Is Beehiiv or Podia better?

Neither clearly leads. Beehiiv starts at Free and Podia at $42/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Beehiiv or Podia?

Beehiiv has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Beehiiv and $42/month for Podia.

Does Beehiiv or Podia run on more platforms?

Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.

Can I use Beehiiv for free?

Yes. Beehiiv has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Podia starts at $42/month.

What is Beehiiv best used for?

Beehiiv is most often used for email newsletter publishing, content monetization, audience building. Of those, email newsletter publishing and content monetization are not what Podia is typically brought in for.

What can Beehiiv do that Podia cannot?

Beehiiv covers Newsletter creation, Email automation, Subscriber management, Monetization tools. Podia covers Course hosting, Digital downloads, Memberships, Email marketing. Both handle Stripe, Zapier, Web support.

News · head to head

Beehiiv vs Podia

Beehiiv

News

The all-in-one platform for newsletter creators

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Podia

LMS

Sell online courses, memberships, and digital downloads

From: $42/month
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Only Beehiiv has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
Each has a real cost: Beehiiv platform lacks native SMS support; requires third-party integrations via API or webhooks; Podia mover tier charges 5% transaction fees on all sales; higher tiers offer fee-free processing
They diverge on capability: Beehiiv covers Newsletter creation, Podia covers Course hosting.
Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Beehiiv and Podia actually diverge.

Attributes where Beehiiv and Podia differ
Attribute	Beehiiv	Podia
Starting price	Free	$42/month
Pricing model	freemium	subscription
Free tier	Yes	No
Category	News	LMS
Founded	2021	2014

Identical on both: platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Beehiiv

Newsletter creation
Email automation
Subscriber management
Monetization tools
Analytics dashboard
Referral program
A/B testing
Spam checking

Only in Podia

Course hosting
Digital downloads
Memberships
Email marketing
Webinars
Community
Affiliate marketing
Custom website

Both cover

Stripe
Zapier
Web support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Beehiiv

Email newsletter publishingnot Podia
Content monetizationnot Podia
Audience buildingnot Podia

Podia

Content creators selling digital courses with email marketing integrationnot Beehiiv
Coaching businesses managing memberships and community spacesnot Beehiiv
Newsletter publishers monetising subscriber base with events and digital productsnot Beehiiv

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Beehiiv

Platform lacks native SMS support; requires third-party integrations via API or webhooks
Free Launch plan offers only read-only AI capabilities

Podia

Mover tier charges 5% transaction fees on all sales; higher tiers offer fee-free processing
Mover plan capped at 50 products maximum; Shaker at 150 products; only Earthquaker offers unlimited
Video storage limited by plan: 500 videos (Mover), 1,000 (Shaker), unlimited (Earthquaker)
Email subscriber limits tiered: 100 (Mover), 500 (Shaker), 1,000 (Earthquaker); overage model not stated
Annual billing required for all plans with 72-hour refund window; partial refunds excluded

Pricing, plan by plan

Beehiiv

Free

LaunchFree
- Up to 2,500 subscribers
- Newsletters, website, podcast
- Unlimited email sends
Scale$43/month
- Up to 100,000 subscribers
- Ad Network
- 0% take rate on paid subscriptions
Max$96/month
- Up to 100,000 subscribers
- Remove branding, sponsorship storefront
- Audio newsletters, RSS-to-send
Enterprise$null/mo
- 100K+ subscribers
- Dedicated account manager
- Custom publication limits

Podia

$42/month

Mover$42/month
- Up to 100 email subscribers
- 5% transaction fees
- 50 products
Shaker$84/month
- Up to 500 email subscribers
- No Podia fees
- 150 products
Earthquaker$150/month
- Up to 1,000 email subscribers
- No Podia fees
- Unlimited products

Which should you pick?

Choose Beehiiv if

You need newsletter creation.
You want to start without paying.
You also want email automation.

Beehiiv review

Choose Podia if

You need course hosting.
You also want digital downloads.

Podia review

Questions people ask

Is Beehiiv or Podia better?: Neither clearly leads. Beehiiv starts at Free and Podia at $42/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Beehiiv or Podia?: Beehiiv has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Beehiiv and $42/month for Podia.
Does Beehiiv or Podia run on more platforms?: Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Beehiiv for free?: Yes. Beehiiv has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Podia starts at $42/month.
What is Beehiiv best used for?: Beehiiv is most often used for email newsletter publishing, content monetization, audience building. Of those, email newsletter publishing and content monetization are not what Podia is typically brought in for.
What can Beehiiv do that Podia cannot?: Beehiiv covers Newsletter creation, Email automation, Subscriber management, Monetization tools. Podia covers Course hosting, Digital downloads, Memberships, Email marketing. Both handle Stripe, Zapier, Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Beehiiv: How much does beehiiv cost?

Launch is free for up to 2,500 subscribers. Scale plan is $43/month for up to 100,000 subscribers. Max plan is $96/month. Enterprise has custom pricing for 100,000+ subscribers.

Source

Podia: How much does Podia cost?

Podia offers three plans: Mover at $42/month, Shaker at $84/month, and Earthquaker at $150/month. All plans include a 30-day free trial and can be billed monthly or annually with cost savings on annual billing.

Source

Beehiiv: What does beehiiv's free Launch plan include?

Free Launch plan supports up to 2,500 subscribers and includes newsletters, website builder, podcast hosting, campaign analytics, unlimited email sends, custom domains, and API access.

Source

Podia: Does Podia charge transaction fees?

Yes, the Mover plan charges 5% Podia transaction fees. Higher tiers (Shaker and Earthquaker) include no Podia fees. However, all plans are subject to payment processor fees of 2.9% + 30 cents per transaction.

Source

Beehiiv: What commission does beehiiv take from subscription revenue?

beehiiv takes 0% of paid subscription revenue you collect. Only Stripe's processing fees (2.9% + $0.30 per transaction) apply.

Source

Podia: Is there a free trial for Podia?

Yes, Podia offers a 30-day free trial. No credit card is required to start the trial, allowing you to explore all features before deciding on a plan.

Source

Beehiiv: What's the difference between beehiiv's Scale and Max plans?

Both support up to 100,000 subscribers. Scale ($43/month) includes Ad Network and 3 team seats. Max ($96/month) adds branding removal, sponsorship storefront, audio newsletters, up to 10 publications, and unlimited team seats.

Source

Beehiiv vs Podia

Beehiiv

Podia

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Beehiiv

Only in Podia

Both cover

What people use each for

Beehiiv

Podia

Where each one falls short

Beehiiv

Podia

Pricing, plan by plan

Beehiiv

Podia

Which should you pick?

Choose Beehiiv if

Choose Podia if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Beehiiv

More on Podia

Keep looking

Other head to heads