Convertkit

Beehiiv vs Substack vs ConvertKit: The 2026 Newsletter Platform Showdown TL;DR The newsletter platform wars are heating up in 2026, and there’s no clear winner—it depends on what you’re optimizing for. Beehiiv leads in growth features with its referral system delivering 30% subscriber boosts and an ad network paying $2-5 CPM. Substack dominates discovery through its recommendations network, with creators reporting 2,000+ paid subs from the platform alone. ConvertKit remains the automation king for complex sequences and digital product sales, while Ghost offers zero revenue share for those willing to self-host. If you’re past 2,000 paid subscribers, Beehiiv’s flat pricing beats Substack’s 10% cut by thousands annually. ...