Why I Chose Beehiiv Over Substack for My AI Newsletter (And You Should Too)

Published: 6/25/2025 | By Joyce Smith

After 15+ years in product management at companies like Fiserv, Sage, and NCR, I thought I knew what to look for in a platform. But when I decided to launch SmallBizAIWeekly—my newsletter helping small business owners leverage AI tools—I discovered that choosing the right newsletter platform is more complex than selecting enterprise software.

Here's the honest breakdown of why I chose Beehiiv over the competition, and why it might be perfect for your newsletter too.

When I launched my e-commerce store and AI-first digital company in 2021, I quickly realized I needed a way to share what I was learning about AI tools with other small business owners. We're all drowning in the same challenges—wearing too many hats, competing with bigger companies, and trying to do more with less.

A newsletter seemed like the perfect solution, but which platform?

As a product manager, I approached this decision like any other technology evaluation. I created a detailed comparison matrix, analyzed features, tested user experiences, and calculated total cost of ownership.

The contenders:

•Substack (the obvious choice)

•ConvertKit (the marketer's favorite)

•Mailchimp (the familiar option)

•Beehiiv (the newcomer)

Substack was my initial frontrunner. It's simple, well-known, and has helped creators build million-dollar businesses. The built-in discovery network seemed appealing for a new newsletter.

Substack's strengths:

•Massive built-in audience

•Simple, clean interface

•Proven monetization model

•Strong brand recognition

But here's where my product management experience kicked in:

Substack felt like a walled garden. I'd be building my audience on their platform, with limited control over the experience. As someone who's seen platforms change their terms overnight, I needed more ownership of my subscriber relationships.

Plus, the customization options were limited. My newsletter needed to feel professional and aligned with my business brand—not like every other Substack publication.

Then I discovered Beehiiv, and everything changed.

What immediately caught my attention:

Beehiiv was created by the team behind Morning Brew, which scaled to millions of subscribers. They understand the newsletter business from the inside out.

Unlike Substack, Beehiiv gives you complete control over your subscriber data and allows custom domains. My newsletter lives at ai.worldonedigitalmedia.com—fully integrated with my business brand.

As a product manager, I live and breathe data. Beehiiv's 3D analytics show not just opens and clicks, but subscriber behavior patterns, growth trends, and engagement insights that help me optimize content strategy.

While Substack focuses primarily on paid subscriptions, Beehiiv offers multiple revenue streams:

•Paid subscriptions

•Sponsorship marketplace

•Affiliate programs

•Boost network for cross-promotion

•Custom website included (even on free plan!)

•Advanced segmentation

•Email automation

•Referral programs

•API access for integrations

But features on paper don't tell the whole story. I needed to see how Beehiiv performed in practice.

Setup Experience: Beehiiv's onboarding was intuitive—I had my newsletter designed and ready to publish in under an hour. The template customization options let me create something that looked professional and uniquely mine.

Writing Experience: The editor strikes the perfect balance between simplicity and functionality. I can focus on writing without getting distracted by complex formatting options, but I have the tools I need for professional newsletters.

Subscriber Management: The segmentation capabilities are impressive. I can tag subscribers based on their interests (AI tools, e-commerce, general business) and send targeted content that increases engagement.

Analytics That Actually Help: Instead of vanity metrics, Beehiiv shows actionable insights. I can see which content resonates, when my audience is most engaged, and how to optimize for growth.

After just launching SmallBizAIWeekly on Beehiiv, I'm already seeing encouraging signs:

•Setup speed: Complete newsletter design and branding in under an hour

•Professional appearance: Looks like an established business publication, not a hobby blog

•Subscriber experience: Clean, mobile-optimized reading experience that reflects well on my brand

•Analytics clarity: Even with early data, I can see which content resonates most

•Time efficiency: Already saving 5+ hours per week compared to managing separate blog + email tools

•Growth potential: The platform's tools are clearly designed for scale

I'm committed to sharing real metrics as my newsletter grows—both successes and challenges. The foundation Beehiiv provides gives me confidence I'm building something sustainable.

As a business owner, ROI matters. Here's the honest cost breakdown:

Beehiiv:

•Free plan: $0 (up to 2,500 subscribers)

•Scale plan: $43/month (includes monetization features)

•Max plan: $96/month (removes branding, adds advanced features)

Substack:

•Free to use

•10% fee on all paid subscriptions

•Limited customization and analytics

ConvertKit:

•$29/month (up to 1,000 subscribers)

•$49/month (up to 3,000 subscribers)

•Powerful but complex for simple newsletters

The winner: Beehiiv's free plan gives you professional features that competitors charge for, and their paid plans offer better value as you scale.

1. The Free Plan Is Genuinely Useful Unlike most "freemium" products, Beehiiv's free plan includes features you actually need: custom domains, unlimited sends, analytics, and even a website. You can build a real business on the free plan.

2. The Community Matters Beehiiv's Slack community and resources have been invaluable. Getting advice from other newsletter creators and learning from Beehiiv's team has accelerated my growth significantly.

3. Migration Is Easier Than Expected I was worried about switching platforms, but Beehiiv's migration tools made it seamless. They even helped me import my existing subscribers without losing any data.

Beehiiv is perfect if you:

•Want to build a professional newsletter business (not just a hobby)

•Need detailed analytics to optimize your strategy

•Plan to monetize through multiple revenue streams

•Value having control over your subscriber data and brand

•Want room to grow without platform limitations

Stick with Substack if you:

•Prefer simplicity over customization

•Want to tap into Substack's discovery network

•Don't need advanced analytics or segmentation

•Plan to monetize primarily through paid subscriptions

For serious newsletter creators—especially those with business backgrounds—Beehiiv is the clear winner. The combination of professional features, growth tools, and monetization options makes it the best platform for building a sustainable newsletter business.

The free plan alone offers more value than most competitors' paid plans, and the upgrade path makes sense as you grow.

If you're convinced that Beehiiv is right for your newsletter, you can get started here. The free plan gives you everything you need to launch professionally, and you can always upgrade as your audience grows.

Pro tip: Start with the free plan to test your content and audience, then upgrade to Scale when you're ready to monetize. That's exactly what I did, and it's saved me hundreds of dollars while I built my subscriber base.

My newsletter is growing faster than I expected, and Beehiiv's tools are making it possible to scale without burning out. I'm planning to launch paid subscriptions next quarter and explore sponsorship opportunities through Beehiiv's ad network.

If you're a small business owner interested in practical AI strategies, subscribe to SmallBizAIWeekly to see Beehiiv in action. Every Tuesday, I share the AI tools and strategies that are actually working for real businesses.

I'm happy to share more details about my experience. Connect with me on LinkedIn or reply to any SmallBizAIWeekly issue—I read every response.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you sign up for Beehiiv through my link, I may earn a commission at no cost to you. I only recommend products I genuinely use and believe in—and Beehiiv has genuinely transformed my newsletter business.

Joyce Smith is a product management veteran with 15+ years of experience at companies like Fiserv, Sage, and NCR. She now runs an e-commerce store and AI-first digital company while helping other small business owners leverage AI tools through her newsletter, SmallBizAIWeekly.