Our verdict
beehiiv is a reasonable home for a paid newsletter if you are already on a paid plan: it does not take a percentage of subscription revenue, it supports trials, discounts and metered access, and paywalls are configured inside the editor. The cost is the plan itself. Lite starts at $59 a month billed monthly for up to 1,000 subscribers and allows one paid tier; Pro starts at $109 a month and allows unlimited tiers and group subscriptions. [6]
Run the numbers before you switch from a platform that takes a percentage. At small paid counts, a flat plan fee can cost more than a revenue share; at a few hundred paying readers it usually costs less. The worked example below shows the arithmetic.
Which plan unlocks each step
The Stripe connection article lists All Plans, but the pricing page shows paid subscriptions are not available on Free, so in practice you need Lite or higher to sell. Paid trials are the one offer type Lite lacks: the pricing page lists paid trials only on Pro and Enterprise, and the tiers article describes paid trial tiers as a Pro and Enterprise feature. Free trials and discounts are available on Lite. [1] [6] [2]
| Step | Free | Lite | Pro and Enterprise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connect Stripe | Article says all plans | Yes | Yes |
| Paid tiers | No | 1 tier | Unlimited tiers |
| Standard paywalls and paywall breaks | No | Yes | Yes |
| Metered paywall | No | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial and discount offers | No | Yes | Yes |
| Paid trials | No | No | Yes |
| Group subscriptions | No | No | Yes |
| beehiiv take rate | Not applicable | 0 percent (not in trial) | 0 percent |
Step 1: connect Stripe
Go to Subscriptions and click Create your first paid tier (or Tiers, New Tier), enable paid subscriptions, choose your country and click Connect to Stripe. Sign in to Stripe, enter the SMS code, choose or create a business profile, and submit. A new account appears in your Stripe dashboard; switch to it from the account menu to see subscription revenue. [1]
This Stripe account is separate from the Stripe Express account beehiiv uses for paid recommendations and the Ad Network. Stripe is not available in every country, and in India accounts are invitation-only. A 400 Stripe Setup Error on the upgrade page means Stripe needs more information from you. [1]
Step 2: create and publish a tier
Create the tier under Subscriptions, Tiers, New Tier. Give it a name and optional preview text, which shows on paywalls and the upgrade page. Pricing can be monthly, quarterly, annual or a one-time payment; pay-what-you-want gives lifetime access from $1.00 and disables every other cadence on that tier. Each tier uses one of nine supported currencies: USD, AUD, BRL, CAD, EUR, GBP, INR, MXN or NZD. Stripe limits also block pay-what-you-want in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan and Thailand. [2] [5]
New tiers are hidden. Click the eye icon to show the tier on the pricing block or upgrade page, then publish the site, or readers will not see it. Price changes apply only to new subscribers, and archiving a tier stops new sign-ups while existing members keep access. [2]
- Write three to five concrete benefits; they appear on the upgrade page and pricing cards.
- Set a redirect URL per tier so new members land on a welcome page rather than the homepage.
- Offer an annual price alongside monthly; it reduces the share lost to Stripe's fixed per-charge fee.
Step 3: trials and discounts
Offers live under Subscriptions, Offers, in three types. A free trial gives full access for 1, 2, 7, 14, 30, 60 or 90 days, optionally without a card; when no card is required, a reminder email is on by default. A paid trial (Pro and Enterprise only) charges a reduced price for a set period, then converts to the tier's standard price. A discount takes a percentage off once, forever or for a set number of billing cycles, and can be shown to readers who try to cancel or downgrade. Offers can be restricted to a direct link and can carry an expiry date. [5]
Step 4: paywalls, paywall breaks and metered access
Every publication with paid subscriptions gets a default paywall that you can edit under Subscriptions, Paywalls: name, image, title, description, button text, benefits, an optional offer and styles. To lock a whole web post, set its Web Audience to a paid tier or All Paid Subscribers on the Audience page and pick a paywall. To show a preview first, type a slash in the editor and insert a Paywall Break; content above it is free, content below is locked on the web. Email and web audiences are set separately, so a post can go to every inbox while the web copy stays paywalled. [3]
A metered paywall lets free readers open a set number of paid posts per day, week, month, year or all time before the standard paywall appears. Only one metered paywall can be configured per account, and when both are on, the meter applies first. [4]
Worked example: monthly revenue after Stripe's fee
Assume 2,000 total subscribers on Lite, 200 of them paying $8 a month with US cards. Stripe's standard US rate is 2.9 percent plus 30 cents per successful domestic card charge, which is also the figure beehiiv quotes. Each $8 renewal costs $0.232 plus $0.30, about $0.53, leaving about $7.47. Across 200 renewals that is $1,600 gross, $106.40 in Stripe fees and $1,493.60 net. Lite for up to 2,500 subscribers is $79 billed monthly, leaving $1,414.60 before taxes. beehiiv's take is 0 percent. [7] [6]
Stripe adds 1.5 percent for international cards and 1 percent when currency conversion is needed. Stripe's pricing page also lists a separate Billing fee of 0.7 percent of billing volume on its pay-as-you-go plan; beehiiv's FAQ mentions only the card fee, so check the fee breakdown on your first renewals in the Stripe dashboard. If it does apply, 0.7 percent of $1,600 is $11.20 more. [7]
| Price | Stripe fee per charge (US card) | Net per charge | Fee as share of price |
|---|---|---|---|
| $5 monthly | $0.45 | $4.55 | 8.9 percent |
| $8 monthly | $0.53 | $7.47 | 6.7 percent |
| $80 annual | $2.62 | $77.38 | 3.3 percent |
Launch checklist
- Stripe account connected and business details complete, with no setup error on the upgrade page.
- Tier visible (eye icon on) and website republished.
- Upgrade page benefits and preview text read clearly on mobile.
- Default paywall edited; at least one post with a Paywall Break published as a test.
- An Upgraded-trigger automation welcomes new paid members, and a Downgraded-trigger flow asks why they left (automation triggers are documented in beehiiv's automations overview). [8]
- Test a purchase with a real card on a low-priced test tier, then refund it in Stripe and archive the tier.
Questions before you decide
Does beehiiv take a cut of paid subscription revenue?
beehiiv's pricing page lists a 0 percent take rate on paid subscriptions for paid plans, marked not in trial, and its FAQ says you still pay Stripe's standard processing fee of 2.9 percent plus $0.30 per transaction.
How long can a free trial be on beehiiv?
Free trial offers can last 1, 2, 7, 14, 30, 60 or 90 days. You can allow redemption without a credit card, in which case a trial reminder email is on by default. Group subscriptions are not eligible for free trials.
If I raise my tier price, do existing subscribers pay more?
No. beehiiv says changing a tier's price only applies to new subscribers. Existing subscribers keep their price unless they cancel and subscribe again.
Can free readers see part of a paid post?
Yes. Add a Paywall Break from the slash menu in the editor. Readers see the content above the break as a preview, and free subscribers see the paywall as they scroll past it on the web version.
Sources & verification
Product details and prices can change. Check the linked provider before buying.
- beehiiv Support: Setting up a Stripe account for paid subscriptions and digital products Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- beehiiv Support: How to set up and use paid subscription tiers Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- beehiiv Support: How to create and apply standard paywalls Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- beehiiv Support: How to set up metered paywall access Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- beehiiv Support: How to customize paid subscription offers Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- beehiiv: Pricing Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- Stripe: Pricing Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- beehiiv: Automations overview, triggers, actions and builder features Accessed 30 Oct 2026
Sources link directly to providers. Product buttons may use separately labeled affiliate links. Read our disclosure.