Issue Mint vs beehiiv
beehiiv is a well-funded, fast-moving newsletter platform built by people who grew Morning Brew. It is aimed at newsletters as media businesses, with a growth toolkit, an ad network, paid subscriptions and referral mechanics. It is a genuinely strong product with a much broader scope than Issue Mint.
The short version
These two are aimed at different jobs. beehiiv is a growth and money-making platform for newsletters in general. Issue Mint does one format, the curated link roundup, and does it thoroughly. If you want an ad network, paid tiers and referral programmes, beehiiv has all of that and Issue Mint has none of it. If your issue is a set of sections full of links with your commentary underneath, and you would rather own the sending, this is a narrower tool that fits the job better.
Feature by feature
| Capability | Issue Mint | beehiiv |
|---|---|---|
| Composer built for roundups | Yes | General block editor |
| Link library and browser button | Yes | No |
| Readers can send you links | Yes | No |
| Who sends the email | We do, and you can take it over whenever you want | The platform, always |
| Charging readers a subscription | No | Yes |
| Built-in ad network | No, you sell your own | Yes |
| Referral programme tools | No | Yes |
| Sponsorship inventory you control | Yes, slots and a calendar | Through their network, or by hand |
| Website and archive | Yes | Yes |
| What the price is based on | Total active readers | Tiered by subscribers and features |
Compared on capability rather than price, because beehiiv changes its plans from time to time and a stale figure here would be worse than none. Check their current pricing directly.
When beehiiv is the better choice
- You want to charge readers a subscription. Issue Mint does not do that at all; every list here is free to read.
- You would rather sell advertising through a network than go and find sponsors yourself.
- Referrals, polls, boosts and the wider growth toolkit are central to your plan.
- You want a large, well-resourced company behind the product.
When Issue Mint is the better choice
- Your newsletter is a list of links, and a general purpose block editor is slowing you down every single week.
- You want to save links as you read all week, from wherever you happen to be reading.
- You sell sponsorships yourself and want a calendar and an enquiry list that match how you already work.
- You would like the option of owning your sending one day without changing platforms to get it.
Questions about switching
Can I charge readers for my newsletter on Issue Mint?
No. Issue Mint is for free-to-read newsletters that make money from sponsorship, if they make money at all. If charging readers is central to your plan, beehiiv or Substack is the right tool and we would rather say so than sell you the wrong thing.
Try it against your own next issue.
14 days, no card. Import your list, connect your sending, and see whether the workflow fits before you move anything permanently.
Start your trial