beehiiv vs MailerLite
One is a publishing platform, the other a general email marketing tool — here's what that means in practice.
beehiiv and MailerLite look similar at a glance — both send newsletters — but they're built for different jobs. MailerLite is a general email marketing tool used by all kinds of businesses; beehiiv is built specifically for publishers who want to grow and monetize a newsletter.
| beehiiv | MailerLite | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Up to 2,500 subscribers, full features | Up to 250 subscribers |
| Core focus | Newsletter publishing, growth and monetization | General email marketing and automation |
| Paid plans | $43–$290/month, scales with list size | $9–$18/month for basic tiers |
| Native paid-subscription tools | Yes, built in | No dedicated paid-newsletter feature |
If your main goal is publishing a newsletter you plan to monetize through paid subscriptions or sponsorships, beehiiv's purpose-built tools are worth the higher price. If you mainly need affordable, general-purpose email marketing and automations without a paid-subscription angle, MailerLite is the cheaper, more flexible choice.
Frequently asked questions
Can I still send a free newsletter on MailerLite?
Yes — MailerLite works fine for sending a regular free newsletter, it just doesn't have beehiiv's dedicated paid-subscription or ad-network features.
Why did MailerLite's free plan shrink?
MailerLite lowered its free-plan subscriber cap to 250 — check its current pricing page before committing, since free-tier limits change over time on every platform.