Our verdict
Use dynamic segments for any audience you will send to more than once, static segments when you need a frozen snapshot (for example, everyone who was active on the day you launched a paid tier), and manual segments only for lists that come from outside beehiiv. Dynamic segments refresh daily and can be recalculated on demand; the other two types never change on their own. [1]
The plan question matters more than the segment type. Segments exist on every plan, but sending a post to one requires a paid plan, and the pricing page caps both the number of segments and their depth by plan. If you only want to count or clean up readers, Free is enough. If you want targeted sends, budget for Lite at minimum. [1] [3]
Static, dynamic and manual segments compared
All three types are created under Subscribers, Segments, Create Segment. Static and dynamic segments use Define Conditions; manual segments use Add subscribers, either from a CSV or pasted email addresses, with an optional welcome email. beehiiv requires explicit consent for every subscriber you add and shows a consent confirmation before a manual import. [1]
One behavior catches people out: a dynamic segment becomes inactive when no users have been added or removed in 30 days. You must reactivate it from the three-dot menu before you can delete subscribers from it, and the Segment action trigger only works with an active dynamic segment. [1]
| Type | How membership is set | Updates | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Static | Conditions, evaluated once at creation | Never, unless you change it | Snapshots, one-off audits, a fixed launch cohort |
| Dynamic | Conditions, re-evaluated | Daily, or on demand with Recalculate | Recurring sends, engagement tiers, automation triggers |
| Manual | CSV upload or pasted emails | Never | Event attendee lists, imported VIP lists |
Every condition group you can use
beehiiv's conditions chart groups conditions into subscriber attributes, engagement, email data, automation data and behavior. Text conditions accept is, is not, contains, does not contain, begins with, ends with, exists and does not exist. Date conditions accept is after, is on or after, is before and is on or before. Engagement numbers accept exactly, not exactly, greater than, at least, less than and at most. [2]
Two details are worth knowing. First, engagement includes Verified Unique Clicks and Verified Click-to-Open Rate, which beehiiv describes as excluding automated clicks, so they are the stricter choice when bots or security scanners inflate click counts. Second, Automation Data distinguishes started from completed, and beehiiv notes that subscribers who exited early do not count as completed. [2]
| Group | Conditions | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Email, Status (Active, Inactive, Pending), Tier (Free, Premium), Signup Date, Unsubscribe Date, Custom Field, Suppression | Active free readers who joined in the last 90 days |
| Location | City, State, Country | Region-specific events or sponsors |
| Acquisition | Channel, UTM Source, UTM Medium, UTM Campaign, UTM Term, UTM Content, Referring URL, Embed Source | Readers from one partner, campaign or embed form |
| Engagement | Unique Opens, Open Rate, Unique Clicks, Verified Unique Clicks, Click-to-Open Rate, Verified Click-to-Open Rate, Unique Sends, deferred and bounced counts | Engaged or unengaged tiers |
| Email data | Any email, Automation Email, Email to a segment, Post, Welcome Email, Opt-in Email: was or was not sent, received, opened, clicked | Readers who clicked a specific post |
| Automation data | Enrollment: started or completed | Exclude people still in an onboarding flow |
| Behavior | Referral Count, Poll Response, Survey Response, Product Purchase | Referral champions, poll-based interests, buyers |
Plan limits for segments
The support article says the number of conditions you can add depends on your plan and links to pricing for the numbers. The pricing page lists segment counts and a segment depth for each plan, shown below. Lite starts at $59 a month billed monthly ($49 a month billed annually) for up to 1,000 subscribers; Pro starts at $109 a month ($95 billed annually). [1] [3]
| Plan | Segments | Segment depth | Send a post to a segment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | 3 | 3 | No |
| Lite | 10 | 10 | Yes |
| Pro | Unlimited | 20 | Yes |
| Enterprise | Unlimited | 20 | Yes |
Worked example: engaged readers from one referral source
Suppose you ran a newsletter swap and the partner linked to your signup page with utm_source=partnerletter. Three weeks later you want to send a sponsor-friendly bonus issue only to readers from that swap who actually read you. Create a dynamic segment with the top-level match set to All and these four conditions: Subscription Status is Active; Acquisition UTM Source is partnerletter; Engagement Unique Opens is greater than or equal to 3; Engagement Verified Unique Clicks is greater than or equal to 1. [2]
Why four conditions instead of just Open Rate: a reader who joined yesterday and opened one email has a 100 percent open rate. A minimum count of opens filters out brand-new signups, and the verified click condition filters out readers whose only clicks came from automated scanners. beehiiv's help pages say the number of conditions you can add depends on your plan, and the pricing page lists a segment depth of 3 on Free and 10 on Lite, so four conditions fit on Lite but not on Free; Free cannot send to the segment anyway. [2] [3]
If the partner used beehiiv's referral program rather than a UTM link, swap the UTM condition for Acquisition Channel contains referral, which is the pattern beehiiv uses in its own example. Before sending, open the Segments page, choose Recalculate from the three-dot menu, then pick the segment on the Audience page of the post flow. [1] [2]
- Name the segment for what it does, such as Partnerletter swap, engaged, so it is still clear in six months.
- Recalculate immediately before sending; the daily refresh may be up to a day old.
- Keep a static copy if you want to compare this cohort later; a dynamic segment will keep changing.
Using segments to start automations
The Segment action trigger enrolls subscribers when they enter or exit a segment, and it only works with an active, dynamic segment. Only people who newly enter or exit after you activate the automation are enrolled; readers already in the segment are not, so the first time you use it you need to enroll the existing members manually. Segment changes are processed during recalculations, not in real time. [5] [4]
This makes segments a good way to run re-engagement flows. A dynamic segment of active readers with an open rate below a threshold can feed a win-back automation; just make sure the segment is still active, since the trigger ignores inactive segments. [1] [5]
Who should rely on segments, and who can skip them
- Use them if you run sponsors, paid tiers or partner swaps and need to prove you are sending to engaged, consenting readers.
- Use them if you track acquisition with UTM tags or embed forms and want to compare cohorts by source.
- Skip targeted sends for now if you are on Free and under a few hundred readers; use segments only to spot inactive addresses.
- Skip complex segments if your conditions would exceed your plan's depth; simplify, or split the logic between a segment and an automation branch.
Questions before you decide
Can I send to a segment on the beehiiv Free plan?
No. beehiiv says publishing posts to a segment requires a paid plan. Free accounts can still create segments to analyze readers or find inactive subscribers, and the pricing page lists 3 segments with a segment depth of 3 on Free.
How often do beehiiv dynamic segments update?
Dynamic segments refresh once a day. You can force an update from the Segments page by opening the three-dot menu and choosing Recalculate. Static and manual segments cannot be recalculated.
Why did my dynamic segment show as inactive?
beehiiv's segments article says a dynamic segment becomes inactive when no users have been added to or removed from it in 30 days. Reactivate it from the three-dot menu on the Segments page.
Can I segment by UTM source or referral channel?
Yes. The conditions chart has an Acquisition group with Channel, UTM Source, UTM Medium, UTM Campaign, UTM Term, UTM Content, Referring URL and Embed Source. beehiiv's own example combines Channel contains referral with an email domain condition.
Sources & verification
Product details and prices can change. Check the linked provider before buying.
- beehiiv Support: Creating and using segments in beehiiv Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- beehiiv Support: Segment conditions chart and use cases Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- beehiiv: Pricing Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- beehiiv Support: Using automations, overview of triggers and actions Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- beehiiv Support: Enrolling subscribers in automations Accessed 30 Oct 2026
Sources link directly to providers. Product buttons may use separately labeled affiliate links. Read our disclosure.