I have used a lot of different e-mail list systems throughout the years. In the last couple of years, I’ve been a big proponent of digital sovereignty and possessing your very own system. Because of that (and the outstanding features), I have been utilizing Beehiiv Monetization Calculator.
So, it is indeed an unusual move for me to determine to utilize BeeHiiv. After all, it is an organized application and I am paying regular monthly for it.
Why did I do this?
In this BeeHiiv testimonial, I wish to discuss why I made the switch to BeeHiiv for my newsletters. I want to attend to the issue of digital sovereignty while using the platform and I would certainly also such as to deal with why I chose to use it over Substack.
Let’s dive in …
BeeHiiv: Built For Newsletters
In Problem # 435 of my e-newsletter called My Hobby + A Large Shift In Approach, I spoke about exactly how and why I chose to turn my recreational vehicle blog site into mainly an e-newsletter. I determined that was business model I wanted to go after keeping that property.
Yet, to intentionally seek it as an e-newsletter, I wanted a system that was purpose-built for that. I was utilizing FluentCRM for the e-mail checklist for Happily RV, yet FluentCRM is not an e-newsletter platform. It is built to be a CRM and marketing automation device and, frankly, using it for newsletters is a little a waste. More on that in a little bit.
As I said in that problem of the newsletter …
Basically, BeeHiiv is a platform with devices built right into it particular to my objective. Points such as:
- Ability to release (to the blog site) and send out the email at the same time without having it be 2 different actions.
- Constructed in newsletter referral program. FluentCRM does not have that and I would certainly require a third-party device like Sparkloop.
- Built-in ability to do cross-promotions with various other newsletters on the BeeHiiv system.
- ” Magic Hyperlinks”, which are essentially one-click subscription web links. Great for promotion in various other e-newsletters. FluentCRM has Smart Hyperlinks, though, so there are means to do that.
- Capability to do paid “boosts” on the BeeHiiv network to promote your newsletter.
- Built-in advertisement network, if I pick to generate income from with ads in the newsletter. And I may.
- Built-in ability to run a paid newsletter upgrade and basically run a premium newsletter. And BeeHiiv does not take a cut.
Essentially, BeeHiiv is purpose-built for e-newsletter publishers with features focused on development. The system was essentially constructed by the individuals who developed the modern technology for Early morning Mixture. They understand what they’re doing.
That is the point right here. BeeHiiv is constructed from the ground up for the objective of running a newsletter. FluentCRM has a different function.
And I finished off with this:.
I may without a doubt be relocating The Side over to BeeHiiv also. At least, I’m highly considering it.
Well, I didn’t consider it for long. Actually, I simply 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 expand it a lot more purposefully as well.
The goal is that each e-newsletter has the ability to be branded as it’s very own media entity and expanded separately. Happily motor home was young, so very easy to transition. Yet, The Morning WP (formerly The Side) was hidden in a sea of things right here at the Blog Site Marketing Academy. By dividing it off, I can do what I can to grow it on it’s very own. It will clearly always be carefully linked with the Blog site Marketing Academy, however does not need to be a part of it.
I switched to BeeHiiv because it was built for this objective. FluentCRM was not.
E-newsletters Versus Simply A Typical Email Checklist
There’s a difference in between an e-newsletter platform and simply an email list.
You can host your email checklist anywhere you desire and there are a number of them out there, from Aweber, ActiveCampaign, Drip, ConvertKit … over to self-hosted choices like GroundHogg and FluentCRM.
What’s the difference?
The primary difference is that, with a newsletter system, the act of publishing indicates that it is mosting likely to your internet site and to your e-mail subscribers at the same time.
With both BeeHiiv and Substack, you have a web site. You are publishing to that website. Yet, you are also sending off to all subscribers at the same time. The website and it’s customers are all in one. This makes administration of the platform much less complex.
With most email systems, any type of newsletter you set up is done as an email campaign. It is constructed entirely separately from your web site. So, for instance, you might publish a short article to WordPress but after that you would need to independently develop and send an e-mail to your checklist to send it to subscribers. These are then 2 different sets of archives and 2 separate actions since article and your emails are not inherently linked.
The closest point that transforms WordPress right into a real e-newsletter system is Newsletter Glue.
It is a suitable name because it basically “glues” your newsletter to your WordPress articles and enables them to be the very same thing. Definitely, something like Newsletter Glue would certainly be a solid choice if I wanted to continue to self-host every little thing. Nonetheless, you would certainly lose the growth tools that come with a system like BeeHiiv.
Publishing an e-newsletter naturally includes a different set of requirements than a common e-mail checklist.
You do not typically require much marketing automation. You don’t usually need autoresponder series, occasion tracking, and all the bells and whistles of a marketing automation system.
What you DO requirement, however, is one seamless publishing experience and growth devices to assist you build your client base that are specific to newsletters.
BeeHiiv vs Substack
When I revealed to my subscribers that I was going to switch 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 fact that I chose to select BeeHiiv, that does not mean I think Substack draws. Actually, because Substack has been about much longer, it is elder and has even more features.
Although BeeHiiv is younger, there are a pair things that at first got my attention:.
- BeeHiiv is specifically tailored to newsletter publishers. Actually, it is literally constructed by the exact same folks that constructed the technology behind Morning Mixture. On the other hand, SubStack targets writers. In the real life, does not matter. However, the obvious positioning of BeeHiiv towards newsletter development called me out over the even more common positioning of being a “creator”. Development is what I want below.
- That branding and differentiation likewise indicates that BeeHiiv has some relatively large brand names and big publications using it. Whereas SubStack is intended even more at solo developers. Once again, it simply tells me the customer avatar difference between both companies.
Sending our my newsletter by means of FluentCRM really did not precisely draw. The only reason I would certainly consider shaking points up is if I assumed I could expand the list much faster. And BeeHiiv spoke exactly to that goal.
Because of the targeting, I really do not view BeeHiiv and Substack as straight competitors. I think BeeHiiv is targeting a different type of consumer. Actually, if anything, I see BeeHiiv and ConvertKit being more direct competitors.
But, allow’s dive much deeper than simply the placing right here.
Things That Make BeeHiiv Better Than Substack
Overall, BeeHiiv seems like it was developed by individuals that understanding email marketing. On the other hand, SubStack seems more geared towards makers.
For example, BeeHiiv offers customized fields on clients. Currently, it isn’t as developed as something like FluentCRM. But, it has it. Substack does not.
BeeHiiv offers Automations. As a matter of fact, it is a visual automation builder that functions a lot like what we have inside of FluentCRM.
To be clear, the automation performance is still early-phase. It is still rather restricted in triggers and the only activity is the ability to send an e-mail. Nonetheless, improvements are coming. Soon enough, automations will have new triggers as well as brand-new activities, such as changing custom-made areas, sending out webhooks, and so on. I have actually already seen improvements to their automations simply because I started making use of the platform. As an example:
- Ability to cause automations based upon which details embed kind they was available in on.
- Capacity to automatically do re-engagement (and deal with individuals based upon opens up and non-opens).
- Ability to do standard conditional logic branches.
Substack does not have automations like this. Likely, it never will. Substack simply can not do this due to the fact that the target audience of Substack simply wouldn’t believe to approach this like an e-mail online marketer.
When it involves composing your e-newsletters, the writing user interface of BeeHiiv is just a lot more tailored toward newsletters. In fact, it in fact has similarities to the WordPress block builder in how it functions. I locate it to be extra user-friendly, personally.
Substack’s composing user interface is nice and tidy, however it would certainly be much more equal to the traditional editor for WordPress. Toolbar on top.
This difference is more than just form. As an example, with BeeHiiv you can put a “Section” and after that put anything you desire in it. Then, you can put Visibility alternatives on that area to reveal it just to paid clients, hide it from email, conceal from customers, reveal just to subscribers, and so on. Substack supplies nothing like this.
And when/if the moment comes that I start a premium subscription version, BeeHiiv does not take any kind of profits. In fact, you essentially attach up to your own Stripe account and it charges straight to it. With Substack, they will certainly take 10% of your earnings. Relying on the amount of subscribers you get, that 10% can be quite a bit more cash than the regular monthly cost of BeeHiiv.
Finally, BeeHiiv has an API. This might seem unpopular, yet what it suggests is that there are integrations with BeeHiiv. You can in fact make BeeHiiv work with the outdoors using tools like Zapier or Make.com. This is HUGE. Substack literally has … absolutely nothing. No integrations in any way.
In general, I just seemed like BeeHiiv was more built toward genuine e-mail marketing. It was developed by individuals who “get it”. Also the opt-in kinds and the landing page designs appear much better developed for conversions. Growth is the name of the game with BeeHiiv.
Despite the fact that there are still features I would love to see BeeHiiv add, I like the instructions it is going greater than Substack.
Points That Make Substack Better Than BeeHiiv
As I have actually stated, Substack positions itself towards “designers” more than email marketing experts and e-newsletter owners. Because of that, you see some things geared extra toward individuals who simply believe in terms of content development.
For example, Substack supports podcasts. BeeHiiv does not.
Likewise, while BeeHiiv does support several publications, they are dealt with fairly independently. Whereas Substack does have the ability to cross-post to multiple publications at the same time. This isn’t something I call for, but … amazing for individuals who may require it.
Substack also has even more social functionality built-in. As an example, it has a chat feature to host talks with customers. It also has a “Notes” function which works type of like a social media sites newsfeed where you can share things from other “Stacks” you read. Fascinating. On the whole, Substack is set up to be extra like a social network which sustains long-form content.
Overall, Substack is likewise a lot more … minimalist. You either take care of that or don’t. Directly, I don’t. Nonetheless, if the objective is simpleness of interface and, honestly, features … Substack works quite well.
However, I’ll be clear right here …
When it concerns actual marketing, I do not assume there’s much doubt that BeeHiiv is much better suited. I tried to find even more factors that make Substack better than BeeHiiv, yet honestly … I have a tough time finding them.
BeeHiiv Vs ConvertKit
While BeeHiiv and Substack are typically via to be the closest rivals, I actually see BeeHiiv and ConvertKit being the closer opponents. Both are pursuing the exact same target audience and have comparable capabilities.
ConvertKit is also placed at makers (like Substack), however it is a lot more strongly satisfying people that do it for business. ConvertKit has good aesthetic automation building, it’s own commerce platform, and a lot more. ConvertKit is an actually good system.
I’m not mosting likely to birthed you with a complete feature-by-feature break down here. ConvertKit is well known currently. But, right here’s exactly how I feel BeeHiiv and ConvertKit compare …
Things ConvertKit Is Much Better At …
As of now, ConvertKit has much more flexibility when it involves it’s automations. I will certainly additionally claim that I discover ConvertKit’s automation builder to be a little bit extra user-friendly than that of BeeHiiv.
ConvertKit supports marking. This is simply a fundamental function of email checklists that enables segmentation in an even more adaptable way than BeeHiiv presently does. I anticipate BeeHiiv to support tagging at some point quickly, truthfully. It seems like an oversight that it is missing out on Beehiiv Monetization Calculator.
ConvertKit does now give the ability to market things through their own platform. BeeHiiv does not. If that’s important to you, it might be a big deal for you. For me, nonetheless, I would always select an extra direct alternative anyway. For me, I like to utilize my very own platform powered by WooCommerce.
ConvertKit has been about a lot longer and therefore has way more integration options. Tons of web-based devices and WordPress plugins incorporate with ConvertKit. ConvertKit also has their own WordPress plugin that is rather effective. As an example, their plugin currently even supports member-gated content as well as auto-embed of your e-newsletter archives right into your website. In essence, this extra closely puts ConvertKit into direct competition by having you have the ability to release to your site and your e-mail list at the same time.
BeeHiiv is significantly lacking in these sort of third-party integrations at the moment. It’ll get there. But, we’re not there yet with it.
ConvertKit is also busy taking on the development tools of BeeHiiv. For example, BeeHiiv has the referral program and the Referral Engine where you can not just incentivize individuals to share your e-newsletter with rewards, yet you can likewise pay per lead within the inner advertisement network of BeeHiiv to grow your listing. These are really outstanding features of BeeHiiv. But …
Did you know ConvertKit obtained Sparkloop? Sparkloop is just one of the most well known viral promotion platforms for e-newsletters … and ConvertKit bought it. You can see the creating on the wall of what this means for the system moving forward.
Things BeeHiiv Is Better At … Beehiiv Monetization Calculator
BeeHiiv is much earlier in it’s item cycle than ConvertKit. Part of that suggests much less features and much less integrations, which is all-natural for this phase of the cycle. Nonetheless, it also indicates that they are rapidly developing.
In the short time that I have been a customer of BeeHiiv, I have experienced practically once a week launch of brand-new features right into the system. And these aren’t weak little features … yet big features that are fairly essential. Their rate of growth at this moment has actually been impressive.
I also significantly value just how responsive they are. As a matter of fact, among their item statements concerning some layout improvements to the web design features actually included a little issue with the material size. I merely responded to that e-mail to tell them. I quickly got a reply straight from the chief executive officer:.
That very same day, the concern was fixed.
Couple of days later on, I provided one more recommendation …
Sure enough, in a bit over a week of that exchange, the ability to set off automations based upon the embed kind used was added to the system.
That kind of responsiveness and direct involvement of the group is something I actually appreciate.
An additional significant factor of differentiation here is the price. Both platforms supply complimentary plans, nonetheless the BeeHiiv free plan uses much more capacity and even more customers (2,500 vs 1,000) than ConvertKit.
Once you most likely to paid plans, the pricing of BeeHiiv is likewise even more desirable. ConvertKit appears cheaper initially glimpse since their pricing page shows reduced numbers, nonetheless the client limits are much reduced and your price quickly raises as your checklist expands.
With BeeHiiv, your initial level paid plan starts at $42/mo (paid annually), nonetheless you can have up to 10,000 customers. That very same size list is mosting likely to run you $100/month with ConvertKit.
If you upgrade to the “Scale” plan with BeeHiiv (their best plan and the one I personally utilize), you can grow your listing as much as 100,000. A list of that size would certainly run you $566/month with ConvertKit. If you want their referral network, also, that places you at the $733/month plan. That’s if you pay annually, also. With BeeHiiv, you can obtain all that for simply $84/month if you pay annually.
BeeHiiv remains in an entirely various league when it concerns pricing (in a great way).
Will BeeHiiv ultimately raise prices? They might as time takes place. But, I’m thinking people like myself that are already in will be locked-in. We’ll see just how things proceed.
Things I Would Like BeeHiiv To Include
One of things you most definitely need to keep in mind is that BeeHiiv is relatively young. They do seem to develop instead quickly and make brand-new item statements rather often, yet there are some standard features I actually wish they had that I need to just wait on.
One is that they require to have a setting on subscription types where I could select an automation to run right at the kind level. That would certainly be incredible for so many reasons. Currently, subscription types look OK, but there’s very little setups for them to help in division.
It would be nice to have labeling at the customer degree. This would certainly be powerful.
I assume webhooks should become part of automations to make integrated automations easier and decrease dependence on outside tools like Zapier.
There are also some small administrative user interface modifications that would be handy. As an example:
- Capacity to bulk edit/remove subscribers.
- Capacity to bulk edit articles (for instance, to identify a number of them at the same time).
- Having a couple of basic areas as standard on subscribers (like the name).
- Some even more modification alternatives for the site (such as even more flexible shade choices, heading control, etc).
So, yeah … there are some drawbacks. Things I hope they do with it in the future. BeeHiiv is respectable, however it isn’t ideal and absolutely not virtually as established as something like FluentCRM or any other real CRM product.
It most likely never ever will certainly be, either. As I claimed, the objective is different so it wouldn’t a lot a great deal of sense for BeeHiiv to end up being a full marketing automation system. I guess you never know, however.
Final Thoughts On This BeeHiiv Evaluation
I such as BeeHiiv fairly a great deal. Sufficient where I determined to switch my very own newsletters over to the system regardless of my individual preference for digital sovereignty and possessing my very own system.
Put simply, for the e-newsletter posting design specifically, I saw enough value in their system to necessitate the change.
Bear in mind, I do not make use of BeeHiiv as my exclusive email listing. I make use of BeeHiiv of what it is proficient at, yet I deliberately have points establish so that I additionally maintain my checklist “in house” within FluentCRM.
If you make use of BeeHiiv, I recommend you do the exact same. It is simply a great insurance coverage, for one. However, having a full-featured marketing automation system for your checklist will certainly be of high usage (FluentCRM is a full marketing automation system and BeeHiiv is not and likely never ever will certainly be).
So, the question is … should YOU use BeeHiiv?
In my opinion, if you are making use of Substack right now, I ‘d most definitely take into consideration changing to BeeHiiv. It will just be much more business-friendly. It is targeting various capabilities and various requirements. Plus, BeeHiiv even has import tools for Substack, so the switch should be pretty straightforward.
If you are on ConvertKit now, I ‘d probably sit tight unless you have a huge e-mail listing and are therefore being fleeced with their high month-to-month costs. You will not (yet) have every feature of ConvertKit with BeeHiiv, however they are repeating promptly. There’s likewise a respectable opportunity you’re not even making use of some of those fancier features of ConvertKit and you do not also require them. For that reason, BeeHiiv can easily be a far better and more affordable fit.
Last but not least, if you plan to be really willful concerning growing a newsletter, I assume BeeHiiv is THE platform to consider and keep and eye on for you.
If you utilize BeeHiiv with eyes wide open regarding what it is designed to be, it is among the most effective games around right now. This is the system to enjoy.
BeeHiiv supplies a 14-day trial on their paid plans. It deserves looking into on your own. And if you end up not sticking to the paid plan, you’ll find the cost-free account to be quite feature rich.