I have actually made use of a lot of various e-mail list systems throughout the years. In the last number of years, I have actually been a massive advocate of digital sovereignty and having your very own platform. Therefore (and the remarkable features), I have actually been making use of Ben’s Bites Beehiiv.
So, it is certainly an unusual move for me to make a decision 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 evaluation, I wish to go over why I made the button to BeeHiiv for my newsletters. I wish to resolve the issue of digital sovereignty while using the system and I would certainly additionally like to address why I selected to use it over Substack.
Allow’s dive in …
BeeHiiv: Developed For E-newsletters
In Problem # 435 of my e-newsletter called My Pastime + A Big Shift In Strategy, I talked about exactly how and why I determined to transform my RV blog site right into mainly an e-newsletter. I decided that was business version I wanted to pursue with that residential or commercial property.
However, to intentionally pursue it as an e-newsletter, I wanted a system that was purpose-built for that. I was utilizing FluentCRM for the e-mail listing for Gladly RV, yet FluentCRM is not a newsletter platform. It is developed to be a CRM and marketing automation tool and, frankly, utilizing it for newsletters is a little a waste. Much more on that in a bit.
As I claimed because concern of the e-newsletter …
Simply put, BeeHiiv is a platform with tools developed right into it specific to my objective. Things such as:
- Capacity to release (to the blog site) and send the email at the same time without having it be 2 separate actions.
- Integrated in e-newsletter referral program. FluentCRM does not have that and I would require a third-party device like Sparkloop.
- Built-in ability to do cross-promotions with other e-newsletters on the BeeHiiv system.
- ” Magic Links”, which are generally one-click registration links. Great for promotion in other newsletters. FluentCRM has Smart Hyperlinks, however, so there are methods to do that.
- Capacity to do paid “boosts” on the BeeHiiv network to advertise your e-newsletter.
- Built-in ad network, if I pick to monetize with advertisements in the e-newsletter. And I may.
- Integrated capability to run a paid e-newsletter upgrade and primarily run a costs newsletter. And BeeHiiv does not take a cut.
Basically, BeeHiiv is purpose-built for e-newsletter publishers with features aimed at development. The system was actually constructed by the people that accumulated the technology for 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 ended off with this:.
I may certainly be moving The Edge over to BeeHiiv also. At least, I’m strongly considering it.
Well, I really did not consider it for long. In fact, I just went all out. And as a matter of fact, The side was re-branded over to The Morning WP, triggered as it’s own residential property to make sure that I can grow it a lot more intentionally also.
The objective is that each e-newsletter has the ability to be branded as it’s own media entity and grown individually. Happily recreational vehicle was young, so simple to change. But, The Early morning WP (previously The Side) was hidden in a sea of stuff right 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 obviously constantly be carefully linked with the Blog Marketing Academy, however doesn’t have to be a part of it.
I switched to BeeHiiv since it was developed for this function. FluentCRM was not.
E-newsletters Versus Simply A Regular Email Listing
There’s a difference between an e-newsletter system and just an email list.
You can organize your e-mail list just about anywhere you want and there are a number of them out there, from Aweber, ActiveCampaign, Drip, ConvertKit … over to self-hosted options like GroundHogg and FluentCRM.
What’s the distinction?
The primary difference is that, with an e-newsletter system, the act of posting means that it is going to your internet site and to your e-mail customers all at once.
With both BeeHiiv and Substack, you have a site. You are publishing to that website. Yet, you are likewise sending off to all clients at the same time. The internet site and it’s customers are done in one. This makes monitoring of the platform much easier.
With many e-mail platforms, any kind of newsletter you established is done as an e-mail campaign. It is constructed totally individually from your website. So, for instance, you may publish an article to WordPress however then you would need to independently build and send out an email to your checklist to send it to clients. These are after that two different collections of archives and two separate actions since post and your emails are not inherently linked.
The closest point that turns WordPress into a real newsletter platform is E-newsletter Glue.
It is a fitting name due to the fact that it pretty much “glues” your newsletter to your WordPress messages and permits them to be the exact same thing. Absolutely, something like Newsletter Glue would certainly be a solid choice if I wanted to continue to self-host whatever. Nonetheless, you would certainly shed the growth devices that come with a platform like BeeHiiv.
Publishing an e-newsletter naturally features a different set of demands than a normal email list.
You don’t normally require much marketing automation. You don’t normally need autoresponder sequences, occasion tracking, and all the bells and whistles of a marketing automation platform.
What you DO demand, however, is one smooth publishing experience and growth devices to help you construct your subscriber base that are specific to newsletters.
BeeHiiv vs Substack
When I announced to my clients that I was mosting likely to switch the newsletter over to BeeHiiv, I had lots of people ask me why I was selecting it over Substack.
To be clear, even besides the fact that I selected to choose BeeHiiv, that doesn’t imply I think Substack sucks. In fact, since Substack has actually been about longer, it is more mature and has even more features.
Despite the fact that BeeHiiv is more youthful, there are a pair points that initially got my attention:.
- BeeHiiv is especially tailored to newsletter publishers. In fact, it is literally constructed by the exact same individuals who developed the innovation behind Morning Mixture. On the other hand, SubStack targets authors. In the real world, doesn’t matter. But, the evident positioning of BeeHiiv towards e-newsletter growth called me out over the even more common positioning of being a “designer”. Development is what I want here.
- That branding and differentiation additionally indicates that BeeHiiv has some rather big brand names and huge publications using it. Whereas SubStack is intended more at solo designers. Again, it just informs me the consumer character distinction between the two companies.
Sending our my e-newsletter via FluentCRM really did not exactly suck. The only reason I would ponder drinking points up is if I thought I could GROW the checklist faster. And BeeHiiv spoke specifically to that objective.
As a result of the targeting, I actually don’t view BeeHiiv and Substack as straight rivals. I believe BeeHiiv is targeting a different kind of consumer. Actually, if anything, I see BeeHiiv and ConvertKit being extra straight competitors.
Yet, let’s dive much deeper than just the placing right here.
Points That Make BeeHiiv Better Than Substack
Overall, BeeHiiv looks like it was built by people who understanding email marketing. On the other hand, SubStack seems more geared toward designers.
For example, BeeHiiv provides customized fields on customers. Currently, it isn’t as created as something like FluentCRM. Yet, it has it. Substack doesn’t.
BeeHiiv provides Automations. Actually, it is a visual automation builder that works a great deal like what we have within FluentCRM.
To be clear, the automation performance is still early-phase. It is still quite minimal in triggers and the only activity is the ability to send out an e-mail. However, improvements are coming. Soon sufficient, automations will have brand-new triggers as well as new activities, such as customizing custom fields, sending out webhooks, and so on. I have actually currently seen enhancements to their automations just because I started making use of the system. For instance:
- Ability to set off automations based on which particular embed type they came in on.
- Capacity to automatically do re-engagement (and manage individuals based upon opens up and non-opens).
- Capacity to do basic conditional logic branches.
Substack does not have automations like this. Likely, it never will. Substack just can’t do this due to the fact that the target market of Substack simply would not believe to approach this like an email marketing expert.
When it involves composing your newsletters, the composing interface of BeeHiiv is just much more tailored towards e-newsletters. In fact, it actually has similarities to the WordPress block builder in just how it works. I find it to be extra user-friendly, personally.
Substack’s composing interface behaves and tidy, yet it would be more comparable to the timeless editor for WordPress. Toolbar on top.
This distinction is greater than simply form. For example, with BeeHiiv you can insert a “Section” and after that placed anything you want in it. Then, you can place Presence alternatives on that particular area to show it only to paid customers, conceal it from e-mail, conceal from subscribers, reveal only to customers, and so on. Substack provides nothing similar to this.
And when/if the time comes that I start a costs registration model, BeeHiiv doesn’t take any earnings. Actually, you actually attach as much as your own Stripe account and it bills directly to it. With Substack, they will take 10% of your profits. Depending upon the amount of subscribers you obtain, that 10% can be a fair bit even more cash than the month-to-month expense of BeeHiiv.
Lastly, BeeHiiv has an API. This might appear unpopular, but what it means is that there are integrations with BeeHiiv. You can really make BeeHiiv work with the outside using devices like Zapier or Make.com. This is HUGE. Substack essentially has … absolutely nothing. No integrations in any way.
On the whole, I simply felt like BeeHiiv was extra constructed towards genuine email marketing. It was built by individuals that “get it”. Also the opt-in forms and the landing page designs appear far better constructed for conversions. Growth is the name of the game with BeeHiiv.
Even though there are still features I wish to see BeeHiiv include, I like the direction it is going greater than Substack.
Things That Make Substack Better Than BeeHiiv
As I have actually stated, Substack placements itself toward “makers” more than email marketers and newsletter proprietors. For that reason, you see some points tailored more towards people that just assume in regards to web content production.
For instance, Substack supports podcasts. BeeHiiv does not.
Also, while BeeHiiv does sustain multiple magazines, they are dealt with fairly separately. Whereas Substack does have the capability to cross-post to several magazines at the same time. This isn’t something I call for, however … amazing for individuals who could require it.
Substack likewise has more social capability built-in. As an example, it has a chat function to host talks with clients. It also has a “Notes” function which works kind of like a social media newsfeed where you can share points from various other “Stacks” you’re reading. Fascinating. On the whole, Substack is established to be extra like a social media which supports long-form web content.
Overall, Substack is also much more … minimal. You either care for that or do not. Directly, I don’t. However, if the goal is simplicity of interface and, truthfully, features … Substack functions rather well.
But, I’ll be clear below …
When it pertains to actual marketing, I don’t believe there’s much uncertainty that BeeHiiv is better matched. I looked for even more factors that make Substack better than BeeHiiv, yet frankly … I have a hard time finding them.
BeeHiiv Vs ConvertKit
While BeeHiiv and Substack are frequently with to be the closest competitors, I in fact see BeeHiiv and ConvertKit being the closer rivals. Both are pursuing the same target audience and have comparable capabilities.
ConvertKit is also positioned at designers (like Substack), yet it is a lot more highly accommodating individuals who do it for business. ConvertKit has nice visual automation structure, it’s very own commerce system, and more. ConvertKit is a really wonderful system.
I’m not going to bore you with a full feature-by-feature break down below. ConvertKit is well known already. However, here’s exactly how I really feel BeeHiiv and ConvertKit contrast …
Points ConvertKit Is Much Better At …
Currently, ConvertKit has a lot more adaptability when it concerns it’s automations. I will certainly also say that I discover ConvertKit’s automation builder to be a little bit a lot more intuitive than that of BeeHiiv.
ConvertKit sustains marking. This is just a fundamental feature of e-mail checklists that enables segmentation in a far more adaptable method than BeeHiiv presently does. I anticipate BeeHiiv to sustain labeling at some time soon, frankly. It seems like an oversight that it is missing out on Ben’s Bites Beehiiv.
ConvertKit does now offer the capability to market things through their own system. BeeHiiv does not. If that is very important to you, it might be a big deal for you. For me, nevertheless, I would constantly pick a much more direct alternative anyhow. For me, I favor to utilize my own platform powered by WooCommerce.
ConvertKit has been around a lot longer and for that reason has way much more integration choices. Tons of web-based tools and WordPress plugins integrate with ConvertKit. ConvertKit also has their very own WordPress plugin that is fairly powerful. For example, their plugin now even supports member-gated content in addition to auto-embed of your e-newsletter archives right into your site. Essentially, this more very closely puts ConvertKit into straight competitors by having you have the ability to release to your website and your email list at the same time.
BeeHiiv is severely doing not have in these kinds 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 growth devices of BeeHiiv. As an example, BeeHiiv has the referral program and the Recommendation Engine where you can not only incentivize people to share your e-newsletter with advantages, yet you can additionally pay per lead within the inner advertisement network of BeeHiiv to expand your checklist. These are actually remarkable features of BeeHiiv. However …
Did you recognize ConvertKit obtained Sparkloop? Sparkloop is one of one of the most popular viral promotion platforms for e-newsletters … and ConvertKit bought it. You can see the writing on the wall surface for what this suggests for the platform moving forward.
Things BeeHiiv Is Much Better At … Ben’s Bites Beehiiv
BeeHiiv is much previously in it’s product cycle than ConvertKit. Part of that indicates less features and much less integrations, which is natural for this phase 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 actually experienced practically once a week launch of new features right into the platform. And these aren’t puny little features … however big features that are quite important. Their rate of advancement now has actually been impressive.
I likewise significantly value exactly how responsive they are. In fact, among their item news regarding some style enhancements to the web design features in fact had a little issue with the content size. I merely responded to that e-mail to tell them. I quickly obtained a reply straight from the chief executive officer:.
That exact same day, the issue was dealt with.
Couple of days later on, I provided one more pointer …
Sure enough, in a bit over a week of that exchange, the capability to activate automations based on the embed type utilized was added to the system.
That sort of responsiveness and direct involvement of the team is something I really appreciate.
One more major point of differentiation below is the cost. Both systems supply free plans, however the BeeHiiv free plan supplies a lot more capacity and even more clients (2,500 vs 1,000) than ConvertKit.
When you go to paid plans, the pricing of BeeHiiv is additionally FAR more beneficial. ConvertKit seems cheaper in the beginning look due to the fact that their pricing page reveals lower numbers, nevertheless the subscriber restrictions are FAR lower and your price promptly boosts as your checklist expands.
With BeeHiiv, your very first degree paid plan begins at $42/mo (paid every year), nevertheless you can have up to 10,000 customers. That exact same dimension listing is going to run you $100/month with ConvertKit.
If you update to the “Scale” plan with BeeHiiv (their best plan and the one I directly use), you can grow your checklist as much as 100,000. A checklist of that size would certainly run you $566/month with ConvertKit. If you desire their referral network, as well, that places you at the $733/month plan. That’s if you pay yearly, also. With BeeHiiv, you can get all that for simply $84/month if you pay annually.
BeeHiiv is in a completely different league when it comes to pricing (in an excellent way).
Will BeeHiiv ultimately boost rates? They could as time takes place. Yet, I’m guessing people like myself that are already in will certainly be locked-in. We’ll see how points proceed.
Points I Would Like BeeHiiv To Add
Among the important things you certainly require to bear in mind is that BeeHiiv is fairly young. They do seem to evolve instead rapidly and make brand-new item announcements rather often, yet there are some fundamental features I actually wish they had that I need to simply wait on.
One is that they require to have a setting on registration kinds where I could select an automation to run right at the type degree. That would certainly be outstanding for many factors. Currently, registration forms look OK, however there’s very little settings for them to assist in division.
It would behave to have tagging at the client degree. This would be powerful.
I think webhooks need to be part of automations to make built-in automations easier and reduce dependence on outside devices like Zapier.
There are additionally some minor administrative user interface adjustments that would certainly be handy. For instance:
- Ability to mass edit/remove subscribers.
- Ability to bulk edit blog posts (as an example, to mark a number of them at the same time).
- Having a couple of standard areas as common on customers (like the name).
- Some even more customization options for the site (such as even more versatile shade options, heading control, etc).
So, yeah … there are some imperfections. Points I hope they finish with it in the future. BeeHiiv is respectable, yet it isn’t best and absolutely not almost as created as something like FluentCRM or any other actual CRM item.
It most likely never ever will be, either. As I stated, the objective is different so it wouldn’t a lot a great deal of feeling for BeeHiiv to end up being a full marketing automation platform. I think you never ever recognize, though.
Final Ideas On This BeeHiiv Evaluation
I such as BeeHiiv rather a whole lot. Sufficient where I chose to switch my own newsletters over to the system in spite of my individual preference for digital sovereignty and having my own platform.
Simply put, for the e-newsletter posting design especially, I saw sufficient value in their system to require the change.
Keep in mind, I do not use BeeHiiv as my special email list. I use BeeHiiv wherefore it is proficient at, yet I deliberately have things set up to make sure that I also maintain my listing “in house” within FluentCRM.
If you use BeeHiiv, I suggest you do the exact same. It is simply a great insurance plan, for one. But, having a full-featured marketing automation platform for your list will be of high use (FluentCRM is a complete marketing automation platform and BeeHiiv is not and likely never ever will certainly be).
So, the concern is … should YOU use BeeHiiv?
In my opinion, if you are using Substack today, I ‘d absolutely take into consideration switching to BeeHiiv. It will simply be much more business-friendly. It is targeting different capacities and different demands. And also, BeeHiiv also has import tools for Substack, so the switch must be quite uncomplicated.
If you are on ConvertKit now, I ‘d most likely sit tight unless you have a big e-mail checklist and are therefore being fleeced with their high regular monthly bill. You will not (yet) have every feature of ConvertKit with BeeHiiv, but they are repeating promptly. There’s likewise a respectable chance you’re not even utilizing several of those fancier features of ConvertKit and you don’t even require them. Therefore, BeeHiiv could easily be a far better and extra budget-friendly fit.
Lastly, if you plan to be extremely intentional about growing an e-newsletter, I believe BeeHiiv is THE system to consider and maintain and eye on for you.
If you use BeeHiiv with eyes wide open about what it is designed to be, it is just one of the best games in town right now. This is the platform to see.
BeeHiiv uses a 14-day trial on their paid plans. It is worth looking into on your own. And if you wind up not sticking with the paid plan, you’ll discover the complimentary account to be rather feature abundant.