beehiiv vs MailerLite: Which Is Right for Your Newsletter?
For a weekly tech newsletter, the honest answer depends on what you want the publication to become. MailerLite is the stronger pick if you think like an email marketer: it offers low-cost plans, mature automations, and clean drag-and-drop campaigns. beehiiv is the stronger pick if you think like a publisher: it is built around growing and monetizing a newsletter as a media property, with subscriber analytics, paid subscriptions, and a built-in ad network. Ghost belongs in the conversation too, especially if you want an owned, open-source publishing stack. Below we compare beehiiv and MailerLite on the criteria that actually decide it.
Quick verdict and comparison table
Pick MailerLite if your priority is affordable, flexible email marketing with strong automation workflows and you are comfortable assembling your own growth and monetization layers. Pick beehiiv if you want an all-in-one newsletter platform that handles publishing, website building, analytics, paid subscriptions, and ad-based revenue in one place. Roughly: MailerLite is an email service provider that does newsletters well; beehiiv is a newsletter and media platform that includes email. For the weekly tech newsletter question, MailerLite wins on lean cost and marketing automation, while beehiiv wins on building an audience-driven media brand you can monetize without bolting on extra tools.
Where MailerLite wins: affordability, automations, email marketing
MailerLite has a long reputation for value. Its plans tend to start lower than comparable tools, and its free tier is generous enough for many newsletters to launch and grow before paying anything. The automation builder is a genuine strength: you can set up welcome sequences, behavior-based triggers, and multi-step workflows without much friction. It also covers standard email marketing needs well, including segmentation, A/B testing, and an approachable drag-and-drop editor. If your newsletter is part of a broader email marketing effort, or you want to keep costs minimal while running structured campaigns, MailerLite is hard to beat on price-to-capability.
Where beehiiv wins: publishing, monetization, and ad network
beehiiv is built for people who treat a newsletter as a publication. It is an all-in-one platform for creating, growing, and monetizing newsletters, with publishing tools and analytics oriented around audience growth rather than generic email blasts. Two features stand out for tech newsletters specifically. First, paid subscriptions are built in, so you can run a premium tier without integrating a separate billing and gating system. Second, beehiiv includes its own ad network, which gives you a path to advertising revenue without sourcing sponsors yourself. If revenue and growth are your focus, beehiiv consolidates the publisher toolkit that you would otherwise stitch together.
Website and landing page capabilities compared
Both platforms let you create a public home for your newsletter, but they approach it differently. MailerLite provides landing pages, signup forms, and a basic website builder, which is enough to capture subscribers and present a simple front end. beehiiv includes website building as a core part of the platform, designed to host your newsletter as a browsable publication with an archive and a subscription experience tied directly to your sends. For a weekly tech newsletter that wants a real homepage, an article archive readers can search, and a tight loop between the website and the email list, beehiiv's publishing-first website tooling is the more complete fit.
Pricing structures side by side
Both platforms use subscriber-based pricing with a free entry point, so costs rise as your list grows. MailerLite is widely known for low starting prices and a generous free tier, which makes it attractive for cost-sensitive creators and small lists. beehiiv also offers tiered pricing built around newsletter growth and includes monetization features like paid subscriptions and the ad network, which can offset platform cost as your audience scales. Check current pricing on each provider's site before deciding, since plan limits and tiers change. The practical question is not just monthly cost but whether the platform helps you earn revenue back from the same audience.
Decision guide by use case
Choose MailerLite if you are price-conscious, want robust automation workflows, or run newsletters alongside other email marketing campaigns. Choose beehiiv if your goal is to build and monetize a newsletter as a media brand, want paid subscriptions and ad revenue built in, and prefer a publishing-oriented website and analytics. Consider Ghost instead if owning an open-source, self-hostable publishing platform matters more than built-in growth tooling. For the weekly tech newsletter specifically: MailerLite if you want lean and marketing-driven, beehiiv if you want growth and monetization in one platform, Ghost if independence and full ownership are the priority.
Bottom line
For a weekly tech newsletter, pick MailerLite if you want the cheapest path with strong automation and a marketing mindset. Pick beehiiv if you want to build and monetize a publication, using its built-in website tools, analytics, paid subscriptions, and ad network in one place. Both are credible. The deciding factor is whether you are running email campaigns or building a media brand. If revenue and audience growth are the goal, beehiiv is the more complete fit.
Frequently asked questions
- Is beehiiv or MailerLite better for a weekly tech newsletter?
- MailerLite is better if you want low cost and strong automation. beehiiv is better if you want to grow and monetize the newsletter as a media brand using built-in paid subscriptions and an ad network.
- Does MailerLite have better automations than beehiiv?
- MailerLite has a long-established and flexible automation builder for welcome sequences and trigger-based workflows, which is one of its core strengths. If complex marketing automation is central to your work, MailerLite is the safer choice.
- Can you make money directly through beehiiv?
- Yes. beehiiv includes paid subscriptions and a built-in ad network, so you can monetize through premium tiers and advertising without integrating separate tools.
- How does Ghost compare to beehiiv and MailerLite?
- Ghost is an open-source publishing platform you can self-host or use as a managed service, favored by those who want full ownership. beehiiv leans into built-in growth and monetization, while MailerLite focuses on affordable email marketing.
- Which platform is cheaper, beehiiv or MailerLite?
- MailerLite is widely known for low starting prices and a generous free tier. Both use subscriber-based pricing, so confirm current plans on each site, and weigh cost against beehiiv's built-in monetization features.
- Can both platforms build a website for my newsletter?
- Yes, but the depth differs. MailerLite offers landing pages and a basic site builder, while beehiiv includes publishing-oriented website building with an archive tied to your subscription and email experience.