In this article, you will discover more about beehiiv, a platform that combines newsletter and website services in one place.
From a technical standpoint, this platform is well-suited for professional use with a large subscriber base, but those looking to use the free plan may be disappointed.
Keep reading to find out why this may not be the best option for you.
What is Beehiiv?
Beehiiv is a hosted newsletter platform that caters to businesses and creators, whether they are professionals or hobbyists. It functions as a hybrid of a blog and a newsletter, providing users with the ability to send newsletters and publish posts on a single software.
This platform was co-founded by Benjamin Hargett, Tyler Denk, and Jake Hurd, who are ex-staffers of the popular newsletter Morning Brew. Beehiiv was initially marketed as “the most creator-friendly newsletter platform.” With beehiiv, users can enjoy the benefits of both their email program and their own website.
Beehiiv Review Summary
Beehiiv is a reliable and comprehensive platform suitable for individuals and teams alike. The platform’s maintenance is fully automated, eliminating the need for manual upkeep. Beehiiv also offers a range of growth features, including automated email sequences, referral programs, and recommendations.
Beehiiv’s newsletter customization is highly customizable, allowing for unique styles. However, its website customization features are still lacking. The platform’s content creation editor is easy to use, looks good, and functions well, but lacks advanced features such as code injection.
Overall, Beehiiv is a solid platform for managing and maintaining your business. Its SEO and growth features make it an excellent choice for those looking to expand their reach. While it may not have all the advanced features that some users require, it is a reliable and user-friendly option for most businesses.
Beehiiv’s Strengths
Monetization with 0% membership fees
Beehiiv offers a unique feature where you can monetize your newsletter without any membership fees. Unlike other platforms, Beehiiv does not take any percentage of your revenue, and you only get charged the Stripe fees, which are usually between 2%-3.5%. To enable this feature, you only need to connect your Stripe account, and you don’t have to install any plugins. Additionally, Beehiiv has an Ad Network that connects creators and advertisers, making monetizing a newsletter easier.
Good SEO
Beehiiv is solid when it comes to SEO. It offers a custom domain, robots.txt, XML sitemap, noindex URL, and schema markup. These features make it easier for search engines to find your content faster.
Although there are some important SEO aspects that are still missing, like redirects and nofollow links, the SEO tools of Beehiiv are good and should allow someone using a custom domain to find success via organic traffic.
Nothing to install
Beehiiv is great at keeping things simple. With Beehiiv, you just need to create an account, and in less than 2 minutes, you’re now ready to start creating your content. The process is pretty direct and saves a lot of pain: create an account, import your content (optional), or you can just start crafting your first newsletter. Additionally, the creator doesn’t need to worry about software updates as Beehiiv takes care of it.
Works as a blog + newsletter
Beehiiv is a hybrid platform where you can have a website to publish articles and send out newsletters, all in the same place. This feature allows you to build an environment where you decide how your content gets published; on the web, for everyone to see, or via email to only a target audience on your list.
Integrations
Beehiiv allows seamless communication between different tools, enhanced efficiency by saving you time and allows you flexibility. With Beehiiv, you can integrate with tools like Shopify, Wix, WordPress, or Zapier, giving you almost endless possibilities. API integrations have an added security benefit that comes as you create an API key for each integration. And whenever you want to rid of that integration, you can just delete the key to cut off data sharing from that other tool.
Great email customization
Beehiiv is fantastic with email customization. You have full control over how the newsletter would look like; font-weight, color, size, and spacing. You do this all without writing code—just buttons and sliders that allow you to preview your work. Additionally, in May 2022, Beehiiv introduced additional fonts to a much greater selection, email bylines, and custom footers, which takes advantage of an already profound, rich editor.
Email analytics
Beehiiv has analytics built into the platform. You get an overview of relevant information for the last 30 days and the percentage variations to the previous period. It can show you things like active numbers of subscribers, average open rate, average click rate, subscribers’ information, sign-up from the past week, and subscription breakdown between free and paid members. This means that you get to see the fruits of your efforts upfront, primarily the clicking rate, which is the percentage of your active subscribers who click on the link within your newsletter.
Multiple Newsletters Per Account
Beehiiv allows you to create more than one newsletter per account. This feature is one of the first platforms to introduce the possibility of running multiple newsletters in the same account, opening opportunities for big creators and media publications. This feature is a strong suit for Beehiiv because now, users who have diverse interests can expand to more newsletters without the strain of creating separate accounts. Now, one website can create different newsletters by category. This feature can only be accessed by advanced users using a paid plan.
Email automation and segmentation
Beehiiv allows you to divide your audience into segments based on things like behavior, demography, geography, and/or interest. You can do it in two ways: static and dynamic. Static segmentation is where you segment your consumers manually and can only be generated once during creation without updates. Dynamic segmentation is where daily updates are done automatically as new subscribers join your email list or as existing members are removed when they no longer meet the requirements.
Beehiiv Limitations
Limiting Free Plan
Beehiiv offers a free plan that allows you to have up to 2,500 subscribers, which is more generous than some competitors who cap their free plans at 1,000 subscribers. However, the free plan has some limitations. For example, you cannot access features such as SEO and GROWTH unless you upgrade to one of their paid plans. Other key elements, such as custom domains, paid newsletters, integrations, email sequences, and referral programs, are also only available on their paid plans. Additionally, if you work on a team, you cannot give access to your team members on the free plan. Therefore, if you are a professional or advanced user, it is recommended that you use one of Beehiiv’s paid plans.
Limited Website Customization Options
Beehiiv’s website customization options are limited compared to its newsletter customization options. They only offer a few default layouts, and you cannot buy themes or build your own from scratch. As of this writing, the options available make the sites look similar and may not be to everyone’s liking. While you can change button colors, fonts, and toggle between light or dark modes, there is not much else you can do.
No Code Injection (CSS and JavaScript)
Beehiiv does not allow for code injection, which can be a significant drawback for advanced users. Without code injection, you cannot add custom styles to buttons, and you cannot embed scripts like CSS or JavaScript. Only HTML is available, which can be limiting. For example, you cannot add comments to posts, and Beehiiv does not have a native comment system. This means that users cannot comment if they are not on your website. Additionally, the lack of code injection prevents you from using 3rd party analytics platforms outside of Google Analytics. This can be a significant issue for those who prefer non-Google Analytics options, such as Plausible or Fathom.
Overall, while Beehiiv offers many features to grow and scale your newsletter, it is important to consider these limitations before choosing the platform.
Alternatives to Beehiiv
If you’re looking for a newsletter platform alternative to Beehiiv, there are a few options available to you. Here are two of the best alternatives to Beehiiv:
Ghost
Ghost CMS is a non-profit, open-source platform that’s been around since 2013. It’s a great alternative to Beehiiv for several reasons.
One of the main advantages of Ghost is that it’s less likely to disappear since it’s open-source. Anyone can make a copy to keep developing it, so it’s not at risk of being acquired by a big corporation that will come in and raise the prices from one day to the next.
Ghost is a hybrid newsletter platform, just like Beehiiv. You can write content and send out newsletters in the same place. It’s quick and straightforward, and its dashboard is easy to manage. Ghost also includes vital analytics features like active subscribers and click rates.
One of the main differences between Ghost and Beehiiv is that Ghost is more flexible for website customization. If you want your site to have a unique feel and look, Ghost has plenty of beautiful themes to choose from. And you can buy one or build one from scratch—the possibilities are endless! Ghost also allows code injection, where you can embed scripts and do basically whatever you want with them.
On the other hand, Beehiiv has more advanced newsletter features, like email automation and email customization. So, if you’re looking for a platform that’s better for the website part, Ghost is the way to go. But if you want a platform that’s better for newsletters, Beehiiv is the better choice.
Substack
Substack is a newsletter platform that’s been around for a lot longer than Beehiiv. It’s the go-to platform for non-technical users, and it made newsletters cool again. But what’s the difference between Beehiiv and Substack?
One of the main similarities between Substack and Beehiiv is that they’re both hybrid platforms with newsletter and blogging capabilities. This means that they do many of the same things. In writing newsletters, both are super friendly and have advanced customization options. And when it comes to monetization, membership is the bread and butter for these platforms. They follow the same concept of paid membership as the main route for revenue.
One of the main differences between Substack and Beehiiv is that Substack has always vied for its “ease-to-use” motto. However, this is an “advantage” that turned painful over time for the lack of essential features that most advanced users and professionals demand. Whereas Beehiiv has a lot of those things that professional and advanced users require.
For example, Substack doesn’t have integration options and is poor when it comes to SEO. And on top of that, they even take 10% from every paid subscription. For the lack of reinvention, it can be a bad avenue for growing your website and newsletter.
Alternately, Beehiiv is focused on becoming the best newsletter platform possible with strong blogging capabilities. It has some powerful integrations, analytics, and competent SEO—boy, it’s not even close to their comparison in this category. Beehiiv has improved its weak spots and developed new features frequently, which tells us that they listen, and soon enough, this supposed Substack alternative can outmaneuver its forerunner.
Overall, if you’re looking for a platform that’s easy to use and great for newsletters, Beehiiv is the way to go. But if you want a platform that’s better for website customization, Ghost is the better choice. And if you’re looking for a more established platform, Substack might be the way to go.
Final Thoughts
Beehiiv offers some of the best newsletter packages in the market, making it a top-rated hybrid platform. Whether you’re a novice or a regular, Beehiiv is a safe place to start your journey. You can easily create an account and send your first newsletter with minimal effort and no cost. As soon as you access your dashboard, you get vital analytics and a plethora of customization options.
However, if your newsletter is more than a hobby, you should consider one of Beehiiv’s paid plans. The platform keeps most of its best features exclusive to paid plans. If you can afford it, Beehiiv can be exactly what you need.
One of the most significant benefits of Beehiiv is that you can keep your newsletter and website in the same place, making it easier to use integrations and referral programs. Despite being a young newsletter software, Beehiiv’s functionality is gaining speed to match the current market, and it’s developing at an impressive pace.
In conclusion, Beehiiv is a platform worth considering if you’re looking for a reliable and customizable newsletter service. With its user-friendly interface and affordable pricing, it’s an excellent choice for both novices and experienced users. Sign up for Beehiiv today and take advantage of its jampacked opportunities!