Beehiiv vs Kit

Our Verdict

Both are excellent newsletter platforms for consultants building an audience. The deciding factor is whether you prioritize growth tools or automation depth. Beehiiv's free tier is genuinely generous — up to 2,500 subscribers with unlimited sends, a custom domain, and even a referral program. For a consultant just starting a newsletter, you can run it for months (or years) without paying anything. The paid plans ($49/month Scale) add advanced analytics, automations, and ad monetization. Beehiiv also has a built-in recommendation network that helps you cross-promote with other newsletters in your niche. Kit (formerly ConvertKit) charges from day one on paid plans ($39/month for up to 1,000 subscribers), but its automation engine is significantly more powerful. Visual automation builders, tagging systems, and conditional sequences let you create sophisticated nurture flows — "downloaded my pricing guide → tag as warm lead → send case study sequence → pitch discovery call." For consultants who use their newsletter as a lead generation funnel, Kit's automation capabilities are the differentiator. The newsletter-specific features also differ. Beehiiv has better growth tools: referral programs, recommendation network, and SEO-optimized web hosting for newsletter archives. Kit has better commerce features: sell digital products, paid subscriptions, and courses directly to your audience. For most consultants starting their first newsletter: Beehiiv. The free tier removes all friction, the growth tools help you build an audience, and you can always migrate later. For consultants who already have an audience and want to build sophisticated automated funnels that convert subscribers to clients: Kit.