The beehiiv WordPress plugin connects your site to a beehiiv account and turns blog posts into newsletters. But it requires a paid Max or Enterprise plan and has just 20+ active installs so far.
If you want something else, here are six beehiiv WordPress plugin alternatives: MailPoet, Jetpack Newsletter, Mailster, Newsletter by Stefano Lissa, Kit (ConvertKit), and Noptin.
Each one works without a beehiiv account. Some are free. Some run entirely inside WordPress.
What does the beehiiv WordPress plugin do?
The beehiiv plugin connects your WordPress site to a beehiiv account. It publishes and schedules posts as newsletters. It also adds Subscribe Form and Advertisement blocks to the editor.
Standard Gutenberg blocks get converted into newsletter content automatically.
Here’s the catch! You need a beehiiv Max or Enterprise plan to use it at all. The plugin is also new. At the time of writing, it has single-digit active installs and no reviews on wordpress.org.
That means no track record. No user feedback to judge reliability.
Why you need to explore beehiiv plugin alternatives?
Four reasons stand out:
- You need a paid plan. The plugin only works with beehiiv’s Max or Enterprise tier. That starts at a significant monthly cost before you send a single email.
- It’s brand new. Single-digit active installs. No reviews. No one has tested it at scale yet.
- You’re tied to an external platform. Your newsletter workflow depends on beehiiv’s servers and an OAuth connection. If beehiiv changes its API or pricing, your setup breaks.
- Block support is limited. The editor warns you when you use unsupported blocks. That means extra cleanup work before every send.
Best beehiiv plugin alternatives compared
Here’s how the six alternatives stack up right now:
| Plugin | Active Installs | Rating | Price | Differentiator |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MailPoet | 500,000+ | 4.4/5 | Free; paid tiers scale with volume | Runs entirely inside WordPress. No external platform or plan-gate. |
| Jetpack Newsletter | Part of Jetpack (5,000,000+) | 4.1/5 (Jetpack overall) | Free; 2–10% fee on paid subscriptions only | Built by Automattic. Native Substack import for content and subscribers. |
| Mailster | 10,000+ | 3.7/5 | One-time license fee (~$79) | Self-hosted. Pay once, no recurring subscription. |
| Newsletter (Stefano Lissa) | 200,000+ | 4.6/5 | Free with unlimited subscribers; paid add-ons from ~$70/year | Free tier has no subscriber cap. Most competitors stop you at 500–1,000. |
| Kit (formerly ConvertKit) | 40,000+ | ~4.8/5 (mostly 5-star) | Free up to 10,000 subscribers | Built for monetization: products, paid newsletters, automation sequences. |
| Noptin | 10,000+ | 4.5/5 | Free core; premium license for add-ons | Multilingual-first. Auto-detects subscriber language. Works with WPML/Polylang. |
A note on the numbers: WordPress.org rounds active installs down to the nearest bracket. So “500,000+” means at least 500,000, possibly more. Ratings and pricing can shift. Check each plugin’s wordpress.org page before you decide.
1. MailPoet — best for staying fully inside WordPress
MailPoet is a newsletter plugin for WordPress. You build emails, manage subscribers, and send campaigns from your dashboard. No external account required.
Features:
- Drag-and-drop email builder inside WordPress
- Automatic post notification emails when you publish
- WooCommerce-triggered emails (abandoned cart, welcome series, purchase follow-ups)
- Subscriber management and list segmentation
- Sign-up forms and pop-ups
- Built-in sending or connect to your own SMTP
Pricing:
- Free for up to 1,000 subscribers with MailPoet’s sending service
- Paid plans start around $11/month and scale with subscriber count and sending volume
- No separate platform subscription needed
Active installs: 500,000+
The honest catch: MailPoet doesn’t have a built-in referral network or audience growth tools like beehiiv. You grow your list yourself
2. Jetpack Newsletter — best for a Substack-style publish-and-send flow
Jetpack Newsletter is part of the Jetpack plugin suite by Automattic. It turns WordPress posts into email newsletters automatically. If you publish a post, subscribers get it by email.
Features:
- Automatic post-to-email on publish
- WordPress.com Reader distribution for extra reach
- Subscription tiers (free and paid)
- Native Substack import tool for posts and subscribers
- Built-in subscriber management
- No separate newsletter builder needed — uses your existing posts
Pricing:
- Free to use
- If you charge for subscriptions, Jetpack takes a 2–10% fee depending on your Jetpack plan
- No upfront cost to start sending
Active installs: Jetpack itself has 5,000,000+ active installs
The honest catch: Fewer monetization and growth tools than beehiiv. It’s built for publishing, not for advanced email marketing.
3. Mailster — best for a one-time cost instead of a subscription
Mailster is a self-hosted newsletter plugin for WordPress. You pay once for a license and own the tool outright. No monthly fees.
Features:
- Drag-and-drop campaign builder
- Autoresponders and drip sequences
- Send posts, products, or custom post types as campaigns
- GDPR-compliant local data storage
- Subscriber segmentation and tagging
- Detailed analytics dashboard
- Works with your own SMTP or third-party sending services
Pricing:
- One-time license fee of approximately $79
- No recurring subscription
- You pay for your own email sending service separately if needed
Active installs: 10,000+
The honest catch: The rating sits at 3.7/5, lower than most beehiiv WordPress plugin alternatives. User reviews mention inconsistent automation behavior. And support depends on the developer’s responsiveness, not a large team.
4. Newsletter by Stefano Lissa — best free plan with no subscriber cap
Newsletter is a free WordPress plugin for sending emails to unlimited subscribers. You don’t hit a wall at 1,000 contacts like most freemium tools.
Features:
- Drag-and-drop composer for email campaigns
- Built-in spam score check before sending
- Extension ecosystem for added functionality
- Subscriber lists and segmentation
- Automated post notifications
- Double opt-in and GDPR compliance tools
- Works with any SMTP service or WordPress mail
Pricing:
- Free core plugin with unlimited subscribers and emails
- Premium add-ons start around $70/year
- No forced upgrade when your list grows
Active installs: 200,000+
The honest catch: Premium features are sold as individual extensions, not tiered plans. That can add up if you need many add-ons. And the interface feels more utilitarian than polished.
5. Kit (formerly ConvertKit) — best beehiiv plugin alternative for monetization and automation
Kit is an email marketing platform with a WordPress plugin. It focuses on creators who want to sell products, run paid newsletters, and build automation sequences. Creators with more complex processes may also benefit from AI-driven workflow tools that connect tasks across multiple platforms. Unlike beehiiv, the free tier is generous.
Features:
- Visual automation builder for email sequences
- Built-in product selling and paid newsletter subscriptions
- Landing pages and sign-up forms
- Broadcast blocks for embedding emails in posts
- Member content gating for subscribers
- Subscriber tagging and segmentation
- Integration with WooCommerce tools for online stores and other platforms.
Pricing:
- Free for up to 10,000 subscribers
- Creator plan starts at $29/month for advanced features
- Creator Pro starts at $59/month for additional automation and reporting
Active installs: 40,000+
The honest catch: Kit still ties you to an external platform like beehiiv does. If Kit changes its API, pricing, or policies, your workflow is affected. You don’t own the full stack.
6. Noptin — best beehiiv WordPress plugin alternative for multilingual sites
Noptin is a WordPress newsletter and automation plugin. It runs entirely on your server. Its standout feature is automatic subscriber language detection for multilingual sites.
Features:
- Automatic subscriber language detection
- Localized forms and campaigns for WPML and Polylang
- WooCommerce automation (abandoned cart, post-purchase emails)
- Unlimited subscribers on the free tier
- Subscriber segmentation and tagging
- Email opt-in forms and pop-ups
- Built-in newsletter sending or SMTP integration
Pricing:
- Free core plugin
- Premium license for 50+ integrations and add-ons starts at $49/year for a single site
- Higher tiers for multiple sites
Active installs: 10,000+
The honest catch: The install base is smaller than MailPoet or Newsletter. That means a smaller community, fewer tutorials, and support that depends on the developer. If you need hand-holding, this may not be the best fit.
How to choose a beehiiv WordPress plugin alternative
Pick based on what you actually need. Here’s the direct answer:
- Zero cost, no subscriber cap → Newsletter by Stefano Lissa
- Migrating from Substack → Jetpack Newsletter
- Built-in monetization tools → Kit
- No recurring fees ever → Mailster
- Multilingual audience → Noptin
- Largest, most tested WordPress-native option → MailPoet
Last Word
The beehiiv WordPress plugin works only with expensive paid plans and offers no proven track record yet. If you need a reliable newsletter plugin for WordPress, the above-mentioned alternatives to the beehiiv plugin solve different problems without locking you into a single external email marketing platform. The right alternative depends on whether you prioritize zero subscriber limits, Substack migration, one-time costs, or built-in monetization tools.
FAQs about the beehiiv WordPress plugin alternatives
Q#1. Is the beehiiv WordPress plugin free?
No. You need a paid beehiiv Max or Enterprise plan to use it. The plugin itself is free to install, but it won’t function without that account level.
Q#2. Do any beehiiv plugin alternatives require a paid account to function?
Kit requires a Kit account, but the free tier covers up to 10,000 subscribers. The rest run without any external paid account. MailPoet, Jetpack Newsletter, Mailster, Newsletter, and Noptin all work without platform subscriptions.
Q#3. Which beehiiv WordPress plugin alternative has the most active installs?
Jetpack Newsletter, as part of Jetpack, has over 5 million active installs. MailPoet is next with 500,000+.
Q#4. Can I migrate from Substack to a WordPress newsletter plugin?
Yes. Jetpack Newsletter has a native Substack import tool for both content and subscribers. Other plugins require manual CSV export and import.
Q#5. What’s the difference between beehiiv and MailPoet?
Beehiiv is an external platform with a WordPress connector. MailPoet runs entirely inside WordPress. Beehiiv requires a paid plan. MailPoet has a free tier. Beehiiv has audience growth tools. MailPoet does not.
