Pause, downgrade or delete
beehiiv offers three ways out of a paid plan, and they have very different consequences. Pausing and downgrading keep your publication; deleting a workspace is permanent. [1] [2] [5]
| Option | When it takes effect | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Pause (monthly plans only) | Up to 30 days from the end of the billing cycle; Free features meanwhile [2] | A short break |
| Downgrade to Free or a lower tier | End of the current billing period [1] | Staying on beehiiv with a smaller bill |
| Delete publication or workspace | On confirmation; workspace deletion cannot be undone [5] | Leaving beehiiv for good |
How to downgrade
- Go to Settings > Billing & Plan and click Change under Your Current Plan. [1]
- Choose the downgrade, review the final summary and confirm. [1]
- To lower only the subscriber tier, use the slider and click Decrease Subscriber Count; the new count starts when the current plan ends. [1]
- Changed your mind? Click Cancel Downgrade under Your Upcoming Plan any time before the next billing date. [1]
- Annual to monthly: monthly billing starts when the annual plan ends. [1]
What stops on the Free plan
beehiiv's plan-change article lists what changes when a paid plan ends. The Free plan itself allows up to 2,500 subscribers, 1 team seat, 1 publication and a 30-day analytics lookback. If you are over a limit and auto-upgrade is off, beehiiv says sends may be delayed. [1] [3]
| Area | After moving to Free |
|---|---|
| Automations | Turned off; subscribers mid-journey finish; saved as drafts [1] |
| Custom domains | Stay connected; no new domains can be added [1] |
| Website pages | Custom pages unpublished, one may stay published; pages with pricing or HTML blocks stay live but cannot be updated [1] |
| Webhooks and redirects | Webhook endpoints disabled; redirects stop until you upgrade [1] |
| Podcast analytics prefixes | Deleted [1] |
| Subscribers and publications | Free limit is 2,500 subscribers and 1 publication [3] |
Paid subscribers, the Ad Network and paid recommendations
beehiiv's downgrade article does not say what happens to existing paid subscriptions. Its pricing page lists paid subscriptions as a Lite feature, and the trial article lists paid subscriptions among features held back until you upgrade, so plan on not being able to keep selling them on Free. Ask support how your existing paying subscribers will be handled before you downgrade, and tell those readers what will change. Revenue already collected sits in your own connected Stripe account. [1] [3] [4] [9]
The Ad Network is open to paid plans that are actively sending. Earnings deposit into your beehiiv wallet on the 20th of each month for the prior month, and can be withdrawn at any time without a fee. The FAQ does not say what happens to a balance after a downgrade, so withdraw it before you leave. [6]
Boosts are now called paid recommendations and are available on paid plans; free recommendations remain on all plans. Because paid recommendations are a paid-plan feature, confirm with support what happens to active offers before you downgrade. [7]
Refunds
beehiiv's refund article says all sales are final upon subscription. It lists cases that are not refunded: not using the platform, failing to cancel before the next billing cycle, missing features, purchases made in error, circumstances beyond beehiiv's control and terms-of-use violations. If your case is different, ask through Ask beehiiv in your account or the Help page; beehiiv notes that a ticket does not guarantee an exception. [8]
Export checklist before leaving
- Subscribers: Settings > Export Data > Export All Subscribers for the full file with custom fields and statistics, not the basic export. [10]
- Posts: Settings > Export Data > Export Posts > Export All Posts covers published, archived and draft posts. [10]
- Download promptly: export links are valid for 24 hours. [10]
- Paid subscriber records and payouts: these live in your Stripe account; reconcile there. [9]
- Withdraw any Ad Network wallet balance. [6]
- Domains: in Settings > Domains, click See records and save them, then Disconnect Domain, and remove those records at your DNS provider. Your site reverts to the beehiiv subdomain and old custom-domain links stop working. [11]
Deleting a publication or workspace
Only workspace owners can delete. Deleting a publication removes its subscribers, segments and associated data. Deleting a workspace permanently removes all its publications and team members and cannot be undone. Before deleting a workspace, beehiiv says to remove custom domain records so you can reconnect the domain elsewhere later; to delete the whole beehiiv account, first delete or transfer every workspace you own. [5] [11]
Questions before you decide
Does beehiiv give refunds when I cancel?
beehiiv says all sales are final upon subscription and does not refund for non-use, forgetting to cancel, missing features or purchases made in error. You can submit a ticket, but beehiiv says that does not guarantee a refund.
What happens to my custom domain if I downgrade beehiiv?
beehiiv says existing custom domains stay connected on Free, but you cannot add a new one. If you later lose access to domain settings after a downgrade, support can restore temporary access so you can disconnect it.
Can I pause beehiiv instead?
Yes on monthly plans: up to 30 days starting at the end of the current billing cycle, with Free features while paused. Annual plans cannot be paused.
How long do beehiiv export links last?
beehiiv says download links for exported data are valid for 24 hours. If a link expires, request the export again from Settings > Export Data.
Sources & verification
Product details and prices can change. Check the linked provider before buying.
- beehiiv support: How to change your beehiiv plan type and plan tier Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- beehiiv support: Plan types and subscriber plan tier pricing Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- beehiiv pricing Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- beehiiv support: What's included in a beehiiv free trial Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- beehiiv support: How to delete your workspace or a publication Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- beehiiv support: Ad Network FAQ Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- beehiiv support: Boosts to paid recommendations, what changed Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- beehiiv support: Am I eligible for a refund? Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- beehiiv support: Setting up a Stripe account for paid subscriptions and digital products Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- beehiiv support: Exporting post content or subscriber data Accessed 30 Oct 2026
- beehiiv support: How to remove a custom domain Accessed 30 Oct 2026
Sources link directly to providers. Product buttons may use separately labeled affiliate links. Read our disclosure.