What the Free plan includes and locks
beehiiv's Free plan covers up to 2,500 subscribers, one publication and one team seat, with no credit card. It includes the welcome email and API access, apart from the Send API. Paid plans start with Lite at $59 a month, or $49 a month billed annually, then Pro at $109 a month, or $95 a month billed annually. [1]
Decide your plan before day 4, because the custom domain and any welcome series built with automations depend on it.
| Feature | Free | Where it matters this week |
|---|---|---|
| Subscribers | Up to 2,500 [1] | Imports above that need a paid plan |
| Welcome email | Included [2] | Day 3 |
| Automations | Not included; Lite allows 10 live, Pro unlimited [3] | A 3-to-5 email welcome series |
| Custom domain | Paid plans per support article [4] | Day 4 |
| Webhooks | Not included [1] | Sending signups to other tools |
| Paid subscriptions, ad network | Not included [1] | Monetization later |
| Remove beehiiv branding | Not included [1] | Footer and site |
| Test emails | 4, each to yourself; paid: 10 recipients per test [5] | Day 6 |
Day 1 and 2: settings and a subscribe form
Start in Settings. Set your sender name under Settings, Email, Email sending details. [4] Check your status vocabulary now, because it shows up in every report: Active, Inactive, Pending, Paused and Needs approval. Manually unsubscribed people show as Inactive, and Paused is a paid-plan feature. [6]
For a form on an existing website, go to Subscribers, Subscribe forms, Create new form. The Regular layout supports a header, title, subtitle and extra fields; Slim does not support terms toggles or extra fields. Fields come from your custom fields, with email required. The embed is a single script tag that serves the latest published version, and you can redirect subscribers to a URL after signup. [7]
Day 3: double opt-in and the welcome email
Double opt-in and Smart Nudge both sit under Settings, Emails, Preset Emails. With double opt-in, new signups stay Pending until they click confirm, and Smart Nudge sends one reminder to anyone still unconfirmed after 48 hours. [8] A form can require double opt-in on its own, but that setting only applies when publication-wide double opt-in is off. [7]
Set up the welcome email under Settings, Emails, Preset Emails, Configure Welcome Email: add a subject, preview text and body, preview it against a real subscriber to check merge tags, then switch on the toggle. It will not send until the toggle is on, and the toggle only works once the email is fully set up. [2] With double opt-in on, the welcome email waits for confirmation. [8] beehiiv suggests a 3 to 5 email series for a longer welcome, which needs automations on a paid plan. [2] [3]
Day 4: a custom domain, if you are on a paid plan
Go to Settings, Domains, Set up custom domain, and choose Host my website, Send my newsletters, or Set up both, which beehiiv recommends for most publications. Supported DNS providers can be configured automatically through Entri; otherwise add the records yourself. Verification usually takes a few hours and can take up to 72. [4]
Use subdomains where you can, such as newsletter.yourdomain.com for the site and a separate subdomain for sending, to keep your root site working and protect the main domain's reputation. Every publication sending from a custom domain needs a DMARC record. On Cloudflare, set beehiiv records to DNS only. Wait until website, sending address and branded link all show Live before sending. [4]
- Choose the sending subdomain and address
- Add the records at your DNS host
- Add or confirm a DMARC record
- Set Cloudflare records to DNS only
- Wait for all three items to show Live
Day 5 to 7: the first post, previews and publishing
Start a draft from New, Blank draft post, or type beehiiv.new. Write on the Compose tab. On the Audience step, select Email and Web audiences; uncheck one to publish to only email or only web. The Email step sets subject, preview text and optional A/B test. The Web step sets the URL slug, SEO title and description, comments and feed visibility. Review, then schedule or publish. Edits after the email goes out only reach the web version. [9]
Preview in Email, Web, Desktop and Mobile views, and check merge tags by choosing a specific subscriber. Then send a test. Expect links in the test to return 404 until the post is published, and no unsubscribe header in tests; beehiiv adds one-click unsubscribe to published posts. [5]
| Check | How | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Layout on phone | Preview, Mobile view | Narrow screens expose layout problems |
| Merge tags | Preview as a specific subscriber | Blank first names look careless |
| Subject and preview text | Email step | Shown in the inbox before anything else |
| Audience | Audience step | Avoid sending a web-only post to email by accident |
| Links | Click them after publishing | Test-email links 404 until publish [5] |
| Afterwards | Posts Report | Open rate is directional; automation emails are not included [10] |
Questions before you decide
Can I use a custom domain on beehiiv's Free plan?
beehiiv's custom domain support article says custom domains are available on paid plans. The pricing page shows it inconsistently between the summary and the comparison table, so confirm in your account before planning around it.
When does the beehiiv welcome email send if double opt-in is on?
Only after the subscriber confirms. beehiiv says that with double opt-in the welcome email is not sent at signup, and pending subscribers receive no emails until they confirm. Smart Nudge sends one reminder to anyone unconfirmed after 48 hours.
How many test emails can I send on beehiiv?
On Free, up to 4 test emails, each to yourself. Paid plans allow unlimited test emails with up to 10 recipients each. Links in test emails return a 404 until the post is published, and tests have no unsubscribe header.
Can I publish a post only on the web?
Yes. On the Audience step of the post flow you select Email and Web audiences, and can uncheck either one to publish to only one channel. Edits made after an email sends only appear on the web version.
Sources & verification
Product details and prices can change. Check the linked provider before buying.
- beehiiv: Pricing Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- beehiiv Support: Setting up your welcome email Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- beehiiv Support: Automations overview, triggers, actions and builder features Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- beehiiv Support: How to use a custom domain for your publication Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- beehiiv Support: Previewing and sending test emails of your post Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- beehiiv Support: Subscriber status types in beehiiv Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- beehiiv Support: Creating an embedded subscribe form Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- beehiiv Support: Double opt-in and Smart Nudge Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- beehiiv Support: How to create and publish a post Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- beehiiv Support: Understanding your Posts Report Accessed 30 Oct 2026
Sources link directly to providers. Product buttons may use separately labeled affiliate links. Read our disclosure.