Beehiiv, a creator platform that has gained popularity as an alternative to Substack, is raising its prices and many users are not happy. In a post explaining the raise, Beehiiv co-founder and CEO Tyler Denk says it will allow the company to “continue investing in our core platform experience.”
As part of the change, Beehiiv is renaming its mid-range Scale plan to Lite, which has increased by at least $10 per month depending on the number of subscribers. For someone with up to 10,000 subscribers, for example, Beehiiv will charge $139 a month instead of $109. Meanwhile, the Pro plan (previously Max) will cost $239 per month for up to 10,000 subscribers, a jump from the previous price of $219 per month. Creators with less than 2,500 subscribers can continue using Beehiiv for free.
The price increase has several creators on social media reconsidering their decision to use the platform, which many have joined to avoid the 10 percent cut that Substack takes from total subscription revenue. In a post on Bluesky, freelance journalist Tim Stevens expresses his frustration with the changes he saw on Beehiiv after switching to the platform earlier this year. “Since then, sponsor options and advertising rates have plummeted.” Stevens writes. “Now, Beehiiv is increasing its rates by 25%, making this an even less profitable endeavor.”
Matt Lombardo, who also recently moved his NFL news site Among the Hashmarks from Substack to Beehiiv, also mentioned his problems with the change. “Beehiiv raising prices without yet offering video podcasts, a consistent and viable growth driver on the platform, or podcast ads is pretty frustrating for someone who enjoys the platform,” Lombardo writes in Threads.
In a post on Reddit, Extra points Creator Matt Brown notes that while he thinks Beehiiv is a “steal” compared to Substack, he acknowledges that this “really isn’t true for a lot of other publishers,” especially those who don’t charge a subscription fee for their work:
As these prices increase, I think it’s becoming increasingly clear that if you have less than 10,000 subscribers and rely on Beehiiv to do most of your rev generation, and ESPECIALLY if you’re outside of the United States, the answer will be No. It’s not worth it. You’ll be able to get similar functionality at a lower upfront cost, and you’ll be able to connect affiliate ads through other networks.
Beehiiv has differentiated itself from other platforms by offering a host of built-in features, including an integrated ad network, website customization options, and podcast creation tools. The company recently launched a new feature that allows creators to create a community on their website. “This is only the second time we’ve updated our plans and pricing in beehiiv’s nearly five-year history,” Denk writes. “In recent years, we have greatly expanded the capabilities of the platform.”
