Renegade Newsletters: The Platform Wars

Substack vs. Beehiv, which one is right for you?

Read all articles in the Renegade Newsletters series

A ‘newsletter’ at its heart is an email list, and for many of us ‘old-schoolers’ there is not a great deal of difference, in-fact if you look at my stats you will see that 92% of content is read via email rather than on a web page or in the app.

But this stat obscures why a ‘newsletter’ in the modern form is way more different.

First there is some perceived form of credibility, having a successful newsletter on a platform such as Beehiv or Substack is perceived kind of differently. Intrinsically a reader knows that by signing up to a newsletter on one of these platforms that they are going to get quality content.

These platforms are used on the whole by writers, not marketers, so people expect to see content when they open the email rather than being part of a seven day launch sequence with video sales letters and calls to action. They don’t feel like they are going to get sold to in every email.

(I am not saying don’t sell to people here though).

It is all about perception.

What is also different is reach…

Let me share with you a recent stat that was shared by a member of the Substack team.

From personal experience I already know how powerful this can be, almost every new subscriber I get comes from the Substack app even though less than 8% of views come from it. One of my clients though has way more impressive results and gets over four hundred new subscribers a month for her newsletter from the Substack app alone.

This is another reason running a newsletter on a platform like Substack rather than hosting it yourself is key.

So, two things so far:

1. Perception

2. Reach

The third however is what I value the most… ease. Setting up a newsletter on a platform like Substack is quick and easy, and you can be up and writing in a matter of minutes. The actual writing and posting process is also painless.

This makes the barrier to entry almost insignificant. If you have something to say you can just post it…

What I want to do for the rest of this article is compare the two leading platforms, Beehiv, and Substack and hopefully help you make a decision on which to choose.

The Contenders

First, a quick intro. Substack’s been around since 2017, and it’s practically a household name among writers. It’s the platform that says, “Hey, just write, and we’ll handle the rest.” Think of it as that cosy coffee shop where everyone knows your name, and the barista’s already got your order started.

Then there’s Beehiv, the newcomer launched in 2021 by the people who used to brew up the Morning Brew newsletter. It’s bold, buzzing with energy, and packed with tools for those who want to turn their newsletter into a full-on business. Picture it as the sleek co-working space with standing desks and free kombucha on tap.

Both platforms promise to help you connect with readers, but they’ve got different styles and features. So, let’s break it down, pros, and cons, starting with costs.

Let’s start with Substack. It’s free to start, with no cap on subscribers. You can send newsletters to ten readers or ten thousand without paying a penny. This is perfect if you’re testing the waters or building an audience on a shoestring budget.

The catch however is when you monetize they take a 10% cut plus you have to add on your Stripe processing fees. So for example, with the Raine Report I charge $7 a month and incur the following costs:

Substack fee: $0.70
Stripe fee: $0.48

Leaving me with $5.82 per subscription.

This may sound a lot in fees but the platform makes up for it and I will cover that later.

Beehiv, on the other hand, has a free plan too, but it’s got a limit: 2,500 subscribers. That’s plenty to get going, most newsletters wont hit that number overnight, but if your newsletter takes off then you will need to upgrade and that starts at $34 a month and scales up with your subscriber count.

Beehiv however doesn’t charge a fee when you have paid subscriptions, so the savings could work out huge if you get plenty of those.

Personally I think Substack is the winner here, having a starting platform that costs nothing and scales with you, making sure you only spend money when you are making it is the way to go… and the bonus is they take the payment directly out of each individual Stripe payment rather than charging you up front.

Tools Of The Trade

Now, let’s talk about what these platforms actually do for you. As a writer, you need a space to write, connect, and make money. Substack keeps it simple. You get a clean editor to craft your stories, and every post doubles as a blog on your Substack page. It’s great for visibility, readers can stumble across your work online.

You can also build a community with tools like Notes (think Twitter.X, but cosier), chat, and a recommendation system where other writers can shout you out. It’s a built-in megaphone for growing your audience.

Substack also has some other additional features such as being able to run a Podcast if that’s your thing, and they have also just introduced live streaming.

Beehiv takes a different tack. It’s more like a Swiss Army knife, versatile and packed with options. You can choose whether a post goes out as a newsletter, a blog, or stays private. It’s got bells and whistles like SEO tools to help Google find you, email automations to keep readers hooked, and even an ad network to get sponsors without breaking a sweat. The trade-off? No built-in community like Substack’s. You’ll need to hustle a bit more to get noticed, but the growth tools are there if you’re ready to play the long game.

For me, Substack feels like the trusty notepad I scribble in, straightforward and reliable. Beehiv’s more like my laptop, loaded with apps I might not use yet, but could come in handy down the road. If you’re all about community and ease, Substack’s calling your name. If you’re eyeing a scalable media empire, Beehiv’s got the toolkit.

Which One To Pick?

For me the choice was Substack, I loved the quick setup and I love the writing environment, but what really sold it to me was how cleverly the Substack platform works behind the scenes to convert free subscribers into paid one. For example:

You can easily setup monthly plans and offer a yearly discount. But on top of that, really engaged customers who are still on a free plan can be automatically given a further discount to encourage them to sign-up.

Customers who are planning to cancel will also automatically be re-engaged offering them free access for a while, and will be encouraged to sign up again if they leave.

You can also turn on free access to a paywalled story giving people on your free plan a chance to read a fully paid post for free.

I use all of these features and more, and they have helped convert a lot of free subscribers to paid ones. This is especially true for subscribers who have found my content from the Substack app.

Substack are constantly tweaking things behind the scenes to increase the chance of your newsletter being a success, and share everything with their community. In-fact the Substack community is one of the best online communities I have ever been a part of since I joined The WELL in the early 90’s (yikes).

Also, speaking of communities, Substack, if you are so inclined allows you to build amazing communities within your newsletter with live chats, archived threads etc. I don’t use this at the moment, but on the newsletters that do, the engagement can be through the roof.

All of this to me is worth the 10% fee.

That being said, Beehiv does have a lot of bells and whistles and it also works hard to find sponsorship deals for you when your newsletter takes off, and they also own affiliate system where you can get paid per signup for every other newsletter that you recommend to new readers to yours. This route can be very profitable if you have a very successful newsletter in a large niche, but I don’t think it should be a consideration if you are launching a Renegade style newsletter.

Go and check them both out.