- beehiiv Blog
- Posts
- The Right Newsletter Platform -- MailerSend vs. MailerLite vs. beehiiv
The Right Newsletter Platform -- MailerSend vs. MailerLite vs. beehiiv
A Deep Dive Into Features, User Experience, and Growth Potential
Russell Cargill
January 8th, 2025
Your current email service provider might be holding you back, and you don't even know it!
Every day that passes with the wrong platform is another missed opportunity to grow your audience, boost engagement, and monetize your newsletter.
The obvious solution to your email marketing woes is to pick the right platform for your needs.
In this article, we're pitting MailerSend, MailerLite, and beehiiv against each other to find out which platform comes out on top for upping your newsletter game.
By the end of this article, you'll know exactly which tool can turn your newsletter from a neglected inbox dweller to an email your subscribers can't wait to open.
Let's dive in.
Key Takeaways
beehiiv offers unparalleled tools for newsletter growth and monetization.
MailerSend excels in transactional emails, while MailerLite provides a solid all-in-one solution.
Integration capabilities vary significantly across the board, with all three offering the basics needed.
Design flexibility is crucial, and each platform has different strengths in this area.
Advanced features for growth and engagement set beehiiv apart, especially for serious newsletter publishers.
Table of Contents
MailerSend vs. MailerLite vs. beehiiv at a Glance
beehiiv Overview
Imagine a platform built by newsletter operators for newsletter operators (and aspiring ones, too) that provides a complete ecosystem designed to help you craft, grow, and profit from your newsletters.
That’s beehiiv.
Every tool, every feature, and every pixel of the platform is optimized for people who live and breathe newsletters.
This specialized approach sets beehiiv apart from other general-purpose email marketing tools.
beehiiv is a launchpad for newsletter empires, a growth engine for content creators, and a monetization machine for digital entrepreneurs.
Key Features of beehiiv
With beehiiv's editor, you can create your own newsletter templates from scratch rather than picking from a bunch of outdated templates, but templates are on their way.
beehiiv has recently announced that they will feature new templates very soon with the acquisition of Typedream, an AI-based website builder.
That means more tools to create visually stunning newsletters and websites that capture your brand's essence.
Here are some other awesome features of beehiiv:
beehiiv offers built-in SEO tools that automatically create searchable web versions of your newsletters.
There's a referral program that turns your readers into your best marketers.
beehiiv supports both sponsored ads and premium subscriptions for monetization.
The analytics dashboard gives you deep insights into everything you need to know about your newsletter performance.
beehiiv provides AI-powered writing tools, including AI-generated images, to enhance your content creation process.
Ease of Use
Remember that time you tried to assemble IKEA furniture without the instructions? Using beehiiv is the exact opposite of that.
beehiiv has simplified the complexities of email marketing so that even complete beginners will know their way around the platform in minutes.
Here's what makes beehiiv so easy to use:
Intuitive Dashboard
No Code Editor
Very Simple List Management
One-Click Automations
Easy-to-Understand Analytics
Mobile-Friendly Everything
And if you find yourself stuck on something, there are a bunch of YouTube tutorials you can follow, as well as access to a knowledge base, tutorials, and chatbot assistant right within the dashboard.
Design & Flexibility
The same can be said for design and flexibility.
beehiiv users enjoy a drag-and-drop web editor, multiple types of landing pages, and much more.
You’ll also have all the normal stuff users have come to love, like dynamic content blocks, a fully responsive design, and the ability to A/B test.
Integrations
beehiiv plays well with others. You’ll find integrations that newsletter creators actually need, like:
Zapier App V3 for connecting with thousands of apps
Make integrations as an alternative to Zapier
Stripe for easy payment processing
Google Analytics for in-depth traffic analysis
WordPress for seamless content publishing
MailerSend
MailerSend is a transactional email service whose primary target audience is developers, e-commerce platforms, and businesses that prioritize transactional emails over marketing campaigns or newsletters.
Every API endpoint, every SMTP relay, and every analytics dashboard is designed for businesses that need reliable, scalable, and programmable email delivery.
This laser focus on transactional emails and developer-friendly features sets MailerSend apart from general-purpose email marketing tools.
Key Features
Transactional Email Templates
Advanced Analytics
Email Validation
Webhooks and Event Tracking
Multi-Domain Support
The "Could Be Better" Bits
Learning Curve for Non-Techies: MailerSend tries to be user-friendly, but it still has more buttons and switches than your average email platform.
Primarily Transactional: As mentioned, MailerSend is built for transactional emails, and that's where it shines brightest. If you're looking for a platform to run complex marketing campaigns, it’s probably not the right one for you.
Pricing Structure: While MailerSend offers a generous free tier (3,000 emails/month), costs can add up if you send emails by the boatload. Keep an eye on that usage meter.
MailerLite
If MailerSend is the “tech wizard” and beehiiv is the newsletter ninja, MailerLite is like your mate Jack. He’s a jack of all trades but a master of none.
What I mean is that MailerLite does many things well, but it isn’t the best at any one thing.
That’s not to say MailerLite is a bad platform; it isn’t, and it will completely depend on what you’re looking for in your ESP.
Let me explain further.
MailerLite has got more tricks up its sleeve than a magician at a kids' party such as email marketing, automation, landing pages, websites, digital products, and even an iPad subscribe app that allows you to invite people to subscribe at your store, trade shows, events, or anywhere else—even when you’re offline.
MailerLite is like the platform equivalent of those all-in-one kitchen gadgets -- except this one works.
On the flip side, MailerLite can be overwhelming if you’re just looking to create a newsletter. But as I said, as far as a “fully stacked” ESP goes, it does a good job at many things, and you’ll likely be able to achieve your marketing goals with it. It’s just not a specialist at anything.
Key Features
Here are some of MailerLite’s key features I think you’ll enjoy.
Their email editor is good. Drag, drop, and voila! You've got yourself a pretty snazzy email.
There’s no need to know HTML or have a degree in graphic design (though if you do, an HTML editor is hiding in there for you code lovers).
Setting up automation workflows in MailerLite is easier than explaining TikTok to your grandma.
They also offer the following features:
Landing Page Builder
Surveys and Forms
Decent Pricing
Good Deliverability, Plus More
The "Room for Improvement" Bits
If you're looking for ultra-advanced features in a specific area, you might find yourself wanting more. Their email templates are solid; but if you're looking for hundreds of options, you won’t find them here.
MailerLite offers decent segmentation options, but power users might encounter a barrier to complex, behavior-based segmentation.
So, who’s it for? MailerLite is the Goldilocks of email marketing platforms—not too simple, not too complex, but just right for most small—to medium-sized businesses that want a versatile tool without drowning in complexity.
MailerLite is also suitable for solopreneurs and freelancers who must wear multiple marketing hats without losing their sanity.
Why Trust Me? Russell, the founder of the InboxConnect marketing agency, has over five years of deep expertise in email marketing. Under his leadership, the agency has become known for innovative strategies with notable successes, including campaigns for renowned clients like Payoneer.
MailerSend vs. MailerLite vs. beehiiv: User Experience
A good user experience is the difference between spending your Sunday afternoon crafting the perfect newsletter and wanting to throw your laptop out the window.
MailerSend comes with a developer-friendly interface. They've wrapped the complexity of email APIs and SMTP relays in a neat, tidy bow. This is great for the tech-savvy crowd but a challenge for us “normies.”
MailerLite, on the other hand, is decently beginner-friendly. Its drag-and-drop editor is intuitive enough; but while it's easy to use, it can sometimes feel like you're working with training wheels on.
And then there’s beehiiv. beehiiv is sleek, clean, and intuitive, and it just works. (Sigh of relief)
Here's where beehiiv rocks my socks as a newsletter operator.
The Learning Curve: There isn't one. Seriously. You can go from sign-up to sending your first newsletter faster than you can say "Indiana Jones."
Template Flexibility: beehiiv's flexibility in building your own newsletter templates are fantastic, and the website builder is like Legos for adults. Start with a pre-built design. Then, customize it to your heart's content. Want to tweak the HTML? Go for it. Prefer to drag and drop? You got it.
Mobile Optimization: In a world where more than 50% (a conservative number) of emails are opened on mobile, beehiiv ensures that your newsletters look stellar on everything from an iPhone to a Galaxy Fold.
Growth Tools Integration: Unlike other platforms where growth features feel bolted on, beehiiv's referral programs and SEO tools are baked into the core experience. Growing your list becomes as natural as breathing. No other platform has the growth tools beehiiv has for your newsletter, none!
MailerSend vs. MailerLite vs. beehiiv: Integrations and Ecosystem
MailerSend comes to the party with a solid set of integrations. They've covered the basics: Zapier, WordPress, and a handful of CRMs. Their real strength lies in their API, which is more flexible than a yoga instructor.
If you've got a developer on hand, you can pretty much integrate MailerSend with anything.
The catch? You need to have a developer on hand.
MailerLite steps it up with a wider range of out-of-the-box integrations, including e-commerce platforms, social media, and analytics tools.
beehiiv has integrations with Zapier, Make, etc., and via APIs. Every integration is chosen with a purpose, designed to solve real problems for newsletter creators.
MailerSend vs. MailerLite vs. beehiiv: Advanced Features for Growth and Engagement
For businesses that focus on transactional emails (e.g., order confirmations and password resets), MailerSend offers the best set of tools.
But for content creators and newsletter publishers? No bueno.
MailerLite steps up the game with features geared more toward marketers. The mix includes A/B testing, automation workflows, and a landing page builder. It's a well-rounded offering that can get the job done for many small to medium-sized businesses.
But if you want to build a newsletter empire… beehiiv is the answer!
beehiiv's referral system is like word-of-mouth marketing on steroids. It turns your readers into your best marketers, gamifying the sharing process and helping you grow exponentially.
In case you missed me saying this earlier, every newsletter you send automatically gets an SEO-optimized web version.
It's like getting a two-for-one deal on content distribution. Your newsletters start pulling double duty, attracting subscribers through search engines long after you've hit send.
You already know about the native ads, so I’ll skip that.
beehiiv's 3D analytics dive deep into what really matters -- who's reading, what they're clicking on, and most importantly, why they're engaging.
Most platforms offer basic personalization. beehiiv takes it to the next level with dynamic content blocks that can change based on subscriber data and engagement history.
beehiiv also offers the following features:
Lifetime Subscriptions
Audio Embeds
Multiple Subscription Tiers
File Attachments
Editor Comments
Polls and Surveys
Final Verdict
If you were to ask me which of these three should you go for, I’d have to ask you what your goal is.
Do you send a ton of transactional emails? Are you a newsletter operator, or are you looking for a well-rounded email marketing platform?
While all three platforms have their strengths, beehiiv stands out as the top choice for serious newsletter creators and businesses looking to grow and monetize their email lists.
MailerSend is an excellent choice if your primary need is for transactional emails and you have the technical resources to make the most of its API.
MailerLite offers a solid, affordable option for small businesses and beginners in email marketing, providing a good balance of features at a reasonable price point.
However, if you're serious about building, growing, and monetizing a newsletter, beehiiv is the clear winner.
Its unique features, like the referral program, SEO optimization, and built-in monetization tools, provide everything you need to turn your newsletter into a thriving business.
Ready to take your newsletter to the next level? Sign up for beehiiv today and experience the difference for yourself.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do the design capabilities compare across these platforms?
beehiiv offers the most flexibility and modern designs, specifically tailored for newsletters. MailerLite provides good customization options but may be limited for complex designs. MailerSend's design capabilities are more basic, focusing on functionality over aesthetics.
Which platform offers the best integration options?
beehiiv leads in integrations relevant to newsletter creators, with connections to tools like Zapier, Stripe, and WordPress. MailerLite offers a solid range of general marketing integrations, while MailerSend focuses more on developer-friendly integrations for transactional emails.
Is there a significant difference in ease of use between these platforms?
Yes. beehiiv is designed to be intuitive for writers and content creators. MailerLite is user-friendly but can be overwhelming due to its many features. MailerSend has a steeper learning curve, especially for non-technical users.
Which platform is best for monetizing a newsletter?
beehiiv is the clear winner here, with built-in tools for sponsored ads and premium subscriptions. MailerLite and MailerSend don't offer native monetization features, requiring you to use external tools or manual processes.
How do these platforms handle analytics and reporting?
beehiiv provides in-depth analytics specifically geared towards newsletter performance and audience engagement. MailerLite offers solid, general email marketing analytics. MailerSend focuses more on delivery metrics and logs, which are crucial for transactional emails.
Reply