Six months ago, I switched my 1:1 coaching service, newsletter, and PDF downloads, from Squarespace to beehiiv. Not only did I make $10K in new revenue, but I cut my monthly software costs nearly in half and finally have one platform that does it all. Here's the real cost breakdown, the features that made a difference, and what I'd tell anyone weighing beehiiv vs. Squarespace for their own business.
How it started
When I first started Kelly Perry Consulting, my model was very bare-bones. I had a website on Squarespace with a contact form for leads, I would book clients with my silly little contracts made in Google docs, and really didn't think about marketing at all. For two years, it kept me afloat.
In 2025, I really wanted to take my business to the next level by offering downloadable PDF resources and starting a newsletter for my tiny list of 10 subscribers. While Squarespace does support sales and email marketing (at a cost), the experience was disjointed and expensive. Despite paying for all these add-ons, nothing was really talking to each other.
When I decided to begin offering one-on-one coaching through my Asana BFF program, I didn't think anyone would be interested. It was a gap I knew existed – I had been that intermediate/advanced Asana user stuck in a silo with no one to brainstorm with – but I never really tried my hand at marketing a service like this.
Well, I built it and they came. My first few sales were met with a mix of elation and disappointment when I saw just how much of my profit Squarespace was taking while delivering a less-than-ideal customer experience.
Squarespace vs. beehiiv real costs
When my partner told me about beehiiv, I had never even heard of it. beehiiv is a newsletter platform, but beyond that, they're building an ecosystem of tools that help creators expand their services and revenue streams.
In honor of their 2026 Summer Release, I wanted to share more about how my business has boomed in the 6 months since I made the switch. With beehiiv, not only could I launch a proper newsletter, but I could host my digital PDFs and book my coaching clients all through one platform for half the cost.
My costs with Squarespace vs. beehiiv – Couldn’t avoid my 2.9% + 0.30 Stripe fees, though.
At $23 a month, Squarespace seemed reasonable at first, but the add-ons added up quickly and the 5% fee on every digital product sale before Stripe even took their cut made it hard to predict what I was actually taking home each month. Switching to beehiiv meant I was keeping more money from every sale from day one.
My favorite features
Here are the key features I use every day to power my business with beehiiv.
Monthly newsletter. My free Asana BFF newsletter goes out every month with a round-up of the latest features and Asana-hosted resources.
Subscriber-only posts. This feature lets me host content just for my BFF Resource Hub members. Paid subscribers get access to exclusive content and webinar recordings for $4.99/month.
Dynamic content. This one is my favorite. I can send one email that looks completely different depending on who's reading it, so my free and paid subscribers each get something relevant without me building two separate campaigns.
Free subscriber version
Paid subscriber version
Automations with beehiiv
This was the real winner for me. With beehiiv, I could set up a curated welcome experience for my new coaching clients that felt personal. New clients would receive a special message explaining how the program works, while returning clients would be greeted like old friends. I built this one flow to accomplish multiple things at once.
3 Steps, 1 Automation:
New Client Welcome. When someone signs up for coaching, they automatically get a welcome email with everything they need to know about our engagement. Personal and immediate, without waiting for me to reply on the next business day.
BFF Resource Hub onboarding. New clients get 3 free months of the Hub, so I built a custom automation to walk them through it and make sure they actually get value from it.
Welcome Back Flow. Returning clients are welcomed back warmly, with a reminder on where to book their time.
beehiiv Digital Products
When I switched my one-on-one coaching program to beehiiv, I immediately saved money. beehiiv has a few different types of free and paid digital products:
File/Download. Sell PDFs, guides, templates, eBooks and more. I use these for my downloadable resources.
Link/Media. Sell access to a website, affiliate link, or hosted content. Great if you have gated pages or exclusive content living elsewhere.
Coaching/1:1. This is what powers my entire Asana BFF program. Clients can book time, pay, and access everything they need all in one place.
Webinar. Host live sessions with automatic recording and replay. I haven't tried this one yet, but it's next on my list.
Web Builder
Landing page. I wanted to replicate my Asana BFF landing page from Squarespace into beehiiv for a better experience. The results are honestly not that bad in my opinion. My biggest hang-up was not being able to access the code builder, but their AI web builder worked in a pinch.
Client portal. I also created a custom portal for my Asana BFF coaching clients where they can book time with me, find resources, and easily refill their hours.
Dedicated customer portal using beehiiv gated pages
What's to come
There's a lot more to beehiiv than what I've covered here. Their ad network and Boosts program alone are worth a deep dive (maybe that's my goal for 2027...). What keeps me impressed with beehiiv is the pace of their updates and how quickly those updates actually mature. I started using 1:1 Coaching Digital Products the day it launched, and the improvements I've seen to that single feature in just a few months say a lot about how they build.
I’m excited for what’s to come with beehiiv 2026 Summer Release, and how I can continue to use their platform to grow my business.
Is this the year you finally start your newsletter? New beehiiv customers can save 20% for 3 months using this link.