Book a Sponsor vs Swapstack for newsletter publishers: an ad marketplace beehiiv bought, or pitches sent for you?
For newsletter publishers: Swapstack was a marketplace for listing ad slots. beehiiv bought it in September 2023, and its sign-up page would not load on 10 November 2026. Book a Sponsor emails brands for you on a plan from $19 a month, no commission. If you send on beehiiv, the beehiiv Ad Network is the closest alternative.
Every fact about Swapstack comes from its own pages, read 10 November 2026, and links to its source. Our own figures come from our pricing and product settings.
Book a Sponsor (bookasponsor.com) pitches brands to sponsor newsletters.
Book a Sponsor and Swapstack, side by side
Checked 10 November 2026. Sources for Swapstack: pricing, publisher page, Axios on the sale.
| Swapstack | Book a Sponsor | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A newsletter ad marketplace with affiliate deals and a tip jar, bought by beehiiv in September 2023 | An outreach service that pitches brands for newsletters |
| How you get sponsors | You list ad units at your own prices, then advertisers reach out or you request introductions | It emails the brands that sponsored newsletters like yours and introduces you when one replies |
| Price to you | Its page still prints Free, $30 a month and $200 a month for publishers, with the paid plans also marked Coming Soon | $1 card check gets 200 emails, then a plan from $19/mo, initial emails and follow-ups |
| What it takes from your deals | 10% on invite-only campaigns; 5% on booked campaigns on the $200 plan | No commission, no rev-share |
| Free way to start | A free plan on its page; the sign-up page did not load when we tried it | 200 emails for a $1 card check, then a plan |
| Who can use it | Newsletters, blogs and other creators; no minimum stated | Newsletters on any platform, podcasts and YouTube channels; no subscriber minimum; adult content is refused |
| Who does the selling and the paperwork | Nobody pitches for you; its invoice tool collects payment | Book a Sponsor, from its own mailboxes and domains; you read the pitch and can block any brand |
| Where it falls short | Its sign-up and login run on app.swapstack.co, which did not resolve when we tried it; the site footer still says 2022 | The pitches are cold email, so most brands won't answer, and each reply still needs you to close the deal. Each plan includes a set number of emails a month (Starter $19 a month for up to 600 emails a month, Kit $49 a month for up to 1,500 emails a month, Growth $99 a month for up to 3,000 emails a month), and sending stops at the plan's emails. It collects no payments. |
| Owner | beehiiv, since September 2023 | Book a Sponsor |
| Who sets the price | You, on the ad units you list | You |
| How you are paid | Its invoice tool, paid directly to you, per its publisher page | When the brand pays you: Book a Sponsor collects no payments |
| Can you start today? | We could not: the sign-up page did not load | Yes: paste your newsletter URL |
| If it does not work | Not stated | First sponsor reply inside 30 days or your money back |
Is Swapstack still open to new newsletters?
We couldn't get in. On 10 November 2026 its marketing pages loaded, but the sign-up page showed a load error because its app host, app.swapstack.co, did not resolve. Neither Swapstack nor beehiiv says on the pages we read that it closed, so treat this as what we saw that night.
beehiiv's announcement says Swapstack's CEO, Jake Schonberger, joined as Head of Brand Partnerships to lead the beehiiv Ad Network. That network only serves newsletters sent on beehiiv. See Book a Sponsor vs the beehiiv Ad Network.
What would its 10% cut take from a sponsor?
Newsletters with 5,000 to 19,999 subscribers list one main slot at a median $300 (114 newsletters, read 4 November 2026 by Book a Sponsor). The 10% its page prints on invite-only campaigns would be $30 of that slot. Book a Sponsor takes no commission. Its price: a plan from $19 a month after the first 200 emails, which come with a $1 card check. Swapstack pricing has every plan it prints.
When Swapstack is the better pick
- On paper, a free plan with nothing to pay up front. Book a Sponsor takes a $1 card check for the first 200 emails, then a plan from $19 a month.
- Pre-approved affiliate deals and a tip jar, which Book a Sponsor does not offer.
- Inbound: advertisers could find your listing, where Book a Sponsor only goes out and pitches.
- All three are what its page prints. We couldn't open the app to check they still run.
When Book a Sponsor is the better pick
- You want to start now: paste your newsletter URL and see the brands. Book a Sponsor takes a $1 card check for the first 200 emails, then a plan from $19 a month.
- You want someone to go and pitch: it emails brands that sponsored newsletters like yours, 50 new brands a day by default.
- You want to keep the whole sponsor fee: it takes no commission.
- You want a promise on the result: First sponsor reply inside 30 days or your money back.
Sources
- Swapstack pricing page: publisher and advertiser plans, Coming Soon labels and the 2022 footer (read 10 November 2026)
- Swapstack publisher page: ad units, introductions, invoice tool (read 10 November 2026)
- beehiiv's announcement: its CEO joins to lead the Ad Network (read 10 November 2026)
- Axios on the sale, published 25 September 2023 (read 10 November 2026)
- Book a Sponsor pricing and plans, from its product settings (read 10 November 2026)
Plan-by-plan pricing, read on each vendor's own pages: SponsorGap pricing, Who Sponsors Stuff pricing, SponsorLeads pricing, Passionfroot pricing, Paved pricing, OutboundPilot pricing, Kit Newsletter Sponsorships pricing, Swapstack pricing, SponsorDB pricing.
Questions
Is Swapstack still running?
Its marketing site is up, but the sign-up page did not load on 10 November 2026 because app.swapstack.co did not resolve. beehiiv bought it in September 2023.
Does Book a Sponsor work like Swapstack?
No. Swapstack describes a marketplace where advertisers find you. Book a Sponsor goes to the brands: it finds the buyer, writes the pitch and emails it, then hands you the replies.
Does Swapstack take a commission?
Its pricing page prints 10% on invite-only campaigns, and 5% on booked campaigns on its $200 plan (read 10 November 2026). Book a Sponsor takes no commission.
What should I use if I was on Swapstack?
If you send on beehiiv, its Ad Network is the closest alternative, though beehiiv has not said it replaces Swapstack. On any other platform, Passionfroot and Hecto let brands book you, and Book a Sponsor pitches brands for you. See Swapstack alternatives.
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