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beehiiv vs Kit Free Plan: I Set Up Both (2026)

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You can only really judge beehiiv vs Kit by using both free plans. So I did. I set up a free account on each, imported the same Mailchimp list, built forms and a test landing page, and poked at every corner the free plan would let me into. (Kit is the platform formerly called ConvertKit - it rebranded in late 2024 - so “beehiiv vs ConvertKit” is this same match-up.)

This piece is about the free plans specifically, because that’s where most people start and where the real differences show up first.

On the free plan, beehiiv vs Kit comes down to how you like to work. Kit's is bigger - up to 10,000 subscribers to beehiiv's 2,500 - and it lets you sell and add your own CSS. beehiiv's is smaller but easier, with clickable no-code styling. As a non-coder, my pick is beehiiv.

The two free plans, side by side

The honest head-to-head, limited to what each free plan actually gives you. I checked every spec against both vendors in September 2026, because these numbers move.

Two rows jump out. Kit’s free plan holds four times the subscribers, and it lets you start selling. beehiiv counters with an easier build and more control over your audience. The rest of this is what those trade-offs feel like once you’re actually in the account.

Ease of use: Kit is the simpler one

Kit is the easier one to find your way around. Everything sits where you’d expect: Audience, then Create for a form or landing page, the Dashboard for your email. I rarely had to hunt for anything.

beehiiv is busier. There are more options in every corner, but they’re scattered, and its create button only makes the big things - a post, a new newsletter, a podcast. For the smaller items, like a subscribe form or a plain email, you go into the section and dig. That matches what I found writing my full beehiiv review: the create flow is incomplete.

There’s a flip side, though. beehiiv gives you far more control over your actual subscribers - more ways to view, segment and manage the audience. Kit keeps that side simple: a few things, get in, build, send. If fiddling with subscriber settings isn’t your idea of a good time, Kit’s simplicity is a feature, not a gap.

Customization: beehiiv clicks, Kit codes

This is the clearest fork between the two, and it’s the one that decided my own pick.

beehiiv styles everything through a clickable builder - colors, layout, buttons, borders, all no-code. You never touch code, and you don’t need to. Kit goes the other way: there’s no clickable styling to speak of, but you can drop in your own CSS.

So the split is simple. If you don’t code, beehiiv lets you make things look the way you want by clicking. If you do code, Kit hands you the CSS and gets out of your way, which is more powerful and more work.

One lived caveat on beehiiv: its styling is builder-only on every tier. It’s not that custom CSS is a paid feature - there just isn’t a raw-CSS option. And when I embedded a beehiiv form on my own site, it overrode my width with its own. A small thing, but if pixel-level control matters to you, Kit’s CSS route is the one that gives it.

Automations (locked on both free plans)

I have not run automation sequences on either platform - both lock them behind a paid plan - so I can’t compare them hands-on.

What I can tell you is what’s true of the free plans - neither includes multi-step automations. beehiiv’s live on its paid tiers, and Kit built its name on automation, so on paper Kit is the one automation-heavy users tend to lean toward. But that’s reputation and research, not my own testing. If automation is the whole reason you’re choosing a platform, treat both of these as “try the paid trial and judge for yourself”, not “Pan tested it and here’s the winner”.

Selling on free: Kit opens the door

This is a real free-plan difference. Kit lets you start selling on its free plan through Kit Commerce - digital products, paid subscriptions, tip jars - with a 0.6% Kit fee on top of card processing.

beehiiv keeps all monetization - its ad network, paid subscriptions, boosts - on the paid plans. On free, there’s nothing to try. That was my one real frustration with beehiiv’s free plan: you can’t sample monetization at all before you pay.

So if getting a first taste of selling without spending anything matters to you, Kit is the one that opens that door on free.

Moving over from Mailchimp

I came to both from Mailchimp, so I imported the same list into each. Both were easy and quick - no drama, no lost subscribers.

Kit’s import felt marginally faster and smoother; its API brought the list over cleanly, with no errors. One caveat: I already had that API set up, so some of that “faster” may be down to me rather than Kit. beehiiv’s import was just as painless in practice. If you’re leaving Mailchimp, neither one is going to trip you up.

When you outgrow free: subscriber caps and pricing

On raw capacity, Kit’s free plan wins comfortably: up to 10,000 subscribers to beehiiv’s 2,500. That’s four times the room before you pay anything. Worth saying, though - filling 10,000 slots takes good content and time, not just a bigger ceiling. For most people starting out, 2,500 is already plenty of runway.

When you do outgrow free, both charge by list size. Kit’s paid Creator plan starts around $33/mo billed annually (about $39 month-to-month) at 1,000 subscribers, and climbs as your list grows [Verified via Kit, September 2026]. beehiiv’s paid plans add automations, monetization and higher caps; I’d check its current pricing directly rather than trust a number that may have moved since. Both vendors change prices, so compare the live pages for your own list size before deciding; which is cheaper depends on your subscriber count and the month you look.

Integrations and API (paid on both)

This one is close to a tie, and not in a good way. Real integrations are paid on both. Kit’s apps and its 100-plus integrations need a Creator plan; beehiiv’s API and webhooks need its higher Scale tier. On the free plans, neither connects to your other tools natively. There are generic Zapier-style webhook workarounds, but nothing clean and built-in. Don’t pick either free plan expecting to wire it into your stack - that’s a paid feature on both sides.

What I have not tested

Here’s exactly where my first-hand experience stops:

• Automation sequences - paid on both, so I’ve tested them on neither. Research and reputation only.
• Kit Commerce (selling on free) - it’s available on Kit’s free plan, but I have not used it yet.
• Paid tiers - I’ve run both only on their free plans.
• Deliverability at scale - my sends worked fine on both, but only on a small list, so I can’t speak to big-list deliverability.

Everything else here - the setup, the Mailchimp import, forms, landing pages, the interfaces, subscriber management and customization - is from actually doing it on both free plans.

Who each one is for

FAQ

Which has a better free plan, beehiiv or Kit?

Kit’s is bigger and more capable - up to 10,000 subscribers and the option to sell - while beehiiv’s is smaller at 2,500, but easier and more clickable. For raw value, Kit; for ease as a non-coder, beehiiv. It depends what “better” means to you - I use beehiiv myself.

Is beehiiv or Kit better for beginners and non-coders?

For a non-coder, I found beehiiv easier. It styles everything through a clickable builder, so you never touch code. Kit is simple to navigate but relies on your own CSS for real customization. If you’d rather click than write code, beehiiv fits better - that’s exactly why it’s my pick.

Can you sell or monetize on each free plan?

Kit lets you start selling on its free plan through Kit Commerce - digital products, paid subscriptions and tip jars, with a 0.6% Kit fee. beehiiv keeps all monetization on its paid plans, so there’s nothing to try on free. Kit is the one that opens selling early.

Does each free plan include automations?

No, and it’s the same on both. Multi-step automation sequences are a paid feature on beehiiv and on Kit alike; neither free plan includes them. I have not tested automations on either, since both are locked behind a paid tier. If automations are essential to you, plan to pay on whichever platform you choose.

What’s the subscriber limit on each free plan?

beehiiv’s free plan (Launch) allows up to 2,500 subscribers; Kit’s free plan (Newsletter) allows up to 10,000 - four times as many. Both include unlimited sends. Numbers verified September 2026, but check current pricing, since these limits change. Filling 10,000 still takes good content, not just the bigger ceiling.

Can you add your own CSS on beehiiv or Kit?

On Kit, yes - you style with your own CSS, which suits people who code. beehiiv doesn’t take raw CSS on any tier; it’s builder-only, all clickable and no-code. It’s not that custom CSS is paid on beehiiv - there simply isn’t a raw-CSS option. Coder: Kit. Non-coder: beehiiv.

Which is easier to use, with cleaner navigation?

Kit, in my experience. Everything sits where you expect - Audience to create a form or landing page, the Dashboard for email - so I rarely hunted. beehiiv has more options, but they’re scattered, and its create button only covers the big items. Kit is cleaner; beehiiv is more capable but busier.

Can you migrate from Mailchimp to each easily?

Yes, both were easy for me coming from Mailchimp - I imported the same list into each with no lost subscribers. Kit’s import felt marginally faster and cleaner via its API, though I’d already set that API up, so some of that may be me rather than Kit. Neither will trip you up.

Which is cheaper when you outgrow the free plan?

It depends on your list size and when you look. Both charge by subscriber count. Kit’s paid Creator starts around $33/mo billed annually (about $39 monthly) at 1,000 subscribers; beehiiv’s paid pricing you should check directly. Compare the live pages for your list size - prices move.

Is Kit the same as ConvertKit?

Yes. Kit is ConvertKit - the company rebranded from ConvertKit to Kit in late 2024. If you’re searching “beehiiv vs ConvertKit”, it’s the same comparison as “beehiiv vs Kit”. Same platform, same free plan, new name. Everything I’ve said about Kit here applies to what you may know as ConvertKit.

Pan Blake

Founder of H28. I test the tools myself and tell you the good and the bad. More about me →