I have made use of a great deal of various email list systems throughout the years. In the last number of years, I’ve been a huge advocate of digital sovereignty and having your own system. Therefore (and the incredible features), I have actually been utilizing What Is The Difference Between Beehiiv and Ghost.
So, it is undoubtedly an odd move for me to determine to utilize BeeHiiv. Nevertheless, it is a held application and I am paying regular monthly for it.
Why did I do this?
In this BeeHiiv review, I want to discuss why I made the switch to BeeHiiv for my e-newsletters. I want to deal with the problem of digital sovereignty while making use of the system and I ‘d also such as to deal with why I chose to utilize it over Substack.
Allow’s dive in …
BeeHiiv: Constructed For E-newsletters
In Problem # 435 of my e-newsletter called My Hobby + A Large Shift In Strategy, I discussed how and why I made a decision to turn my RV blog right into mostly a newsletter. I chose that was the business design I wanted to seek with that residential or commercial property.
However, to intentionally seek it as a newsletter, I wanted a system that was purpose-built for that. I was utilizing FluentCRM for the email listing for Gladly RV, yet FluentCRM is not an e-newsletter platform. It is built to be a CRM and marketing automation device and, truthfully, using it for e-newsletters is a little a waste. Much more on that in a little bit.
As I claimed in that problem of the newsletter …
Simply put, BeeHiiv is a system with tools constructed right into it details to my function. Points such as:
- Capacity to publish (to the blog site) and send out the email all at once without having it be 2 different actions.
- Built in newsletter referral program. FluentCRM does not have that and I would certainly have needed a third-party tool like Sparkloop.
- Integrated capacity to do cross-promotions with other e-newsletters on the BeeHiiv platform.
- ” Magic Hyperlinks”, which are primarily one-click membership links. Great for promotion in various other newsletters. FluentCRM has Smart Hyperlinks, though, so there are means to do that.
- Capacity to do paid “boosts” on the BeeHiiv network to advertise your newsletter.
- Built-in advertisement network, if I choose to monetize with advertisements in the e-newsletter. And I may.
- Integrated ability to run a paid newsletter upgrade and primarily run a costs newsletter. And BeeHiiv doesn’t take a cut.
Basically, BeeHiiv is purpose-built for newsletter authors with features targeted at growth. The platform was essentially constructed by the individuals who built up the modern technology for Morning Brew. They understand what they’re doing.
That is the factor right here. BeeHiiv is developed from scratch for the objective of running an e-newsletter. FluentCRM has a various function.
And I finished off with this:.
I may without a doubt be relocating The Edge over to BeeHiiv too. At least, I’m strongly considering it.
Well, I didn’t consider it for long. In fact, I just went all out. And as a matter of fact, The EDGE was re-branded over to The Morning WP, triggered as it’s own building so that I can grow it extra purposefully too.
The objective is that each newsletter has the capacity to be branded as it’s own media entity and expanded separately. Gladly RV was young, so simple to transition. However, The Early morning WP (formerly The Side) was buried in a sea of stuff right here at the Blog Marketing Academy. By separating it off, I can do what I can to grow it on it’s own. It will certainly constantly be carefully linked with the Blog Marketing Academy, yet does not have to be a part of it.
I switched to BeeHiiv due to the fact that it was constructed for this objective. FluentCRM was not.
E-newsletters Versus Simply A Typical Email Checklist
There’s a difference in between an e-newsletter system and simply an email listing.
You can organize your email checklist just about anywhere you desire and there are a number of them around, from Aweber, ActiveCampaign, Drip, ConvertKit … over to self-hosted alternatives like GroundHogg and FluentCRM.
What’s the distinction?
The primary difference is that, with a newsletter system, the act of publishing implies that it is mosting likely to your website and to your email customers all at once.
With both BeeHiiv and Substack, you have a website. You are publishing to that site. But, you are additionally sending off to all subscribers at the same time. The site and it’s clients are done in one. This makes monitoring of the platform much less complex.
With the majority of e-mail systems, any type of e-newsletter you established is done as an email campaign. It is built entirely independently from your site. So, for example, you may release an article to WordPress however after that you would require to individually develop and send out an email to your checklist to send it to clients. These are after that 2 separate sets of archives and 2 different activities since post and your e-mails are not inherently connected.
The closest point that turns WordPress right into a true newsletter platform is E-newsletter Glue.
It is a suitable name because it basically “adhesives” your e-newsletter to your WordPress messages and permits them to be the very same point. Certainly, something like Newsletter Glue would be a solid option if I wanted to remain to self-host everything. However, you ‘d shed the development devices that include a platform like BeeHiiv.
Posting a newsletter inherently comes with a different collection of requirements than a typical e-mail checklist.
You do not generally require much marketing automation. You do not generally require autoresponder sequences, event tracking, and all the bells and whistles of a marketing automation platform.
What you DO requirement, though, is one seamless publishing experience and development tools to help you construct your client base that specify to newsletters.
BeeHiiv vs Substack
When I introduced to my clients that I was mosting likely to change the e-newsletter over to BeeHiiv, I had many individuals ask me why I was picking it over Substack.
To be clear, also besides the truth that I picked to go with BeeHiiv, that does not suggest I assume Substack sucks. As a matter of fact, since Substack has been around longer, it is elder and has more features.
Despite the fact that BeeHiiv is younger, there are a pair points that at first got my attention:.
- BeeHiiv is particularly tailored to e-newsletter publishers. In fact, it is literally constructed by the very same individuals that developed the modern technology behind Early morning Mixture. On the other hand, SubStack targets writers. In the real life, doesn’t matter. But, the evident positioning of BeeHiiv towards newsletter growth called me out over the more generic positioning of being a “designer”. Growth is what I’m interested in right here.
- That branding and distinction likewise suggests that BeeHiiv has some rather big brands and large publications utilizing it. Whereas SubStack is intended more at solo makers. Once again, it just tells me the customer character distinction in between the two firms.
Sending our my newsletter by means of FluentCRM really did not precisely draw. The only reason I would certainly ponder drinking things up is if I assumed I might expand the checklist faster. And BeeHiiv spoke specifically to that objective.
As a result of the targeting, I in fact don’t view BeeHiiv and Substack as straight competitors. I believe BeeHiiv is targeting a different type of consumer. Actually, if anything, I see BeeHiiv and ConvertKit being much more straight rivals.
Yet, let’s dive deeper than just the positioning below.
Things That Make BeeHiiv Better Than Substack
On the whole, BeeHiiv appears like it was constructed by individuals that understanding email marketing. On the other hand, SubStack appears more geared towards designers.
For instance, BeeHiiv supplies custom fields on customers. Now, it isn’t as created as something like FluentCRM. Yet, it has it. Substack doesn’t.
BeeHiiv offers Automations. In fact, it is an aesthetic automation builder that functions a whole lot like what we have within FluentCRM.
To be clear, the automation capability is still early-phase. It is still rather minimal in triggers and the only action is the capability to send an e-mail. However, enhancements are coming. Quickly enough, automations will have brand-new triggers as well as brand-new activities, such as modifying custom fields, sending out webhooks, and so on. I’ve already seen improvements to their automations just because I began making use of the platform. For instance:
- Capability to activate automations based upon which certain embed kind they came in on.
- Capability to automatically do re-engagement (and manage people based upon opens up and non-opens).
- Ability to do fundamental conditional logic branches.
Substack does not have automations like this. Likely, it never ever will. Substack simply can’t do this due to the fact that the target audience of Substack just wouldn’t believe to approach this like an email online marketer.
When it pertains to writing your e-newsletters, the writing interface of BeeHiiv is simply much more tailored toward e-newsletters. Actually, it really has similarities to the WordPress block builder in how it functions. I find it to be extra user-friendly, personally.
Substack’s writing interface is nice and tidy, but it would certainly be a lot more comparable to the timeless editor for WordPress. Toolbar at the top.
This difference is more than just form. For example, with BeeHiiv you can place a “Section” and after that put anything you want in it. After that, you can put Exposure options on that particular section to reveal it only to paid clients, hide it from email, conceal from subscribers, reveal just to customers, and so on. Substack supplies nothing such as this.
And when/if the moment comes that I begin a costs membership version, BeeHiiv does not take any type of earnings. Actually, you essentially attach as much as your own Stripe account and it charges straight to it. With Substack, they will take 10% of your revenue. Relying on how many clients you obtain, that 10% can be a fair bit even more money than the monthly cost of BeeHiiv.
Finally, BeeHiiv has an API. This could seem nerdy, yet what it implies is that there are integrations with BeeHiiv. You can actually make BeeHiiv deal with the outside making use of devices like Zapier or Make.com. This is HUGE. Substack literally has … absolutely nothing. No integrations whatsoever.
Overall, I simply seemed like BeeHiiv was more constructed toward genuine email marketing. It was developed by people that “get it”. Also the opt-in kinds and the landing page creates seem better developed for conversions. Growth is the name of the game with BeeHiiv.
Despite the fact that there are still features I want to see BeeHiiv add, I such as the instructions it is going more than Substack.
Points That Make Substack Better Than BeeHiiv
As I have actually claimed, Substack settings itself towards “creators” greater than email online marketers and e-newsletter owners. For that reason, you see some things geared a lot more toward people who simply believe in terms of web content development.
For example, Substack supports podcasts. BeeHiiv does not.
Also, while BeeHiiv does support several publications, they are dealt with quite independently. Whereas Substack does have the ability to cross-post to multiple magazines at the same time. This isn’t something I need, but … great for people that may require it.
Substack additionally has even more social performance built-in. For example, it has a chat feature to host talks with customers. It additionally has a “Notes” feature which functions type of like a social media sites newsfeed where you can share points from other “Stacks” you’re reading. Interesting. On the whole, Substack is established to be a lot more like a social media network which sustains long-form material.
In general, Substack is likewise much more … minimalist. You either care for that or don’t. Directly, I do not. However, if the goal is simpleness of user interface and, honestly, features … Substack works rather well.
But, I’ll be clear right here …
When it comes to actual marketing, I don’t think there’s much doubt that BeeHiiv is much better suited. I tried to find more factors that make Substack much better than BeeHiiv, but truthfully … I have a difficult time discovering them.
BeeHiiv Vs ConvertKit
While BeeHiiv and Substack are frequently with to be the closest competitors, I really see BeeHiiv and ConvertKit being the closer competitors. Both are pursuing the exact same target market and have comparable capacities.
ConvertKit is also placed at makers (like Substack), but it is much more strongly accommodating individuals that do it for company. ConvertKit has good aesthetic automation structure, it’s very own commerce system, and a lot more. ConvertKit is a truly wonderful system.
I’m not going to bore you with a complete feature-by-feature break down below. ConvertKit is well known already. Yet, below’s just how I feel BeeHiiv and ConvertKit contrast …
Points ConvertKit Is Much Better At …
Currently, ConvertKit has extra flexibility when it concerns it’s automations. I will additionally state that I find ConvertKit’s automation builder to be a bit a lot more intuitive than that of BeeHiiv.
ConvertKit sustains marking. This is just a basic feature of e-mail lists that allows division in a much more versatile way than BeeHiiv currently does. I expect BeeHiiv to support tagging eventually quickly, frankly. It seems like an oversight that it is missing out on What Is The Difference Between Beehiiv and Ghost.
ConvertKit does now supply the capability to market things by means of their own platform. BeeHiiv does not. If that is very important to you, it might be a big deal for you. For me, however, I would certainly constantly pick a much more direct option anyway. For me, I favor to use my very own platform powered by WooCommerce.
ConvertKit has been about much longer and because of that has way extra integration options. Tons of web-based tools and WordPress plugins integrate with ConvertKit. ConvertKit also has their own WordPress plugin that is rather powerful. As an example, their plugin now even supports member-gated material as well as auto-embed of your e-newsletter archives right into your website. Essentially, this extra very closely puts ConvertKit into straight competitors by having you be able to publish to your website and your e-mail listing at the same time.
BeeHiiv is drastically lacking in these sort of third-party integrations presently. It’ll arrive. However, we’re not there yet with it.
ConvertKit is also active taking on the growth devices of BeeHiiv. As an example, BeeHiiv has the referral program and the Referral Engine where you can not only incentivize people to share your newsletter with rewards, but you can also pay per lead within the inner advertisement network of BeeHiiv to expand your checklist. These are really outstanding features of BeeHiiv. However …
Did you understand ConvertKit obtained Sparkloop? Sparkloop is just one of the most well known viral promotion systems for e-newsletters … and ConvertKit bought it. You can see the writing on the wall surface wherefore this suggests for the system going forward.
Points BeeHiiv Is Better At … What Is The Difference Between Beehiiv and Ghost
BeeHiiv is a lot previously in it’s item cycle than ConvertKit. Part of that means less features and much less integrations, which is natural for this stage of the cycle. Nonetheless, it additionally implies that they are quickly creating.
In the short time that I have been a customer of BeeHiiv, I have witnessed almost weekly release of new features into the system. And these aren’t weak little features … however huge features that are fairly vital. Their rate of growth now has been impressive.
I likewise very much value exactly how responsive they are. As a matter of fact, one of their item news regarding some layout improvements to the web design features actually included a little trouble with the web content width. I merely responded to that e-mail to tell them. I swiftly obtained a reply straight from the CEO:.
That exact same day, the problem was dealt with.
Few days later, I provided another recommendation …
Certainly, in a little bit over a week of that exchange, the capacity to cause automations based upon the embed kind made use of was contributed to the system.
That kind of responsiveness and direct involvement of the team is something I actually appreciate.
One more major factor of distinction here is the rate. Both systems provide cost-free plans, nevertheless the BeeHiiv free plan supplies extra ability and more clients (2,500 vs 1,000) than ConvertKit.
Once you go to paid plans, the pricing of BeeHiiv is likewise FAR more favorable. ConvertKit seems less costly initially look due to the fact that their pricing page reveals reduced numbers, nonetheless the client restrictions are FAR reduced and your rate quickly increases as your listing grows.
With BeeHiiv, your initial degree paid plan begins at $42/mo (paid yearly), however you can have up to 10,000 customers. That same size listing is going to run you $100/month with ConvertKit.
If you update to the “Scale” plan with BeeHiiv (their ideal plan and the one I personally utilize), you can expand your list as much as 100,000. A listing of that dimension would certainly run you $566/month with ConvertKit. If you desire their referral network, too, that places you at the $733/month plan. That’s if you pay yearly, too. With BeeHiiv, you can get all that for simply $84/month if you pay each year.
BeeHiiv is in an entirely various league when it pertains to pricing (in an excellent way).
Will BeeHiiv ultimately boost costs? They could as time goes on. But, I’m presuming individuals like myself that are already in will be locked-in. We’ll see just how points continue.
Things I Would Certainly Like BeeHiiv To Add
Among the important things you certainly need to keep in mind is that BeeHiiv is fairly young. They do seem to evolve instead quickly and make new item news rather frequently, but there are some basic features I truly desire they had that I need to just await.
One is that they require to have a setup on subscription forms where I can choose an automation to run right at the type degree. That would certainly be amazing for numerous factors. As of now, registration types look OK, yet there’s very little setups for them to help in segmentation.
It would certainly behave to have tagging at the customer level. This would be effective.
I think webhooks ought to become part of automations to make integrated automations much easier and minimize reliance on outdoors tools like Zapier.
There are additionally some small management interface changes that would certainly come in handy. For example:
- Ability to bulk edit/remove subscribers.
- Ability to bulk edit posts (for example, to label a bunch of them at the same time).
- Having a couple of fundamental fields as standard on customers (like the name).
- Some more modification options for the site (such as even more versatile color options, headline control, etc).
So, yeah … there are some shortcomings. Points I hope they finish with it in the near future. BeeHiiv is pretty good, yet it isn’t excellent and certainly not nearly as developed as something like FluentCRM or any other real CRM item.
It possibly never will certainly be, either. As I claimed, the purpose is various so it wouldn’t much a great deal of sense for BeeHiiv to end up being a full marketing automation platform. I guess you never understand, though.
Last Thoughts On This BeeHiiv Evaluation
I like BeeHiiv quite a great deal. Sufficient where I made a decision to change my own newsletters over to the platform in spite of my individual choice for digital sovereignty and owning my very own system.
Put simply, for the newsletter posting version especially, I saw sufficient worth in their system to require the adjustment.
Keep in mind, I do not utilize BeeHiiv as my exclusive e-mail checklist. I use BeeHiiv of what it is proficient at, however I deliberately have things set up so that I also maintain my listing “in house” within FluentCRM.
If you utilize BeeHiiv, I suggest you do the very same. It is just a good insurance plan, for one. However, having a full-featured marketing automation platform for your listing will certainly be of high use (FluentCRM is a full marketing automation system and BeeHiiv is not and likely never ever will certainly be).
So, the concern is … should YOU make use of BeeHiiv?
In my viewpoint, if you are making use of Substack today, I ‘d most definitely think about changing to BeeHiiv. It will simply be extra business-friendly. It is targeting different capacities and different demands. And also, BeeHiiv also has import devices for Substack, so the switch ought to be quite uncomplicated.
If you get on ConvertKit now, I ‘d possibly sit tight unless you have a big email checklist and are as a result being wooled with their high monthly costs. You will certainly not (yet) have every feature of ConvertKit with BeeHiiv, but they are repeating quickly. There’s also a pretty good chance you’re not also making use of several of those fancier features of ConvertKit and you do not even require them. For that reason, BeeHiiv could easily be a better and extra economical fit.
Finally, if you plan to be really willful concerning growing an e-newsletter, I assume BeeHiiv is THE platform to think about and maintain and eye on for you.
If you make use of BeeHiiv with eyes wide open regarding what it is designed to be, it is one of the very best games in town right now. This is the platform to watch.
BeeHiiv uses a 14-day trial on their paid plans. It deserves taking a look at for yourself. And if you end up not sticking with the paid plan, you’ll locate the complimentary account to be rather feature abundant.