Newsletter Ledgerbeehiiv vs MailerLite: which costs less at your size
Neither takes a cut of paid subscriptions, so the plan price decides. beehiiv's Free plan is the bigger one (2,500 subscribers against 250). Once you pay, MailerLite Comfort is cheaper up to 40,000 subscribers in our data. Above that the cheaper one changes with each pricing tier: beehiiv Lite wins from 40,001 to 50,000 and from 60,001 to 75,000, MailerLite at the other sizes up to 100,000. Prices checked .
Quick answer
- Up to 2,500 subscribers, free newsletter: beehiiv is $0; MailerLite charges above 250.
- Paid newsletter up to 40,000: MailerLite Comfort costs less than beehiiv Lite.
- Above 40,000: it depends on the tier. beehiiv Lite is cheaper at 40,001 to 50,000 and 60,001 to 75,000; MailerLite at the other sizes. Check your exact size in the calculator.
Monthly cost side by side
| Subscribers | beehiiv, free newsletter | MailerLite, free newsletter | beehiiv, paid newsletter | MailerLite, paid newsletter | Cheaper (paid) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $0.00 Free | $17.10 Comfort | $75.60 Lite | $43.70 Comfort | MailerLite |
| 2,500 | $0.00 Free | $29.70 Comfort | $135.50 Lite | $96.20 Comfort | MailerLite |
| 5,000 | $95.00 Lite | $44.10 Comfort | $228.00 Lite | $177.10 Comfort | MailerLite |
| 10,000 | $119.00 Lite | $80.10 Comfort | $385.00 Lite | $346.10 Comfort | MailerLite |
| 25,000 | $169.00 Lite | $161.10 Comfort | $834.00 Lite | $826.10 Comfort | MailerLite |
| 50,000 | $249.00 Lite | $287.10 Comfort | $1,579.00 Lite | $1,617.10 Comfort | beehiiv |
| 100,000 | $399.00 Lite | $395.10 Comfort | $3,059.00 Lite | $3,055.10 Comfort | MailerLite |
Per month, US dollars, plans billed yearly where the platform offers it, otherwise month-to-month. "Free newsletter" is the plan price only. "Paid newsletter" assumes 5% of the list pays $8/month and includes the plan, the platform's fee and Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 per charge. "Same" means within $1. * = includes a figure not yet confirmed on the vendor's own page. Try your own numbers in the cost calculator.
Disclosure: links to platforms go through /go/ redirects. Some are affiliate links (currently beehiiv and Systeme.io): if you sign up and pay, we may earn a commission at no cost to you. That never changes the numbers or the order of results. Full disclosure.
Visit beehiiv (opens in a new tab) · Visit MailerLite (opens in a new tab)
What each charges, from their own pages
beehiiv
- Free plan up to 2,500 subscribers, without paid subscriptions.
- Lite is the cheapest plan that sells subscriptions, priced by list size.
- Takes 0% of paid subscription revenue; you pay only Stripe.
- Lite includes the referral program and the ad network, up to 10 live automations and one paid tier.
Official pricing source (checked 2026-10-19)
MailerLite
- Free plan up to 250 subscribers, without paid newsletters.
- Comfort is priced by list size and sells paid subscriptions with 0% commission; only Stripe fees apply.
- Paying yearly saves 10%.
- A general email marketing tool, not only a newsletter platform.
Official pricing source (checked 2026-10-19)
Who each suits, on cost
beehiiv
Free newsletters up to 2,500, some list sizes above 40,000, and publishers who want the referral program and ad network on the entry paid plan.
MailerLite
Small and mid-size paid newsletters on a budget, and writers who also need general email marketing.
Questions
Is MailerLite cheaper than beehiiv?
For a paid newsletter, yes up to 40,000 subscribers in our data; above that the cheaper one changes with each pricing tier, so check your exact size in the calculator. beehiiv's Free plan is larger, so a free newsletter under 2,500 subscribers costs $0 on beehiiv but not on MailerLite.
Do beehiiv or MailerLite take a percentage of paid subscriptions?
No. Both state 0% on paid subscriptions; you pay only Stripe's card fees.
We have not used either product as a publisher; this page compares published prices and plan limits only. See the methodology.