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How to Migrate from Substack to Beehiiv
A step-by-step guide to moving your newsletter from Substack to Beehiiv. Keep your subscribers, preserve your archive, and unlock growth tools Substack does not offer.
Last updated June 2026
Should you switch?
If you are serious about growing a newsletter business, Beehiiv is the clear upgrade. You keep 100% of your revenue, get a built-in referral program, and unlock analytics that actually help you understand what is working. The migration itself takes under two hours.
Difficulty
Easy
Time Required
1-2 hours
Best For
Growth-focused newsletter creators who want referral programs and recommendation networks
Avoid If
You write purely for the craft with no monetization plans and Substack's simplicity suits you
Best for
- Growth-focused newsletter creators who want referral programs and recommendation networks
- Creators tired of giving Substack a 10% cut of paid subscription revenue
- Writers who want advanced analytics beyond basic open and click rates
- Publishers looking for custom website design and SEO-optimized archives
Avoid if
- You write purely for the craft with no monetization plans and Substack's simplicity suits you
- Your audience is under 500 subscribers and you do not yet need growth tools or analytics
Why Creators Switch
What drives the migration
Pain points with Substack
- Substack takes a 10% revenue cut on top of Stripe fees, eating into margins as you scale
- Limited customization means your newsletter looks like every other Substack publication
- No built-in referral program to incentivize subscriber sharing and organic growth
- Basic analytics with no segmentation data, click maps, or growth attribution
What improves with Beehiiv
- Zero revenue share on paid subscriptions, and you keep everything after payment processing
- Built-in referral program that turns subscribers into a growth engine
- Full design customization including custom domains, colors, fonts, and landing pages
- Advanced analytics with subscriber activity scores, click tracking, and growth dashboards
Migration Checklist
Step-by-step migration plan
Export your subscriber list
Go to Substack Settings → Exports and download your full subscriber CSV. This includes free and paid subscribers with their email addresses and subscription dates.
Import subscribers into Beehiiv
In Beehiiv, navigate to Audience → Import and upload the CSV file. Beehiiv automatically maps Substack fields. Tag imported subscribers so you can identify them later.
Rebuild your newsletter design
Set up your Beehiiv publication with custom branding: upload your logo, set brand colors, configure your custom domain, and design your default email template.
Redirect your Substack URL
If you use a custom domain on Substack, update your DNS records to point to Beehiiv. If you use a substack.com URL, add a note on your old Substack pointing readers to your new home.
Test with a draft send
Send a test edition to yourself and a few trusted subscribers. Verify formatting, links, images, and that emails land in the primary inbox, not spam or promotions.
Launch and announce the move
Send your first Beehiiv edition to your full list. Include a brief note explaining the move, highlight new features like the referral program, and confirm subscribers do not need to do anything.
Tool Comparison
Substack vs Beehiiv
Why Creators Are Leaving Substack for Beehiiv
The conversation has shifted. In 2022 Substack was the default recommendation for newsletter creators. By 2025, the calculus is different. Substack still takes 10% of every dollar you earn from paid subscriptions, on top of Stripe's payment processing fees. For a creator earning $5,000 per month in subscription revenue, that is $6,000 per year going to Substack for what amounts to a hosted blog with an email send button.
Beehiiv charges a flat monthly fee. No revenue share. At the Scale plan ($99/month), you get unlimited subscribers, a built-in ad network, referral programs, and analytics that actually tell you which content drives growth. The math is not subtle.
The Migration Is Easier Than You Think
Substack makes exporting straightforward, and they deserve credit for that. You download a CSV of your subscriber list, upload it to Beehiiv, and your audience is moved. The process takes about 30 minutes for the technical migration. The rest of your time goes toward setting up your Beehiiv publication design, which is worth doing well since you now have full control over branding.
What Changes After You Switch
The biggest shift is mindset. Substack is a writing tool. Beehiiv is a growth platform. You now have a referral program where subscribers earn rewards for sharing your newsletter. You have a recommendation network where other Beehiiv publishers can recommend your newsletter to their audiences. You have A/B testing on subject lines, send times, and content blocks.
Handling Paid Subscriptions
If you run paid subscriptions on Substack, the transition requires more care. You will need to set up Stripe on Beehiiv (or use Beehiiv's native payment system), recreate your pricing tiers, and communicate the change to paid subscribers. Give your paying audience at least two weeks notice. Most creators honor existing Substack subscriptions until they expire, then direct renewals to Beehiiv.
The Bottom Line
The migration from Substack to Beehiiv is one of the lowest-friction platform switches a creator can make. The subscriber export is clean, the import is automated, and the upside (keeping 100% of revenue, unlocking growth tools, and owning your design) is immediate. If your newsletter has any commercial ambition at all, this is the move.
Related Reading
- Beehiiv vs Substack: our full comparison with scoring and editorial recommendation
- Beehiiv review: in-depth review of the platform you are migrating to
- Beehiiv pricing: which plan to choose after migration
- Substack pricing: what you are currently paying (the 10% math)
- Newsletter creator stack: build the full tool stack around your new Beehiiv publication
- Newsletter operating system: the growth system that makes Beehiiv's features compound
Related Research
Ready to switch to Beehiiv?
Follow the checklist above and you'll be live on Beehiiv in 1-2 hours.
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