I have used a lot of various email list systems throughout the years. In the last number of years, I have actually been a significant advocate of digital sovereignty and owning your own platform. Because of that (and the awesome features), I have been making use of Ghost Vs Substack Vs Beehiiv.
So, it is undoubtedly an unusual move for me to decide to utilize BeeHiiv. Besides, it is a hosted application and I am paying regular monthly for it.
Why did I do this?
In this BeeHiiv review, I wish to look at why I made the button to BeeHiiv for my newsletters. I wish to resolve the issue of digital sovereignty while utilizing the system and I ‘d also like to attend to why I selected to utilize it over Substack.
Let’s dive in …
BeeHiiv: Developed For Newsletters
In Problem # 435 of my newsletter called My Pastime + A Big Change In Strategy, I talked about just how and why I determined to turn my recreational vehicle blog into mainly a newsletter. I made a decision that was business design I wanted to go after keeping that property.
Yet, to deliberately pursue it as a newsletter, I wanted a system that was purpose-built for that. I was making use of FluentCRM for the e-mail listing for Gladly motor home, yet FluentCRM is not an e-newsletter system. It is constructed to be a CRM and marketing automation tool and, truthfully, utilizing it for e-newsletters is a little a waste. A lot more on that in a little bit.
As I claimed in that issue of the newsletter …
Put simply, BeeHiiv is a system with tools constructed right into it particular to my objective. Points such as:
- Capability to release (to the blog site) and send out the email concurrently without having it be 2 different activities.
- Constructed in newsletter referral program. FluentCRM doesn’t have that and I would have needed a third-party device like Sparkloop.
- Integrated capability to do cross-promotions with other newsletters on the BeeHiiv system.
- ” Magic Hyperlinks”, which are essentially one-click membership web links. Great for promotion in other e-newsletters. FluentCRM has Smart Hyperlinks, though, so there are methods to do that.
- Capability to do paid “boosts” on the BeeHiiv network to advertise your e-newsletter.
- Integrated advertisement network, if I select to generate income from with ads in the newsletter. And I may.
- Integrated capability to run a paid newsletter upgrade and primarily run a costs e-newsletter. And BeeHiiv doesn’t take a cut.
Basically, BeeHiiv is purpose-built for newsletter authors with features focused on development. The platform was essentially constructed by the individuals who built up the technology for Early morning Brew. They understand what they’re doing.
That is the factor below. BeeHiiv is built from the ground up for the function of running a newsletter. FluentCRM has a different objective.
And I finished off with this:.
I might certainly be relocating The Edge over to BeeHiiv also. At least, I’m strongly considering it.
Well, I really did not consider it for long. As a matter of fact, I just went for it. And as a matter of fact, The EDGE was re-branded over to The Morning WP, triggered as it’s very own property to ensure that I can grow it extra deliberately as well.
The objective is that each e-newsletter has the capability to be branded as it’s very own media entity and grown individually. Gladly RV was young, so easy to change. Yet, The Early morning WP (formerly The Edge) was buried in a sea of stuff here at the Blog Site Marketing Academy. By dividing it off, I can do what I can to expand it on it’s very own. It will undoubtedly constantly be closely tied with the Blog Marketing Academy, but does not have to belong of it.
I changed to BeeHiiv due to the fact that it was built for this objective. FluentCRM was not.
E-newsletters Versus Just A Regular Email Checklist
There’s a distinction between an e-newsletter system and just an email checklist.
You can host your email checklist anywhere you desire and there are a number of them available, from Aweber, ActiveCampaign, Drip, ConvertKit … over to self-hosted alternatives like GroundHogg and FluentCRM.
What’s the distinction?
The main distinction is that, with an e-newsletter platform, the act of publishing implies that it is mosting likely to your internet site and to your email subscribers all at once.
With both BeeHiiv and Substack, you have a site. You are releasing to that web site. Yet, you are also dispatching to all clients at the same time. The internet site and it’s customers are done in one. This makes management of the system much simpler.
With a lot of email platforms, any newsletter you established is done as an email campaign. It is built entirely independently from your website. So, as an example, you may release a write-up to WordPress but after that you would require to independently develop and send out an email to your listing to send it to subscribers. These are then 2 separate collections of archives and 2 separate activities because article and your e-mails are not inherently connected.
The closest thing that transforms WordPress right into a real e-newsletter system is Newsletter Glue.
It is a suitable name since it practically “adhesives” your e-newsletter to your WordPress posts and permits them to be the exact same thing. Definitely, something like Newsletter Glue would certainly be a solid option if I wanted to remain to self-host every little thing. However, you would certainly lose the development tools that include a system like BeeHiiv.
Publishing an e-newsletter naturally features a various set of demands than a common e-mail checklist.
You do not usually require much marketing automation. You do not usually require autoresponder series, occasion monitoring, and all the bells and whistles of a marketing automation system.
What you DO demand, however, is one smooth publishing experience and development devices to aid you build your client base that are specific to e-newsletters.
BeeHiiv vs Substack
When I revealed to my customers that I was going to switch the e-newsletter over to BeeHiiv, I had many individuals ask me why I was selecting it over Substack.
To be clear, also besides the truth that I picked to go with BeeHiiv, that does not mean I believe Substack draws. As a matter of fact, due to the fact that Substack has been about much longer, it is more mature and has more features.
Even though BeeHiiv is younger, there are a couple points that originally got my interest:.
- BeeHiiv is especially tailored to newsletter publishers. Actually, it is essentially built by the exact same folks that developed the technology behind Morning Brew. On the other hand, SubStack targets writers. In the real world, does not matter. Yet, the evident positioning of BeeHiiv towards e-newsletter growth called me out over the more common positioning of being a “maker”. Growth is what I’m interested in right here.
- That branding and distinction additionally implies that BeeHiiv has some fairly huge brand names and huge publications utilizing it. Whereas SubStack is intended more at solo makers. Again, it just informs me the client avatar distinction between the two business.
Sending our my e-newsletter through FluentCRM didn’t exactly suck. The only reason I would contemplate trembling things up is if I thought I can expand the list faster. And BeeHiiv spoke exactly to that objective.
Due to the targeting, I really don’t watch BeeHiiv and Substack as direct rivals. I believe BeeHiiv is targeting a various kind of customer. Actually, if anything, I see BeeHiiv and ConvertKit being extra straight competitors.
Yet, let’s dive much deeper than just the positioning here.
Things That Make BeeHiiv Better Than Substack
Overall, BeeHiiv appears like it was constructed by individuals that recognizing e-mail marketing. On the other hand, SubStack appears a lot more geared toward developers.
For example, BeeHiiv supplies custom fields on customers. Now, it isn’t as developed as something like FluentCRM. Yet, it has it. Substack doesn’t.
BeeHiiv provides Automations. As a matter of fact, it is an aesthetic automation builder that works a whole lot like what we have inside of FluentCRM.
To be clear, the automation capability is still early-phase. It is still quite minimal in triggers and the only activity is the capability to send out an email. Nonetheless, improvements are coming. Quickly enough, automations will certainly have new triggers along with brand-new activities, such as changing custom-made fields, sending out webhooks, etc. I have actually currently seen enhancements to their automations simply because I started making use of the system. For instance:
- Capability to cause automations based on which specific embed form they can be found in on.
- Capacity to immediately do re-engagement (and deal with people based upon opens up and non-opens).
- Capacity to do basic conditional logic branches.
Substack does not have automations such as this. Likely, it never will. Substack just can’t do this since the target market of Substack simply wouldn’t believe to approach this like an e-mail marketing expert.
When it involves composing your e-newsletters, the creating interface of BeeHiiv is simply more geared towards e-newsletters. As a matter of fact, it actually has resemblances to the WordPress block builder in exactly how it works. I find it to be extra intuitive, personally.
Substack’s composing interface is nice and tidy, yet it would certainly be more comparable to the classic editor for WordPress. Toolbar on top.
This distinction is more than simply form. For example, with BeeHiiv you can put a “Section” and afterwards placed anything you desire in it. Then, you can place Presence choices on that area to reveal it only to paid subscribers, conceal it from email, hide from customers, show only to customers, etc. Substack offers nothing similar to this.
And when/if the moment comes that I begin a premium membership model, BeeHiiv doesn’t take any kind of income. Actually, you actually link up to your very own Stripe account and it charges straight to it. With Substack, they will certainly take 10% of your profits. Relying on the amount of customers you get, that 10% can be a fair bit more money than the monthly price of BeeHiiv.
Last but not least, BeeHiiv has an API. This may appear nerdy, yet what it indicates is that there are integrations with BeeHiiv. You can really make BeeHiiv deal with the outdoors utilizing devices like Zapier or Make.com. This is HUGE. Substack essentially has … absolutely nothing. No integrations at all.
Overall, I simply seemed like BeeHiiv was extra developed toward real email marketing. It was built by individuals who “get it”. Even the opt-in kinds and the landing page makes appear far better built for conversions. Development is nitty-gritty with BeeHiiv.
Although there are still features I would love to see BeeHiiv add, I such as the direction it is going more than Substack.
Points That Make Substack Better Than BeeHiiv
As I have actually stated, Substack positions itself toward “makers” greater than email marketing experts and e-newsletter proprietors. Because of that, you see some points geared a lot more toward people who simply think in regards to web content development.
For instance, Substack sustains podcasts. BeeHiiv does not.
Likewise, while BeeHiiv does sustain several publications, they are treated quite independently. Whereas Substack does have the ability to cross-post to several magazines at the same time. This isn’t something I call for, yet … amazing for individuals who could require it.
Substack likewise has more social performance built-in. As an example, it has a chat feature to host talks with clients. It also has a “Notes” function which functions sort of like a social networks newsfeed where you can share points from other “Stacks” you’re reading. Intriguing. Generally, Substack is established to be much more like a social network which supports long-form material.
Overall, Substack is likewise more … minimalist. You either look after that or do not. Directly, I do not. Nonetheless, if the goal is simpleness of interface and, frankly, features … Substack works quite well.
But, I’ll be clear here …
When it pertains to actual marketing, I don’t think there’s much question that BeeHiiv is much better suited. I tried to find even more factors that make Substack better than BeeHiiv, but truthfully … I have a difficult time locating them.
BeeHiiv Vs ConvertKit
While BeeHiiv and Substack are typically via to be the closest rivals, I in fact see BeeHiiv and ConvertKit being the closer opponents. Both are going after the same target market and have similar abilities.
ConvertKit is likewise placed at developers (like Substack), yet it is a lot more highly satisfying people that do it for organization. ConvertKit has great aesthetic automation structure, it’s very own business platform, and a lot more. ConvertKit is a truly good platform.
I’m not mosting likely to birthed you with a full feature-by-feature breakdown here. ConvertKit is popular currently. However, here’s how I feel BeeHiiv and ConvertKit contrast …
Things ConvertKit Is Better At …
As of now, ConvertKit has a lot more adaptability when it comes to it’s automations. I will also claim that I discover ConvertKit’s automation builder to be a little bit more instinctive than that of BeeHiiv.
ConvertKit sustains marking. This is simply a fundamental feature of email checklists that enables segmentation in a far more versatile method than BeeHiiv presently does. I anticipate BeeHiiv to sustain marking eventually quickly, honestly. It seems like an oversight that it is missing Ghost Vs Substack Vs Beehiiv.
ConvertKit does currently supply the capability to market things via their very own platform. BeeHiiv does not. If that is essential to you, it might be a big deal for you. For me, however, I would certainly constantly choose a more straight alternative anyway. For me, I like to use my very own platform powered by WooCommerce.
ConvertKit has been around much longer and because of that has way extra integration alternatives. Lots of web-based devices and WordPress plugins incorporate with ConvertKit. ConvertKit even has their very own WordPress plugin that is rather effective. For instance, their plugin now also supports member-gated web content in addition to auto-embed of your e-newsletter archives right into your site. Fundamentally, this extra closely puts ConvertKit into direct competitors by having you have the ability to publish to your site and your email checklist at the same time.
BeeHiiv is seriously lacking in these kinds of third-party integrations presently. It’ll get there. However, we’re not there yet with it.
ConvertKit is even hectic tackling the growth tools of BeeHiiv. For example, BeeHiiv has the referral program and the Suggestion Engine where you can not just incentivize individuals to share your e-newsletter with perks, yet you can also pay per lead within the interior advertisement network of BeeHiiv to expand your listing. These are really awesome features of BeeHiiv. However …
Did you understand ConvertKit obtained Sparkloop? Sparkloop is among the most well known viral promo systems for newsletters … and ConvertKit bought it. You can see the composing on the wall of what this suggests for the platform moving forward.
Things BeeHiiv Is Better At … Ghost Vs Substack Vs Beehiiv
BeeHiiv is a lot previously in it’s item cycle than ConvertKit. Part of that means much less features and less integrations, which is all-natural for this stage of the cycle. Nonetheless, it likewise suggests that they are quickly creating.
In the short time that I have actually been a customer of BeeHiiv, I have seen virtually regular release of brand-new features right into the system. And these aren’t undersized little features … however big features that are fairly essential. Their rate of development at this point has gone over.
I likewise significantly appreciate exactly how receptive they are. As a matter of fact, among their item statements about some design enhancements to the web design features in fact contained a little trouble with the web content width. I just responded to that email to tell them. I promptly obtained a reply straight from the chief executive officer:.
That very same day, the issue was dealt with.
Few days later, I gave them an additional tip …
Indeed, in a bit over a week of that exchange, the capacity to activate automations based upon the embed type made use of was included in the system.
That kind of responsiveness and straight participation of the team is something I really value.
An additional significant factor of distinction right here is the cost. Both systems provide cost-free plans, however the BeeHiiv free plan offers much more capacity and more subscribers (2,500 vs 1,000) than ConvertKit.
Once you most likely to paid plans, the pricing of BeeHiiv is additionally even more beneficial. ConvertKit appears less costly in the beginning glimpse due to the fact that their pricing web page shows lower numbers, nevertheless the client restrictions are FAR lower and your rate promptly enhances as your checklist expands.
With BeeHiiv, your very first level paid plan starts at $42/mo (paid each year), nonetheless you can have up to 10,000 clients. That same dimension list is going to run you $100/month with ConvertKit.
If you update to the “Range” plan with BeeHiiv (their best plan and the one I personally utilize), you can grow your checklist approximately 100,000. A list of that size would run you $566/month with ConvertKit. If you desire their referral network, too, that puts you at the $733/month plan. That’s if you pay yearly, as well. With BeeHiiv, you can get all that for just $84/month if you pay yearly.
BeeHiiv is in a completely different organization when it concerns pricing (in a great way).
Will BeeHiiv eventually increase rates? They could as time goes on. But, I’m presuming people like myself that are already in will certainly be locked-in. We’ll see just how points proceed.
Things I Would Like BeeHiiv To Include
Among the important things you certainly require to remember is that BeeHiiv is fairly young. They do appear to advance rather quickly and make brand-new item statements somewhat frequently, however there are some standard features I actually want they had that I require to just await.
One is that they need to have a setting on subscription types where I might choose an automation to run right at the form level. That would be AWESOME for a lot of reasons. As of now, subscription forms look OK, but there’s extremely little settings for them to aid in segmentation.
It would certainly behave to have tagging at the customer degree. This would be effective.
I believe webhooks should be part of automations to make integrated automations easier and reduce dependence on outside devices like Zapier.
There are additionally some small administrative user interface changes that would certainly come in handy. For instance:
- Capacity to mass edit/remove clients.
- Capacity to bulk edit blog posts (as an example, to tag a lot of them at the same time).
- Having a few basic areas as typical on customers (like the name).
- Some even more customization choices for the internet site (such as even more versatile shade options, heading control, and so on).
So, yeah … there are some drawbacks. Points I hope they make with it in the near future. BeeHiiv is respectable, but it isn’t perfect and definitely not almost as established as something like FluentCRM or any other real CRM product.
It possibly never ever will be, either. As I claimed, the objective is different so it wouldn’t much a lot of sense for BeeHiiv to end up being a full marketing automation platform. I guess you never ever understand, however.
Last Thoughts On This BeeHiiv Review
I like BeeHiiv rather a lot. Sufficient where I chose to switch my very own e-newsletters over to the platform in spite of my personal choice for digital sovereignty and owning my own platform.
Put simply, for the newsletter posting design especially, I saw adequate value in their platform to necessitate the change.
Bear in mind, I do not utilize BeeHiiv as my exclusive e-mail checklist. I make use of BeeHiiv for what it is proficient at, however I deliberately have points set up to make sure that I also keep my listing “in house” within FluentCRM.
If you make use of BeeHiiv, I recommend you do the same. It is just a good insurance policy, for one. However, having a full-featured marketing automation system for your listing will be of high use (FluentCRM is a full marketing automation platform and BeeHiiv is not and likely never ever will be).
So, the concern is … should YOU use BeeHiiv?
In my point of view, if you are using Substack now, I ‘d absolutely take into consideration switching over to BeeHiiv. It will simply be much more business-friendly. It is targeting different capabilities and different demands. Plus, BeeHiiv also has import devices for Substack, so the switch needs to be quite simple.
If you are on ConvertKit currently, I ‘d possibly sit tight unless you have a large email checklist and are as a result being wooled with their high regular monthly expense. You will certainly not (yet) have every feature of ConvertKit with BeeHiiv, yet they are repeating promptly. There’s likewise a respectable possibility you’re not also using several of those fancier functions of ConvertKit and you don’t even require them. For that reason, BeeHiiv might conveniently be a much better and extra economical fit.
Finally, if you plan to be really willful concerning growing an e-newsletter, I assume BeeHiiv is THE system to consider and keep and eye on for you.
If you use BeeHiiv with eyes wide open regarding what it is developed to be, it is just one of the best games around now. This is the platform to enjoy.
BeeHiiv offers a 14-day trial on their paid plans. It deserves looking into for yourself. And if you end up not sticking to the paid plan, you’ll locate the totally free account to be quite feature abundant.