The decision in one paragraph
beehiiv is a newsletter platform with a website attached. WordPress is a website system you attach a newsletter to. If readers mostly arrive from email and land on posts, beehiiv's site is usually enough and saves you running two systems. If search traffic, many evergreen pages, or plugins are central to your plan, a WordPress site with your email tool alongside gives you more control, at the cost of more upkeep and a second bill.
What beehiiv's site includes on each plan
These rows come from beehiiv's pricing comparison. Prices shown are for up to 1,000 subscribers; they rise with list size.
| Plan | Price at up to 1,000 subscribers | Custom domain | Custom pages | Site redirects | Other site items |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 (Free covers up to 2,500 subscribers) | Not included in the comparison table | 1 | Not included | Basic website builder; beehiiv branding stays |
| Lite | $49 per month billed yearly ($588), or $59 monthly | Yes | 5 | 10 | Advanced website builder, custom HTML |
| Pro | $95 per month billed yearly ($1,140), or $109 monthly | Yes | Unlimited | Unlimited | Remove beehiiv branding, custom robots.txt |
| Enterprise | Custom | Yes | Unlimited | Unlimited | Custom limits |
Control and SEO settings side by side
beehiiv's pricing page does not list SEO features such as sitemaps or meta controls by plan, so this table sticks to items it does list. Search settings you rely on should be checked inside a trial account before you commit.
| Control | beehiiv | WordPress.com | Self-hosted WordPress |
|---|---|---|---|
| Custom domain | Lite and above | Paid plans; domain free for the first year on yearly billing | Yes, register separately |
| Number of pages | 1, 5 or unlimited by plan | Not stated on the pricing page | Limited by your host |
| Redirects | 10 on Lite, unlimited on Pro | Check plan details | Full control through plugins or server |
| robots.txt | Custom on Pro and Enterprise | Check plan details | Full control |
| Plugins and custom code | Custom HTML on Lite and above | Not stated on the pricing page; check plan details | Any plugin or code |
| Branding | beehiiv branding unless Pro or Enterprise | Not stated on the pricing page; check plan details | Set by your theme and plugins |
Yearly cost of each setup
Add the site bill to the newsletter bill. WordPress.com prices below are its yearly billing rates; monthly billing is higher and does not include a free domain. The .com figure is Porkbun's public pricing API entry, used as one registrar reference.
| Setup | Newsletter cost | Site and domain cost | Year one total |
|---|---|---|---|
| beehiiv Free only | $0 up to 2,500 subscribers | beehiiv address, 1 custom page | $0 |
| beehiiv Lite only | $588 billed yearly at up to 1,000 | Custom domain on beehiiv plus domain registration, for example $11.08 | About $599 |
| beehiiv Free plus WordPress.com Personal | $0 | $48 including first-year domain | $48 |
| beehiiv Lite plus WordPress.com Premium | $588 | $96 including first-year domain | $684 |
| beehiiv plus self-hosted WordPress | Your beehiiv plan | Hosting quote plus domain | Depends on host |
Maintenance: what you take on with WordPress
With beehiiv or WordPress.com, the host runs the server. With self-hosted WordPress you, or your host, keep the stack current. WordPress.org recommends PHP 8.3 or greater and MySQL 8.0 or MariaDB 10.11 or greater, which is a sign of the version upkeep involved. Add plugin and theme updates, backups and security checks to your monthly routine.
Running two systems also means two places to update branding, two logins to secure, and a signup form on the WordPress site that must feed your beehiiv list. Test that form with an address you control after every theme or plugin change.
Who should stay in beehiiv and who needs a separate site
- Stay in beehiiv: your site is an archive plus a few pages, most readers come from email, and you are on Lite or above for the custom domain.
- Stay in beehiiv: you are moving from Substack, where beehiiv says its /p/ post URLs match Substack's so post redirects are not needed.
- Add WordPress: you need more than 5 pages on Lite, or more than 10 redirects, without paying for Pro.
- Add WordPress: search traffic to evergreen guides is the main growth plan and you want plugin-level control.
- Add WordPress: you are on beehiiv Free and want a custom domain site for $48 a year rather than upgrading.
- Skip both changes: if you cannot name a page or setting you are missing today, stay with what you have.
Questions before you decide
Does beehiiv's Free plan include a custom domain?
beehiiv's pricing comparison marks custom domain as not included on Free, although one feature list mentions custom domains. Confirm inside your account before planning around it.
Can I remove beehiiv branding from my site?
The pricing page lists Remove beehiiv Branding on Pro and Enterprise, and notes it is not available during the trial.
Is WordPress itself free?
Yes, the WordPress software is free to download. You pay for hosting and a domain, or for a hosted WordPress.com plan.
Sources & verification
Product details and prices can change. Check the linked provider before buying.
- beehiiv pricing Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- beehiiv Support: How to migrate from Substack to beehiiv Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- WordPress.com pricing Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- WordPress.org: Get WordPress Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- Porkbun public pricing API (.com entry) Accessed 29 Oct 2026
Sources link directly to providers. Product buttons may use separately labeled affiliate links. Read our disclosure.