Quick Verdict
Choose AWeber if your emails exist to sell your own products, services, courses or bookings, and you want automation, sales pages and 24/7 support.
Choose beehiiv if your newsletter is the product and you plan to earn from sponsors, an ad network and paid subscriptions, with a built-in website for your archive.
If email is how you sell what you make, AWeber's sequences and sales pages fit better. If you're building a media brand and the newsletter itself earns the money, beehiiv's monetization tools are hard to beat.
The Core Difference
beehiiv treats your newsletter like a publication. Its tools focus on growth and monetization: a newsletter website, referral programs, recommendations between newsletters, an ad network and paid subscriptions.
AWeber treats email as a business channel. Its tools focus on capturing leads, nurturing them with sequences and selling: forms, landing pages, workflows, RSS emails and Stripe-powered sales pages.
AWeber vs beehiiv at a Glance
| Feature | AWeber | beehiiv |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | 500 subscribers, 3,000 sends/month, 1 automation | Up to 2,500 subscribers; no paid subscriptions, ad monetization or automations listed |
| Paid entry | Lite from $15/month ($12.50 annual) | Lite: $49/month on yearly billing, up to 100,000 subscribers |
| Automation | 1 free, 3 Lite, unlimited Plus | Automations on paid plans |
| Monetization | Sell your own products via Stripe sales pages | Ad network and paid subscriptions (0% take rate on Lite) |
| Website | Hosted landing pages | Newsletter website on every plan |
| Remove branding | Plus | Pro: $95/month on yearly billing |
| Support | 24/7; priority including phone on Plus | Varies by plan |
Free Plans Compared
beehiiv's free plan supports up to 2,500 subscribers with its newsletter website. It doesn't list paid subscriptions, ad monetization or automations on that plan.
AWeber's free plan supports 500 subscribers but includes one automation, so new subscribers get a welcome sequence. Writers who just want to publish to a growing audience may prefer beehiiv's bigger free plan; businesses that want to nurture leads will value AWeber's automation. See AWeber free plan.
Pricing as You Grow
beehiiv's Lite plan costs $49 a month on yearly billing and covers up to 100,000 subscribers, a flat price across a wide range of list sizes. Pro costs $95 a month on yearly billing for up to 250,000 subscribers and removes beehiiv branding.
AWeber's prices rise in tiers: Plus is $30 a month at 500 subscribers and $135 at 10,000 on monthly billing. For small lists, AWeber is cheaper; for very large newsletters, beehiiv's flat tiers can work out cheaper.
Run the numbers at the list size you expect in a year. AWeber's tiers are in our AWeber pricing guide.
Monetization
beehiiv's paid plans add ad monetization and paid subscriptions, with a 0% take rate on paid subscriptions on Lite, according to its pricing page. It also offers growth tools such as referral programs and recommendations between newsletters.
AWeber earns you money a different way: by helping you sell your own offers. Sales pages with Stripe support one-time payments, subscriptions and split payments, and buyers are added to your list for follow-up. Transaction fees are 1.0% on Lite and 0.6% on Plus, plus Stripe's fees.
If your plan is for sponsors to pay to reach your readers, beehiiv fits. If your readers will buy your course, coaching or products, AWeber fits. See make money with an email list.
Automation and Sequences
AWeber's heritage is automation. Workflows cover welcome sequences, lead magnet delivery, tag-based branches, purchase follow-ups and RSS-triggered emails.
beehiiv includes automations on paid plans, mainly geared to welcoming and onboarding newsletter readers. If you need several sales-focused sequences, AWeber Plus gives you unlimited workflows. See AWeber automation.
Websites and Archives
beehiiv includes a newsletter website on every plan, giving you a public archive of past issues that can attract new readers through search and sharing.
AWeber provides hosted landing pages rather than a full website. Many AWeber users publish on their own blog and use RSS-to-email to send new posts automatically. See AWeber RSS to email.
Support and Ease of Use
Both platforms are easy to start with. AWeber's AI writing assistant and Newsletter Assistant help with drafting, and its 24/7 support from Lite, with priority including phone on Plus, is valuable if you'd like human help.
Which Should You Choose?
You sell services, courses, coaching or products and want sequences and sales pages that convert readers into customers.
Your newsletter is a media product and you'll earn from ads, sponsors and paid subscriptions.
You publish a newsletter and sell your own offers. Many creators prioritize the channel that brings most revenue.
AWeber's sequences and sales pages help you sell your own offers. Start free with a welcome automation.
AWeber vs beehiiv FAQs
Is beehiiv better than AWeber for newsletters?
For media-style newsletters that earn from ads and paid subscriptions, beehiiv is purpose-built. For businesses using email to sell their own offers, AWeber fits better.
Does beehiiv have a free plan?
Yes, for up to 2,500 subscribers. Paid subscriptions, ad monetization and automations come with paid plans.
Can AWeber sell paid subscriptions?
AWeber's Stripe-powered sales pages support subscription payments for memberships and paid content.
Which is cheaper for a large list?
beehiiv's flat Lite plan covers up to 100,000 subscribers for $49 a month billed yearly, which can be cheaper than tiered pricing for very large lists.