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ComparisonKit vs beehiiv vs systeme.io: the 2026 rundown
Three popular ways to run an email list or newsletter. What each costs, what you get and who it suits, from the vendors' own pages.
Researched from official pricing pages. Not hands-on tested.
Last checked 29 Oct 2026 against each official pricing page (sources below). Prices are in USD, before tax. Plans and prices change, so confirm on the vendor's page before you buy.
Disclosure (#ad): We earn a commission on purchases made through links marked “paid link” on this page, at no extra cost to you. It doesn't change the facts below, and every fact links to its source. How this works.
The quick rundown
- Newsletter-first, want to monetise with ads or paid subscriptions: look at beehiiv. On paid plans it takes 0% of paid-subscription revenue, before Stripe's fees.[B1]
- Biggest free email list: Kit's free Newsletter plan goes up to 10,000 subscribers.[K2] beehiiv Free goes up to 2,500[B1] and systeme.io Free up to 2,000 contacts.[S1]
- Email, funnels and courses in one cheap tool: look at systeme.io. Paid plans start at $17/month, and it lists 0% transaction fees.[S1]
This is a summary of the published plans, not a hands-on test. We haven't benchmarked deliverability or support.
beehiiv
A 0% cut of paid subscriptions on paid plans and a built-in Ad Network.[B1] Want the biggest free list instead? Kit Free goes to 10,000 subscribers.[K2] Read our beehiiv review.
Free · Lite $59/mo or ≈$49/mo billed annually (1,000 subs)
Pricing at a glance
| Kit | beehiiv | systeme.io | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Newsletter plan: $0, up to 10,000 subscribers[K2] | Free: $0, up to 2,500 subscribers[B1] | Free: $0, 2,000 contacts, 3 sales funnels, 1 course[S1] |
| Entry paid plan | Creator: $390 billed yearly (shown as $33/mo) for 1,000 subscribers[K1] | Lite: $59/mo monthly, or $588/yr (≈$49/mo) annually, up to 1,000 subscribers[B1] | Startup: $17/mo, 5,000 contacts, 10 funnels, 5 courses[S1] |
| Higher plan | Pro: $790 billed yearly (shown as $66/mo) for 1,000 subscribers[K1] | Pro: $109/mo monthly, or $1,140/yr (≈$95/mo) annually, up to 1,000 subscribers[B1] | Webinar: $47/mo (10,000 contacts). Unlimited: $97/mo (unlimited contacts)[S1] |
| How price scales | By subscriber count (slider on pricing page)[K1] | By subscriber bucket. Lite is sold up to 100,000, Pro up to 250,000[B1] | By contact limit per plan[S1] |
| Fee on your sales | 3.5% + 30¢ on digital products and subscriptions, card processing included[K1] | 0% take rate on paid subscriptions (paid plans), plus Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30[B1] | “No transaction fees” (payments via Stripe or PayPal)[S1] |
| Email sends | Unlimited broadcasts on the free plan[K2] | Unlimited on all plans[B1] | Unlimited on all plans[S1] |
| Free trial / discount | 14-day free trial on paid plans, no card required. Yearly billing = 2 months free[K1] | See pricing page[B1] | Pricing page advertises “2 months free” (annual) and free migration[S1] |
| Check the price | Check price at Kit(not a paid link) | Check price at beehiiv(paid link: we may earn a commission) | Check price at systeme.io(not a paid link) |
Kit monthly-billing prices weren't captured from the official page on 29 Oct 2026, so only the yearly figures are shown.
Features that commonly decide it
| Feature | Kit | beehiiv | systeme.io |
|---|---|---|---|
| Automations / sequences | Paid plans (Creator and Pro). The free plan doesn't include visual automations or sequences[K2] | Lite and up (10 live automations on Lite, unlimited on Pro)[B1] | Included. The free plan is limited to 1 automation rule[S1] |
| Sell digital products / subscriptions | Yes, including on the free plan[K2] | Paid subscriptions on Lite and up. Digital products: 1 on Free, 3 on Lite, unlimited on Pro[B1] | Sales funnels, upsells and order bumps[S1] |
| Ad network / sponsorships | Newsletter sponsorships, plus Paid Recommendations (23.5% Kit fee)[K1] | Ad Network on Lite and up. Sponsorship storefront on Pro[B1] | Not listed |
| Website / landing pages | Unlimited landing pages & forms[K2] | Website builder on all plans[B1] | Websites, funnels, blogs[S1] |
| Online courses | Not listed on the pricing page | Not listed on the pricing page | 1 course on Free, 5 on Startup, 20 on Webinar, unlimited on Unlimited[S1] |
| Remove platform branding | Creator and up[K1] | Pro and up[B1] | See pricing page |
Who each one fits
Kit
Fits creators who want a large free list (up to 10,000 subscribers) and email automations on a paid plan. It also sells products from the same account.
See Kit plans(not a paid link)
beehiiv
Fits newsletter-first publishers who plan to earn from an ad network or paid subscriptions with no platform cut on paid plans (Stripe fees still apply).
See beehiiv plans(paid link: we earn a commission if you buy)
systeme.io
Fits solo sellers who want email, sales funnels and courses in one tool at a low monthly price, with a usable free plan.
See systeme.io plans(not a paid link)
Sources (checked 29 Oct 2026)
- [K1] Kit pricing page: https://kit.com/pricing
- [K2] Kit Help Center, “The Kit Free plan” (updated 23 Sep 2026): https://help.kit.com/en/articles/16627071-the-kit-free-plan
- [B1] beehiiv pricing page: https://www.beehiiv.com/pricing
- [S1] systeme.io pricing page (states “Last updated: April 2026”): https://systeme.io/pricing