shouldiuse.io

Comparison

Elias's Substack | Substack vs beehiiv

Elias's Substack | Substack lands on Depends, and beehiiv lands on Worth it.

beehiiv

Worth it
Confidence: Medium

Buy if you're a creator, writer, or small publisher launching and monetizing a newsletter . it's purpose-built, easy to use, and free to start.

Elias's Substack | Substack versus beehiiv
CompareElias's Substack | Substackbeehiiv
VerdictDependsWorth it
Best forReaders into data securitySolo creators and writers
Who it's not forAnyone wanting an established writer . it's 3 months oldEnterprise teams needing deep marketing automation
PrivacySubstack platform disclosed an Oct 2025 breach exposing ~697,000 users' emails and phone numbers; this publication has no security page.⁸No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.
Support qualityTrustpilot 1.4/5; frustration commonNo support evidence found
Public sentimentUsers like Substack's simplicity for writers and readers, but Trustpilot skews sharply negative on support and experience.⁴Reviews overwhelmingly praise beehiiv's ease of use and growth tools, with one critic dismissing its results as hype.13
Biggest gotchaSubstack breach exposed reader emails and phone numbers for months before disclosurePaid-tier prices weren't visible in reviewed sources . verify current rates before budgeting11

Pick Elias's Substack | Substack when

  • Readers into data security
  • Readers tracking dev-team tooling like Waydev
  • Casual free newsletter reading

When Elias's Substack | Substack is not a fit

  • Anyone wanting an established writer . it's 3 months old
  • Privacy-sensitive readers wary of Substack's 2025 breach
  • Teams shopping for software . this is a blog, not a tool
  • Buyers expecting support or SLAs . none exist

Pick beehiiv when

  • Solo creators and writers
  • Indie publishers monetizing newsletters
  • Non-technical teams wanting newsletter plus website
  • Growth-focused newsletters using referral programs

When beehiiv is not a fit

  • Enterprise teams needing deep marketing automation
  • Senders of transactional or triggered email
  • Anyone wanting just a simple one-off mailing list
  • Buyers needing vendor security documentation up front

Sources

  1. Elias's Substack homeeliasmwangi.substack.com
    official
  2. Elias's Substack security pageeliasmwangi.substack.com
    official
  3. Protect, Respond, Recover posteliasmwangi.substack.com
    official
  4. review
  5. review
  6. review
  7. 2 Years on Substack . Honest Reviewwritebuildscale.substack.com
    review
  8. security
  9. security
  10. security
  11. beehiiv homepagebeehiiv.com
    official
  12. review
  13. Trustpilot reviewstrustpilot.com
    review
  14. EmailVendorSelection review 2026emailvendorselection.com
    review
  15. Blog Marketing Academy reviewblogmarketingacademy.com
    review
  16. review