Bluey · GrowSend-based
$30/mo/month
- $30/mo, unlimited contacts, built-in CRM
- Billed on emails sent, not subscribers
- Marketing + transactional email on one bill
- Unlimited automation flows on every plan
Side-by-side · honest pricing
Blueyvsbeehiiv
Unlimited sends, but you pay per subscriber
beehiiv is a newsletter platform that bills by subscriber count with unlimited sends; Bluey bills by emails sent, with unlimited contacts, a CRM and transactional email on one plan.
The worked example10,000 subscribers contacts · 40,000 (4x/month)
beehiiv · ScalePublished rate
~$109/mo (Scale)/month
- Per-subscriber billing: about $109/mo at 10,000 subscribers on Scale
- Free plan has no automations, A/B testing or monetization
- Subscriber ceiling at 100,000 before a custom Enterprise deal
- Transactional email (Send API) is Enterprise-only
72% lower on Bluey · same volume
Quick answer — which should you choose?
beehiiv is one of the best newsletter platforms for creators, with unlimited sends on every plan and native monetization. But it bills by subscriber, so 10,000 subscribers costs about $109/mo on Scale no matter how often you send. Bluey bills by emails sent: 10,000 subscribers mailed four times a month (40,000 sends) is $30 on Grow. Pick beehiiv if you publish daily or monetize the newsletter; pick Bluey at normal cadence, or when you need a CRM and transactional email.
Starting price
Bluey$7/mo · 6K emails
beehiiv$49/mo · Scale (from ~1,000 subscribers)
Pricing scales with
BlueyEmails sent
beehiivSubscribers stored (unlimited sends)
Marketing + transactional
BlueyMarketing + transactional, one bill
beehiivNewsletter only; transactional Enterprise-only
Every row
The boring details, side by side.
Feature
Bluey
beehiiv
Pricing — the maths
Billing basis
Emails sentActive subscribers (unlimited sends)Starting paid price
$7/mo (6K sends)~$49/mo (Scale, ~1,000 subs)10,000 subscribers
$30/mo (Grow)~$109/mo (Scale)Does send frequency change the price?
Yes, you pay per sendNo, fixed by subscriber countSubscriber ceiling
Unlimited (Grow+)100,000 before EnterprisePublishing & monetization
Unlimited sends
No, billed per sendYes, every planAd network / paid subscriptions
NoYes, 0% take (Stripe fees apply)Website + custom domain
Landing pagesFull publishing sitePodcast / link-in-bio
NoYesFree plan
500 contacts / 500 sends2,500 subscribers, unlimited sendsAutomations & data
Automation flows
Unlimited, all plansNone on free; Scale and upAI subject + body writer
AI writing toolsSend-time optimization
Not a core featureUnlimited contacts
Yes (Grow+)No, priced per subscriberWhere beehiiv wins — the honest rows
Unlimited sends
NoYes, ideal for daily publishersNewsletter monetization
NoAd network, boosts, 0% take on paid subsPublishing platform
Landing pagesWebsite, custom domain, podcast, recommendationsReviews for creators
New in 2026Top-rated newsletter toolCRM & support
Built-in CRM
Transactional email
Same billEnterprise only (Send API)Support
All plansVaries by planWhy teams move
Three things that come up in every conversation.
Cost tracks your cadence
beehiiv's price is fixed by list size, so a large list you email monthly costs the same as one you email daily. On Bluey you pay for the sends you actually make.
A CRM and transactional email beehiiv keeps behind Enterprise
beehiiv is a publishing tool with no CRM, and its Send API is Enterprise-only. Bluey bundles both on Grow.
No subscriber ceiling
beehiiv's Scale and Max plans cap at 100,000 subscribers before a custom deal. Bluey's Grow plan has unlimited contacts.
Being straight with you
When beehiiv is the better choice.
beehiiv is the best tool in this set if the newsletter is the product, and I will say so plainly.
You publish daily or very frequently, where unlimited sends make the flat price a bargain
You monetize with ads, boosts or paid subscriptions and want a 0% take rate
You want a full publishing platform: website, custom domain, podcast and recommendations
For high-frequency publishers and creators monetizing an audience, beehiiv wins on merit. Bluey wins at normal cadence and when you need a CRM or transactional email.
Switching from beehiiv? Here is the short version.
Moving from beehiiv is an export and rebuild. You gain a CRM, unlimited contacts and transactional email; you give up the ad network, boosts and publishing layer.
1Export subscribers and segments from beehiiv as CSV
2Import into Bluey; at normal cadence your bill drops sharply
3Rebuild automations as unlimited Bluey flows
4Add transactional email to the same plan, no Enterprise upgrade needed
Free download
The beehiiv to Bluey migration checklist (PDF)
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Bluey vs beehiiv, answered.
Is Bluey cheaper than beehiiv?
At typical cadence, yes. Emailing 10,000 subscribers four times a month is about $30 on Bluey Grow versus roughly $109 on beehiiv Scale. If you send daily to a large list, beehiiv's unlimited sends narrow and can reverse the gap.
Does beehiiv have a free plan?
Yes. The Launch plan covers up to 2,500 subscribers with unlimited sends, but excludes automations, A/B testing and every monetization feature.
Does beehiiv take a cut of paid newsletter revenue?
No. beehiiv takes 0%; you pay only Stripe's standard processing fee. That, plus its ad network, is a genuine strength for creators monetizing a newsletter.
Can beehiiv send transactional email?
Only on Enterprise, via the Send API. Every other plan excludes it. Bluey sends marketing and transactional from the same plan.
Can I switch from beehiiv to Bluey?
Yes. Export subscribers and rebuild automations. You gain a CRM, unlimited contacts and transactional email; you give up the ad network, boosts and the publishing and podcast layer.
Pricing verified 11 July 2026 against each provider’s public pricing page. Bluey figures use the Grow plan (send-based). Competitor tiers shift at least quarterly; figures marked “~” are interpolated between published tiers.
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