Mailchimp is the safer pick for businesses that need broad email marketing, while beehiiv is the sharper pick for writers, creators, and media-style newsletters. A newsletter should start with a clear promise, a useful format, and a sending tool that fits the goal. Email still earns attention and revenue, with Litmus reporting an average return of $36 for every $1 spent [source: Litmus].

TLDR: A small ecommerce brand will usually get more from Mailchimp because it can connect campaigns to products, customer segments, and automations. A solo publisher or creator will usually move faster with beehiiv because it is built around writing, growth, referrals, and monetization. For example, a creator with 5,000 subscribers, a 42% open rate, and one paid sponsor slot per week may care more about ad revenue and referral tracking than abandoned cart emails. A shop with 12,000 customers may care more about purchase history, product recommendations, and customer journeys.

How to write a newsletter that people keep opening

A good newsletter is not just “news.” It is a repeatable promise. Readers should know what they will get, why it matters, and how long it will take to read. A vague update gets ignored. A focused weekly brief has a chance.

The process should start with three decisions:

• Audience: Who is the newsletter for? Founders, parents, designers, local shoppers, investors, hobbyists?
• Promise: What will the reader gain? Better deals, sharper ideas, industry updates, quick tutorials, or entertainment?
• Cadence: How often will it arrive? Weekly is a strong starting point because it is frequent enough to build habit without draining the team.

After that, the structure matters. A simple format often wins:

1. Subject line: Specific, short, and honest.
2. Opening line: The main reason to keep reading.
3. Main section: The useful idea, story, offer, or analysis.
4. Supporting links: Extra context, products, or resources.
5. Call to action: One clear next step.

The best newsletter format is boring in the right way. Readers should not have to relearn it every issue. The writing can have personality, but the layout should feel familiar.

Mailchimp: best for marketing teams and ecommerce

Mailchimp is built for companies that treat newsletters as part of a larger marketing system. It handles email campaigns, audience segments, signup forms, automations, landing pages, surveys, and many integrations. For online stores, that can be a big win.

A retailer can send a welcome series, a discount offer, a product drop, and a reactivation email from one account. Segments can be based on customer activity, tags, purchase behavior, and form signups. That makes Mailchimp useful for teams that need more than a weekly editorial email.

The template library is also a plus. Non-designers can get a decent layout quickly. Brand colors, buttons, product blocks, and image sections are easy to add. For companies that sell physical or digital products, Mailchimp’s ecommerce features can save hours.

The catch is that Mailchimp can feel heavy for a simple newsletter. Settings sometimes sit behind extra panels, and a quick edit can take more clicks than expected. It drives some teams a little mad when a simple text-first send starts feeling like a full campaign setup. The platform is powerful, but not always lightweight.

Mailchimp works best when:

• A business sells products or services.
• The newsletter supports sales funnels.
• The team needs audience segments and automations.
• Design templates matter more than a plain writing flow.
• Integrations with ecommerce, CRM, or ads are needed.

beehiiv: best for publishers, creators, and newsletter-first brands

beehiiv was built with newsletter operators in mind. It feels closer to a publishing platform than a traditional email marketing suite. That makes it attractive for writers, analysts, media startups, podcast hosts, niche experts, and creator-led businesses.

The editor is clean. Writing and sending feel direct. The platform also offers web publishing, subscriber growth tools, referral programs, paid subscriptions, polls, audience analytics, and monetization options. This matters for newsletters that are the product, not just a marketing channel.

A writer can publish an issue, keep it as a web post, collect subscribers through a landing page, and test growth through referrals. A media brand can track which posts bring subscribers and which readers are most engaged. That is useful for anyone trying to turn attention into a real audience.

beehiiv is not perfect. Its marketing automation features are not as deep as Mailchimp’s. Ecommerce teams may miss richer product blocks, complex customer journeys, and store-based targeting. Honestly, it can feel too newsletter-focused when a company needs broad campaign management.

beehiiv works best when:

• The newsletter is the main product.
• The sender wants a clean writing experience.
• Audience growth and referrals matter.
• Paid subscriptions or sponsorships are part of the plan.
• The brand wants both email and web publishing in one place.

Mailchimp vs beehiiv: key differences

Ease of writing: beehiiv usually feels faster for text-heavy newsletters. Mailchimp is better when design elements, product blocks, and branded layouts are needed.

Automation: Mailchimp wins for complex marketing workflows. beehiiv handles useful publishing and subscriber flows, but it is not as broad for sales journeys.

Growth tools: beehiiv has strong built-in tools for referrals, recommendations, and publisher growth. Mailchimp can grow lists too, but its strengths sit more in forms, campaigns, and integrations.

Monetization: beehiiv is stronger for newsletter-native revenue, including paid subscriptions and sponsorship-related tools. Mailchimp can support sales, but it is not centered on newsletter monetization.

Analytics: Both platforms show opens, clicks, and subscriber activity. beehiiv feels more tailored to content performance. Mailchimp is better for marketing performance across audiences, campaigns, and customer groups.

Pricing: Both tools change pricing and limits over time, so each team should check current plan details before switching. Free plans can be useful for testing, but serious growth often requires a paid tier.

A practical newsletter workflow

A strong newsletter process does not need to be complicated. The team can use this simple weekly flow:

1. Pick one main idea. One strong theme beats five scattered updates.
2. Write the subject line first. If the subject is weak, the idea may be weak too.
3. Draft in sections. Use short paragraphs, clear subheads, and one main call to action.
4. Add one useful visual. A chart, product image, or screenshot can break up dense text.
5. Send a test email. Check links, spacing, mobile view, and sender name.
6. Review results after 24 to 48 hours. Track opens, clicks, unsubscribes, replies, and conversions.

The team should avoid chasing every metric. Open rates are useful, but clicks, replies, purchases, and paid signups often say more. A newsletter with a lower open rate can still win if it sends readers to the right action.

Which platform should a sender choose?

A business should pick Mailchimp if the newsletter supports sales, customer retention, ecommerce, or larger marketing campaigns. It is the better fit when audience data and automations matter.

A writer, creator, or publisher should pick beehiiv if the newsletter itself is the main asset. It is easier to build around content, subscribers, referrals, and monetization.

The simplest rule is this: Mailchimp is for marketing systems. beehiiv is for newsletter businesses. Both can send good newsletters. The better choice depends on what happens after the reader opens the email.

FAQ

Is Mailchimp better than beehiiv?

Mailchimp is better for ecommerce, automations, and broad email marketing. beehiiv is better for publishers, creators, and newsletter-first brands.

Is beehiiv good for beginners?

Yes. beehiiv has a clean editor and a simple publishing flow. Beginners who want to write and grow an audience can start quickly.

Can a business use beehiiv instead of Mailchimp?

Yes, if the business mainly sends content-led newsletters. If it needs deep ecommerce targeting or complex customer journeys, Mailchimp may fit better.

How often should a newsletter be sent?

Weekly is a strong starting point. Daily can work for media brands, while monthly may be too rare for habit building.

What makes a newsletter successful?

A clear promise, useful content, consistent timing, strong subject lines, and a simple call to action. The platform helps, but the value of the email matters most.