beehiiv alternatives after the 2026 price rise: what each one costs at your list size
If you pay beehiiv annually, your plan renews at the new price on your first renewal on or after 1 November 2026. Before it does, here is the monthly cost of the main alternatives at the same list size, so you can decide whether moving is worth an evening's work.
Short answer: under about 10,000 subscribers, Buttondown and Ghost(Pro) cost less than beehiiv Lite, and Kit's free plan may cover you. From about 25,000 subscribers up, beehiiv Lite is still the cheapest of these on list price, so the rise alone is not a reason to leave.
Monthly cost by list size
| Subscribers | beehiiv Lite new price, annual | Ghost(Pro) Publisher, annual | Kit Creator, monthly | Buttondown per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $49 | $29 | $39 | $9 |
| 2,500 | $69 | up to $75 | $59 | $29 |
| 5,000 | $95 | up to $75 | $89 | $29 |
| 10,000 | $119 | up to $105 | $139 | $79 |
| 25,000 | $169 | $169 | $199 | custom |
| 50,000 | $249 | check ghost.org | $379 | custom |
| 100,000 | $399 | check ghost.org | $679 | custom |
Green is cheaper than beehiiv Lite at that size, red is dearer. "Up to" means we could only confirm a higher Ghost tier, so the real price may be lower. Kit is shown on monthly billing; its annual billing is about 16% less (for example about $117 instead of $139 at 10,000). Buttondown add-ons can raise its price, and above 20,000 subscribers it quotes custom pricing. Sources: EmailOctopus on beehiiv's new prices, ghost.org/pricing, Typeflo on Ghost tiers, EmailVendorSelection on Kit, Toolradar on Buttondown. Prices checked 23 October 2026; confirm on each pricing page before you decide.
What a year looks like
- At 5,000 subscribers, beehiiv Lite is $1,140 a year. Buttondown is $348 (you save $792); Ghost(Pro) Publisher is at most $900 (you save at least $240).
- At 10,000 subscribers, beehiiv Lite is $1,428 a year. Buttondown is $948 (you save $480); Ghost(Pro) Publisher is at most $1,260 (you save at least $168). Kit Creator costs more, unless its free plan (up to 10,000 subscribers) has the features you use.
- At 25,000 subscribers and above, none of the alternatives here beats beehiiv Lite on list price. If you move at this size, it should be for features, ownership or paid-subscription economics, not the fee.
If you run a paid newsletter, the list fee is only half of it. Substack charges $0 a month but takes 10% of paid revenue; Ghost, beehiiv, Kit and Buttondown take no platform cut (you still pay card processing). Run your own numbers in the free fee calculator →
What you give up by leaving beehiiv
- Growth tools: beehiiv's ad network, Boosts and referral program have no exact equivalent on Buttondown or Ghost. If a meaningful share of your growth or income comes from them, count it in.
- Deliverability during the move: a new sending platform needs a short warm-up on your own domain, or your open rate can dip for a few weeks.
- Paid subscriptions: moving Stripe-connected subscribers works on most platforms, but the order of steps matters so nobody is billed twice.
Before your renewal date: a free five-step check
- Find your renewal date in your beehiiv billing settings. That is your real deadline, not 1 November itself.
- Price your list size in the table above, and in the calculator if you have paid subscribers.
- Export now, whatever you decide: subscriber CSV (with tags and paid status), post archive, and a note of your custom domain DNS records. It costs ten minutes and keeps your options open.
- Try the target platform's importer on a free or trial account with a small test list before you commit.
- If the saving is under about $10 a month, stay. A migration takes an evening plus a few weeks of attention; small savings rarely repay it.
Decided to move? The Newsletter Switch Kit has the step-by-step routes from beehiiv to Ghost, Kit or Buttondown: export checklist, moving paid subscribers without double billing, a four-send deliverability warm-up, three announcement emails and a cost worksheet.
$19 one-time, instant access in your browser, 14-day refund if it doesn't help. Written by Teton Labs with AI assistance.
Related
- beehiiv's 2026 price increase: old vs new prices for Lite and Pro at every list size
- Newsletter fee calculator: Substack vs beehiiv, Ghost, Kit and Buttondown
This is an independent comparison, not affiliated with or endorsed by beehiiv, Ghost, Kit or Buttondown, and there are no affiliate links on this page. It is not financial advice.