What creators actually need from a platform
Growth features bring readers in: a recommendation network, a referral program and good sign-up forms. Monetisation features turn readers into income: paid tiers, sponsorship or ad tools, and product sales. Ownership features protect you: a custom domain and a clean export. No single platform leads on all three, so this guide compares them feature by feature rather than ranking them.
All figures were read from official pages on October 29, 2026, in USD.
Feature comparison
| Feature | beehiiv | Kit | MailerLite |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Up to 2,500 subscribers [1] | Up to 10,000 subscribers [2] | Up to 250 subscribers [3] |
| Recommendations | Network on all plans; paid recommendations Lite+ [1] | Recommendations described; plan mapping unclear on page [2] | Not listed on pricing page |
| Referral program | Lite and above [1] | Pro (SparkLoop) [2] | Not listed on pricing page |
| Ad network | Lite and above, some regions excluded [1] | Not listed on pricing page | Not listed on pricing page |
| Paid subscriptions | Lite+, 0% take plus Stripe [1] | All plans, 3.5% + 30c incl. processing [2] | Comfort and Power via Stripe [4] |
| Automations | None on Free; 10 live on Lite [1] | Sequences and visual automations on Creator [2] | 3 on Free; 50 on Comfort [3] |
| Subscriber export | CSV from dashboard on all plans [5] | CSV with tags and fields [6] | Not checked for this guide |
Pick by stage
Under 1,000 subscribers: use a free plan and spend your energy on writing. Kit Free covers up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited broadcasts, forms and landing pages and lets you sell digital products and subscriptions. [2] beehiiv Free covers up to 2,500 and includes its recommendation network. [1] Pick Kit if you plan to sell a product early; pick beehiiv if you want recommendations to bring in readers.
From 1,000 to 10,000: this is where monetisation choices matter. beehiiv Lite, $59 per month billed monthly or $49 billed yearly at up to 1,000 subscribers, adds the ad network, referral program and paid subscriptions at 0% take. [1] Kit Creator, $39 billed monthly or $33 billed yearly at 1,000, adds sequences and visual automations for product launches. [2] MailerLite Comfort costs $19 at 1,000, $33 at 2,500, $49 at 5,000 and $89 at 10,000, the lowest verified prices here for a paid plan with automations. [3]
Over 10,000 subscribers: Kit Free no longer applies, and the plan fee becomes a real line item. beehiiv Pro lists unlimited automations and segments and the Send API. [1] Kit Pro lists the newsletter referral system, deliverability reporting, engagement scoring and priority support. [2] beehiiv's page priced Pro at $239 per month billed monthly ($199 billed yearly) up to 10,000 subscribers and $349 ($299) up to 25,000. [1] Kit's page showed prices only for 1,000 subscribers, so get Kit's price at your exact count before comparing.
Worked example: a 5,000-subscriber creator choosing a paid plan
Hypothetical: 5,000 subscribers, a weekly issue, one product launch sequence a quarter and a goal of earning from sponsorships. MailerLite Comfort at 5,000 is $49 per month, about $588 a year, and covers the launch sequence, but its pricing page lists no ad network. [3] beehiiv Lite adds the ad network and referral program at $109 per month billed monthly, or $1,140 a year billed yearly, in the up-to-5,000 bucket. [1] Kit Free still covers 5,000 subscribers, but the launch sequence needs Creator, whose 5,000-subscriber price was not shown in the text we read. [2]
The decision rule: if sponsorship income is realistic in the next six months, the beehiiv premium may pay for itself; if not, MailerLite or Kit keeps costs lower.
Ownership checklist
- Run a test export in your first week and check that tags, custom fields and unsubscribes come through. [5] [6]
- Download exports promptly: beehiiv links last 24 hours and Kit links last 5 days. [5] [6]
- Connect your own domain early so archive and sign-up links survive a future move.
- Keep a copy of your post archive; beehiiv's export includes published, archived and draft posts. [5]
- Check whether paid subscriptions run through your own Stripe account, so customers move with you.
Who should skip each
Questions before you decide
Which newsletter platform has a referral program?
beehiiv lists a referral program on Lite and above. Kit lists a newsletter referral system, provided through SparkLoop, on its Pro plan. We did not find a referral program on MailerLite's pricing page.
Which platform takes the smallest cut of paid subscriptions?
beehiiv says it takes 0% of paid subscription revenue, minus Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. MailerLite says it takes 0% commission with Stripe fees applying. Kit lists 3.5% + 30 cents per transaction including card processing, of which Kit takes 0.6%.
Can I export my list if I leave?
Yes on both platforms we checked. beehiiv's help center says dashboard subscriber exports are available on all plans; Kit's says exports include tags and custom fields, with links valid for 5 days.
Sources & verification
Product details and prices can change. Check the linked provider before buying.
- beehiiv pricing Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- Kit pricing Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- MailerLite pricing Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- MailerLite Help: How to sell digital products through MailerLite using Stripe Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- beehiiv Support: Exporting post content or subscriber data from beehiiv Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- Kit Help: How to export subscribers Accessed 29 Oct 2026
Sources link directly to providers. Product buttons may use separately labeled affiliate links. Read our disclosure.