free plan?
Yes. The free plan costs $0 and supports up to 2,500 subscribers, 1 publication and 1 team seat. It includes unlimited email sends, landing pages and templates, and beehiiv branding stays on the newsletter.
Does beehiiv take a cut of paid subscriptions?
Paid subscriptions on Lite and up carry a 0% take rate. Stripe's 2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction still applies.
Is MailerLite free?
Yes, up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month, with 2 seats, 3 automations and 1 website. Sending locks if active subscribers go above 250.
How does MailerLite count subscribers for billing?
Active subscribers are counted cumulatively within each billing cycle, and the count resets monthly on your billing anniversary. On paid accounts, going over a limit moves you to the next tier and your card is charged.