Growing an audience
Running the business
Both cover newsletter & email. Here is what separates them on price, billing, what you can take with you, and coverage.
| AWeber | beehiiv | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | From $12.50 | From $49 |
| Pricing model | Free plan, paid tiers | Free plan, paid tiers |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Billing | Monthly or annual | Monthly or annual |
| Free trial | 14 days | None |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Data export | Not stated | Everything, in an open format |
| Their cut | 0.6% of what you earn | None |
| Runs on | Web | Not stated |
| Covers | Email Marketing & Automation, Newsletter & Email | Newsletter & Email, Monetization & Payments |
| Works with | Nothing in particular | Substack |
| Founded | Not listed | Not listed |
| Reader rating | No reviews yet | No reviews yet |
| Live deals | None right now | None right now |
Email marketing with a free plan that lasts
AWeber has been sending newsletters since before most of its competitors existed, and it shows in both directions: the deliverability is dependable and the interface is dated. The free plan runs to 500 subscribers with automations included, which is more than most rivals give away. Its ecommerce feature charges a small percentage of each sale on the cheaper plans.
Our note
MailerLite's free plan holds twice the subscribers. AWeber's holds half as many with the automations switched on, so it suits a list that needs sequences before it needs size. The editor is the part that shows its age.
Only on this side
Newsletters with paid subscriptions and referrals
beehiiv handles sending, paid subscriptions, a referral program and a basic website, which covers most of what someone writing a weekly letter actually needs. It was built by people who ran Morning Brew, and it shows in the growth tooling. Automation is thinner than a dedicated email platform.
Our note
If you are starting a newsletter you intend to charge for, start here. The free tier goes further than it looks, the growth tools are the reason people stay, and the export is clean if you decide to leave.
Only on this side
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.