Most newsletter software roundups throw ten logos at you and leave you more confused than before. This review does the opposite: it picks one default winner, beehiiv, then shows exactly where Omnisend, Brevo, or Moosend is the smarter buy for your situation. By the end of this page you'll know which tool to sign up for and which ones to skip entirely.
beehiiv earns the top spot because its free plan supports up to 2,500 subscribers with unlimited email sends, and paid Lite plans start at $49 per month on annual billing once you want monetization and automations. That is a real free tier, not a 250-contact teaser that forces an upgrade before your newsletter even exists. It also imports your old publication from Substack, Mailchimp, WordPress, or Ghost, so moving later is not the trap people fear.
One exception up front: if you run an ecommerce store, Omnisend's abandoned cart flows and SMS tools will serve you better than any newsletter-first platform. Everyone else building a reader-first publication should keep reading, because the comparison below makes this decision quickly.
Quick verdict: which newsletter tool fits you
beehiiv is the right default for creators, bloggers, coaches, and small businesses that want to grow and eventually monetize a reader-first newsletter. Its editor, referral tools, ad network, and paid subscription features are built for exactly that job, and reviewers rate the platform 4.5 out of 5 on G2, with ease of use and monetization options picking up most of the praise.
Here's the catch, because there always is one. beehiiv's automations are lighter than a full email marketing suite's, its template library is small, and the jump from free to $49 a month stings if your list is big but your budget is not. In those cases Omnisend Standard at $16 per month, Brevo Starter at $9 per month, or Moosend Pro at $9 per month can be the better call, and the table below shows who should pick what.
The risk of starting is close to zero either way. beehiiv's free plan needs no credit card, and Moosend's trial runs 30 days without one, so you can test the editor and send a real issue before spending anything.
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| Tool | Best for | Free access | Paid plans from |
|---|---|---|---|
| beehiiv | Reader-first newsletters you want to grow and monetize | Free forever: 2,500 subscribers, unlimited sends | $49/mo (Lite, annual billing) |
| Omnisend | Ecommerce stores that need cart flows and SMS | Free: 250 contacts, 500 emails per month | $16/mo (Standard) |
| Brevo | Tight budgets that want email, SMS, and CRM in one place | Free: 300 emails per day, unlimited contact storage | $9/mo (Starter, 5k emails) |
| Moosend | Cheap automation with unlimited sends on paid plans | 30-day trial, no credit card required | $9/mo (Pro, 500 contacts) |
What actually separates good newsletter software from the rest
Free plan honesty is the first filter, and it eliminates half the market immediately. A free tier capped at 250 contacts or 300 emails a day is a trial wearing a costume, while beehiiv's 2,500-subscriber free plan lets most writers publish weekly for a year or more before paying a cent.
The second filter is what growth does to your bill. beehiiv and Moosend price by subscriber count, Brevo prices by email volume, and Omnisend prices by contacts plus a monthly email allowance, so the same 5,000-subscriber list costs very different money depending on how often you hit send.
The third filter is goal fit, and this is where most people choose wrong. Monetizing writing needs ad marketplaces, paid tiers, and referral engines; selling products needs cart and browse automation; stretching a small budget needs the cheapest reliable inbox placement. Judge every tool against your actual goal:
- Editor speed: can you draft, format, and schedule an issue in under 30 minutes without fighting the builder?
- Deliverability basics: does the platform handle SPF, DKIM, and DMARC setup for you, or leave you debugging DNS records alone?
- Growth tools: signup forms, referral programs, and cross-promotion options that bring subscribers to you instead of waiting for search traffic.
- Exit routes: CSV export and migration helpers, so your list stays yours if you ever leave.
beehiiv checks all four boxes for newsletter publishers, which is why it tops my list of the best software to create email newsletters this year. The next sections break down its free plan, its real limitations, and its pricing tiers, then measure it against the three alternatives that deserve your money in specific cases.
Article outline: jump to the section you need
- Quick verdict: which newsletter tool fits you
- What separates good newsletter software from the rest
- What you actually get on beehiiv's free plan
- The good stuff, and the honest limits
- What beehiiv costs as your list grows
- Why starting your newsletter this month beats waiting
- beehiiv vs Omnisend, Brevo, and Moosend
- Final verdict: should you sign up today?
- Quick answers before you commit
What you actually get on beehiiv's free plan
Most newsletter platforms treat their free tier as a trap. They cap you at 250 contacts or restrict your daily sends to 300 emails, forcing an upgrade before you even figure out your voice. beehiiv's free plan skips that nonsense entirely.
You get support for up to 2,500 subscribers with unlimited email sends every single month. That is enough runway to publish weekly for a year, test different content angles, and build a real audience without handing over a credit card.
You also get access to the core editor, basic analytics, and SEO-optimized web versions of your posts. The catch is that the heavy-hitting growth and monetization tools are locked behind the paid tiers, which makes sense since they cost the company money to run.
The good stuff, and the honest limits
The paid plans unlock beehiiv's actual superpower: built-in monetization. You can set up paid subscriptions, insert ads directly from their Ad Network, and earn passive income by recommending other newsletters through their Boost program without the platform taking a cut of your subscription revenue.
Analytics is another massive upgrade on the paid tiers. The 3D dashboard ties your open rates and click-through rates directly to the revenue your newsletter generates, showing you exactly which posts make you money instead of just showing vanity metrics.
Here is where I have to be blunt about the limits. If you need complex, multi-branch automation workflows based on website tracking or abandoned carts, beehiiv will frustrate you. Brevo or Moosend handle those complex behavioral triggers much better because they were built as traditional marketing suites.
beehiiv's email design options are also strictly minimal. If you want highly designed, drag-and-drop templates with dozens of block variations, you might feel restricted. beehiiv wants you to focus on the writing and the reader experience, not the graphic design.
What beehiiv costs as your list grows
Once you cross 2,500 subscribers or want to turn on the ad network, you will move to the Lite plan. On annual billing, Lite starts at $49 per month and scales up based on your exact subscriber count, keeping the price predictable as you grow.
The Pro plan starts at $95 per month on annual billing and removes your team seat limits while adding premium support and advanced automation features. Monthly billing adds about $10 to $20 to the base price of each tier, so committing to a year saves real money.
If your list hits 2,500 subscribers but your budget is tight, jumping to $49 a month might sting. That is exactly when you should look at Brevo or Moosend, which keep the base price around $9 to $15 a month but strip away the creator-focused monetization tools that actually make beehiiv worth the premium.
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| Tool | Free Limits | Paid Starting Price | Best Used For |
|---|---|---|---|
| beehiiv | 2,500 subs, unlimited sends | $49/mo (Lite) | Monetizing a reader audience |
| Omnisend | 250 contacts, 500 emails/mo | $16/mo (Standard) | Ecommerce and cart flows |
| Brevo | Unlimited contacts, 300 emails/day | $9/mo (Starter, 5k emails) | Tight budgets with big lists |
| Moosend | 30-day trial, no free plan | $9/mo (Pro, 500 contacts) | Complex automation on a budget |
Why starting your newsletter this month beats waiting
Waiting for the perfect topic or the perfect logo is the easiest way to kill a newsletter before it starts. Every month you delay is a month you miss out on compounding subscribers, building domain authority, and finding out what your audience actually wants to read.
The financial risk on beehiiv is practically zero right now. You can launch your publication, send your first few issues, and see if people actually open them before you ever commit to a paid plan.
If your list stays small, you stay free forever. If it explodes, the $49 monthly investment pays for itself the moment you turn on paid subscriptions or land your first sponsor through the Ad Network.
Stop treating your newsletter like a someday project that requires a massive budget. Claim your free tier, write your first post, and put it in front of real readers today so you can actually see what works.
beehiiv vs cheaper and broader alternatives
beehiiv is built for creators who want to monetize readers, but it is not the right fit for every business. If you run an ecommerce store, need complex behavioral automations, or just want to spend less than ten dollars a month, these three alternatives will serve you better.
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| Tool | Best for | Main strength | Main drawback | Starting price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| beehiiv | Monetizing a reader audience | Ad network and paid subscriptions | Light automations, minimal templates | $49/mo (Lite) |
| Omnisend | Ecommerce and cart flows | Deep Shopify integration and SMS | Free plan is very restrictive | $16/mo (Standard) |
| Brevo | Tight budgets with big lists | Unlimited contacts on all plans | 300 emails per day on free tier | $9/mo (Starter) |
| Moosend | Complex automation on a budget | Advanced workflows and landing pages | No forever free plan, only a trial | $9/mo (Pro) |
Pick beehiiv if your primary goal is writing, growing a loyal audience, and monetizing through sponsorships or paid tiers. Choose Omnisend if you sell physical products and need abandoned cart emails and SMS marketing. Go with Brevo or Moosend if you have a massive contact list and need cheap, high-volume automation without paying a premium for creator tools.
Final verdict: should you sign up today?
beehiiv is the best software to create email newsletters if you are a writer, creator, or small business owner focused on audience growth and direct monetization. The free plan is genuinely generous, and the paid tiers give you the exact tools needed to turn readers into revenue.
If you are an ecommerce brand, the lack of cart abandonment flows means you should look at Omnisend instead. If you just need to blast emails to 50,000 contacts on a shoestring budget, Brevo's pricing model will save you a lot of money.
For everyone else building a publication, community, or thought-leadership brand, beehiiv removes the friction of gluing five different tools together. You can launch your site, capture emails, and start monetizing from a single dashboard without writing a single line of code.
Quick answers before you commit
Does beehiiv take a cut of my paid subscriptions?
No. Unlike Substack, beehiiv charges zero platform fees on paid subscriptions, meaning you keep all the revenue minus standard Stripe processing fees.
Can I migrate my existing newsletter to beehiiv?
Yes. You can import subscribers via CSV and use their built-in migration tools to pull posts directly from Substack, Mailchimp, WordPress, or Ghost.
Is beehiiv good for ecommerce?
No. It lacks native integrations for abandoned cart emails, product recommendations, and deep ecommerce tracking, making Omnisend a much better choice for online stores.
Get started with beehiiv for free