beehiiv vs Substack: which is better for a newsletter that wants sponsors?

For a newsletter that wants sponsors, beehiiv: it has an Ad Network from the Lite plan ($49 a month billed yearly, at 1,000 subscribers) and a sponsor storefront. 8.5% of the beehiiv newsletters we track ran a paid ad in the last 90 days, against 1.6% on Substack. For paid subscriptions at a small scale, Substack: it is free at any size and keeps 10% only when you earn.

By Ryan Doyle, founder of Book a Sponsor · Published 5 November 2026

This compares the two for one job: earning from sponsors. Every fact about beehiiv and Substack comes from the pages listed under Sources, read 5 November 2026.

Book a Sponsor (bookasponsor.com) pitches brands to sponsor newsletters.

beehiiv and Substack, side by side for sponsors

Checked 5 November 2026. Sources: beehiiv's pricing page, beehiiv's Ad Network page and FAQ, beehiiv's Direct Sponsorships page, Substack's fees and earnings page, Substack's sponsorships page, Substack's comparison with beehiiv, updated October 22, 2026, Nieman Lab on Creator Kits, June 16, 2026, PPC Land on Substack's October sponsorship formats, October 22, 2026.

	beehiiv	Substack
Cost to start	Free up to 2,500 subscribers; Lite from $49 a month and Pro from $95, billed yearly at 1,000 subscribers	Free at any list size: its comparison page says "always free to use"
Cut of paid subscriptions	0% on paid plans, plus Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30	10%, plus card fees
Ad network	The Ad Network, on Lite and above, with no subscriber minimum stated; it pays on unique opens or verified clicks	None open to every writer
How network ads pay	Per unique open or verified click (its example: a $5 CPM pays $5 per 1,000 unique opens); payouts on the 20th of the next month through Stripe	Not applicable: no open ad network
Ad slots in a post	One primary (with logo) and 2 secondary (no logo) Ad Network ads per post	No set slots: you place your own ads; its program lists editorial, event, host-read and subscriber-perk campaigns
Other ads alongside	Allowed: the Ad Network requires no exclusivity	Allowed in practice: Substack newsletters run ads they sold themselves
Team seats	Free 1, Lite 2, Pro 10	Not stated on these pages
Selling your own sponsors	Direct Sponsorships: a sponsor storefront, an ad calendar and Stripe invoicing at a $10 flat fee per transaction	No public sponsor storefront or invoicing on these pages; you sell and bill the ad yourself
A brand program	Not applicable: brands buy through the Ad Network or your storefront	Creator Kits, a media kit that only program brands see, for publications with at least 100 paid subscribers; Substack's team matches brands with writers, in small groups. October added three formats (a brand pays for a month of paid access, unlocks one paid post, or backs a themed collection), with no prices or launch date yet
What the platform takes from a sponsor	Its Ad Network page publishes no cut; Direct Sponsorships charges $10 per transaction	Pricing and splits for its program have not been disclosed
Ad reporting	Verified clicks and reports sent to sponsors	No sponsor reports stated for ads you sell, so you build your own from post stats; its program offers Kantar brand surveys on large campaigns
Your list	Its pricing page says "own your subscriber list"	Its fees page says you own your content and your subscriber list

How often beehiiv and Substack newsletters run paid ads

We scan the latest issues of the newsletters we track for paid ads. On 5 November 2026, 1,642 of 19,367 beehiiv newsletters (8.5%) had run a credible paid ad in the last 90 days, against 2,288 of 141,799 on Substack (1.6%). In that set, a beehiiv newsletter was about 5 times as likely to carry one.

Data through 5 November 2026. Read that as a floor and a correlation. An ad we can't tell from editorial isn't counted, both counts include newsletters that sent little in those 90 days, and the beehiiv count can include Ad Network ads as well as sponsors sold directly. The Substack set is about 7 times larger and probably holds more personal and hobby newsletters that never planned to sell, so the platform isn't the whole cause. Nothing here says moving to beehiiv would multiply your sponsors.

Printed prices	beehiiv	Substack
Newsletters with a printed main-slot price	129	82
Median main slot, one issue	$324	$350
Median list that states its size	20,650	13,350
Median per 1,000 subscribers	$20.84	$28.92

The two ask about the same for a slot, and Substack lists are smaller, so Substack newsletters ask more per 1,000 subscribers. Nothing here shows the platform sets the price. These are asking prices from newsletters' own pages, read 4 November 2026; 122 beehiiv and 80 Substack newsletters state a list size. The rates page has them by list size.

What each one costs on a $300 sponsorship

$300 is the median main slot at 5,000 to 19,999 subscribers (114 newsletters, read 4 November 2026).

beehiiv, through Direct Sponsorships: the $10 flat fee leaves you $290, before whatever your plan costs. Bill the sponsor yourself and the fee doesn't apply.
Substack, a sponsor you bill yourself: nothing passes through Substack, so you keep $300 less your own payment fee.
Paid subscriptions: at $490 a month, Substack's 10% is $49, about the $49 a month beehiiv's Lite plan costs at 1,000 subscribers, billed yearly.

When beehiiv is the better pick

Sponsors are your main income and you want an ad network running beside the sponsors you sell.
You want a storefront, an ad calendar and reports that sponsors can read.
Your paid subscriptions earn more than 10 times your monthly plan cost, so 0% beats 10%.

When Substack is the better pick

You want to start for free with no list limit: beehiiv's free plan stops at 2,500 subscribers.
You want readers from inside the platform: Substack says more than half of its new subscribers come from its own network and app.
Paid subscriptions are the plan and you would rather pay a share than a monthly fee while they are small.
You have at least 100 paid subscribers and want a route into Substack's Creator Kits and the brands its team matches, knowing it is run in small groups and its terms are not public.

Sponsors on either platform

Neither platform says it emails new brands for you: beehiiv's network shows you offers from advertisers already on it, and Substack's team matches brands in its program. Book a Sponsor emails the brands that sponsored newsletters like yours and introduces you when one replies, on a plan from $19 a month, on beehiiv, Substack or anything else. It takes nothing from your deals. See also getting sponsors for a beehiiv newsletter, beehiiv Ad Network alternatives and the media kit examples.

Sources

beehiiv's pricing page, read 5 November 2026
beehiiv's Ad Network page and FAQ, read 5 November 2026
beehiiv's Direct Sponsorships page, read 5 November 2026
Substack's fees and earnings page, read 5 November 2026
Substack's sponsorships page, read 5 November 2026
Substack's comparison with beehiiv, updated October 22, 2026, read 5 November 2026
Nieman Lab on Creator Kits, June 16, 2026, read 5 November 2026
PPC Land on Substack's October sponsorship formats, October 22, 2026, read 5 November 2026
Paid ads and printed prices by platform: Book a Sponsor's own data, 5 November 2026; prices read 4 November 2026

Questions

Is beehiiv or Substack better for sponsorships?

beehiiv has the tools: an Ad Network from the Lite plan, a sponsor storefront and Stripe invoicing. In our data 8.5% of its newsletters ran a paid ad in the last 90 days, against 1.6% on Substack. That gap probably also reflects who picks each platform, and a Substack writer can still sell sponsors directly (read 5 November 2026).

Can you have sponsors on Substack?

Yes. We saw paid ads in 2,288 Substack newsletters in the last 90 days. You sell and bill them yourself. Substack's own program is separate: Creator Kits go to publications with at least 100 paid subscribers, and its team matches brands with writers (read 5 November 2026).

Does Substack take a cut of sponsorships?

Substack's sponsorships page doesn't state a split, and reporting on its program says pricing and splits have not been disclosed. Its 10% fee is on paid subscriptions. A sponsor you bill yourself doesn't pass through Substack (read 5 November 2026).

How much do newsletters on beehiiv and Substack charge sponsors?

The median main slot we read is $324 on beehiiv and $350 on Substack, though the beehiiv lists are larger: a median 20,650 subscribers against 13,350. Per 1,000 subscribers that is $20.84 on beehiiv and $28.92 on Substack (4 November 2026).

When does beehiiv cost less than Substack?

When paid subscriptions pass about $490 a month at 1,000 subscribers: Substack's 10% then comes to the $49 a month Lite plan costs, billed yearly. beehiiv's plan price rises with your list, so run the sum at your own size, and add card fees on either side.

Can I move from Substack to beehiiv?

Both say the subscriber list is yours, and beehiiv publishes a migration guide. Paid subscribers need more care than free ones, so check how your payments move before you switch.

Whichever you send on, have the brands that already buy pitched for you

Paste your newsletter. Book a Sponsor lists the brands that sponsored newsletters like yours, finds the person who buys the ads, and emails them every day from its own mailboxes. You get the replies and close the deal.

$1 card check gets 200 emails, then a plan from $19/mo · first sponsor reply inside 30 days or your money back