beehiivLite from $49/mo billed annually ($59 monthl…
SokuCreator $19/mo (7,000 credits/mo)beehiiv vs Soku
Shopping for Marketing & Social Media? Here is where beehiiv and Soku differ on cost and scope. We used their own pricing pages, last verified 2026-11-10.
- beehiiv starts at Free; Lite from $49/mo (annual, 1,000 subscribers), with a free plan.
- Soku starts at Free (2,000 credits); paid from $19/mo, with a free plan.
beehiiv review · Soku review · beehiiv alternatives · Soku alternatives
Newsletter platform with a website builder, email automations, ad network, paid subscriptions and built-in AI tools, for businesses running an email newsletter.
- Starting price
- Lite from $49/mo billed annually ($59 monthl…
- Free tier
- Yes
- Setup
- ~1 hour (est.)
Chat-driven AI marketing agent from About Intelligence Inc. It generates image and video ads, launches and tunes campaigns on Meta, Google and TikTok (plus ChatGPT Ads from Starter), reads GA4 and Shopify data, and acts only within the approval or autopilot level you choose. Free plan with 2,000 starting credits.
- Starting price
- Creator $19/mo (7,000 credits/mo)
- Free tier
- Yes
- Setup
- A few minutes to sign up and connect one ad account (Soku quickstart); allow a few days of analysis-only use before letting it change campaigns (est.)
Full comparison
| Feature | beehiiv | Soku |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free up to 2,500 subscribers; Lite from $49/mo billed annually ($59 monthly) and Pro from $95/mo annually ($109 monthly) at up to 1,000 subscribers; price scales with list size; Enterprise custom. | Free $0 (2,000 credits to start, no card); Creator $19/mo (7,000 credits/mo); Starter $49/mo (20,000 credits/mo); Pro $249/mo (200,000 credits/mo); Enterprise custom. Prices billed monthly in USD; annual plans are billed yearly at a 20% discount. Extra credits $3 per 1,000 (10,000–100,000 per purchase). Checked on soku.ai/pricing, 10 Nov 2026. |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Setup time | ~1 hour (est.) | A few minutes to sign up and connect one ad account (Soku quickstart); allow a few days of analysis-only use before letting it change campaigns (est.) |
| No-code | Yes | Yes |
| Replaces | Separate email tool + newsletter website + ad sales | A freelance media buyer's routine checks, separate ad-creative tools, manual weekly ad reports and copy-pasting campaigns between Meta, Google and TikTok |
| Best for | Creators & media, Local businesses with a newsletter, B2B content marketing, Consultants & agencies | E-commerce and DTC brands, Marketing agencies, Consultants and freelancers running ads, Local services with paid search, Early-stage startups |
| Integrations | beehiiv API, Webhooks (Lite: 3, Pro: unlimited), Zapier, Make, Facebook Lead Ads, Elementor, Gumroad, ManyChat, Discord, beehiiv MCP | Meta Ads, Google Ads, TikTok Ads, ChatGPT Ads, Google Analytics 4, Shopify, Search Console, PostHog, Stripe, Notion, Gmail, Google Docs, Sheets & Drive, Soku CLI / OpenAPI |
| Pros | **Free plan up to 2,500 subscribers** with unlimited sends, a website and the core growth tools.; **0% take rate** on paid subscriptions and digital products (Stripe fees apply).; **Growth tools built in:** referral program, Recommendations network and pop-ups without add-ons.; **All products on every plan:** website, podcast, community and digital products, with limits rising by plan.; **SOC 2 Type 2** and a published DPA with EU SCCs.; **No card needed** to trial Lite or Pro. | **Useful free start:** 2,000 credits and real ad-account connections without a card.; **Clear approval model:** three autonomy levels, an emergency stop and an Activity log, with write actions enabled separately.; **Creative, launch and reporting in one agent** across Meta, Google and TikTok, plus ChatGPT Ads from Starter.; **Low entry price:** Creator is $19 a month with AI video included.; **Public affiliate program** paying 30% for up to 24 paid months. |
| Cons | **Price scales with list size,** so costs climb as you grow past 1,000 subscribers.; **Branding removal needs Pro** at $95 a month (annual) or more.; **Few seats on Lite:** just 2 team seats, which can pinch a small marketing team.; **US-only data storage** per the Trust Center; no EU residency option stated.; **Not a full CRM or e-commerce email tool:** no SMS, and store-triggered flows aren't its focus. | **Default data use allows model training** across organizations unless a paid contract adds a No-Training commitment.; **Credit costs are hard to predict** before you've run your own workload; the vendor's estimator is based on its customers' averages.; **No security certifications stated** on the pages we checked.; **Brand and seat limits** keep Free and Creator to one person and one brand per organization.; **Several integrations are still requests,** including Zapier, WooCommerce and WordPress. |
| SMB score (draft) | 8/10 | 7/10 |
| Sources |
Which should you choose?
beehiiv: Newsletter platform with a website builder, email automations, ad network, paid subscriptions and built-in AI tools, for businesses running an email newsletter.
Soku: Chat-driven AI marketing agent from About Intelligence Inc. It generates image and video ads, launches and tunes campaigns on Meta, Google and TikTok (plus ChatGPT Ads from Starter), reads GA4 and Shopify data, and acts only within the approval or autopilot level you choose. Free plan with 2,000 starting credits.
A shared category does not make these interchangeable. Start with the “Replaces” row, then check “Best for” against the people doing the work. We have not tested them hands-on, so this comparison does not claim a tested winner.
beehiiv vs Soku: FAQ
How much does beehiiv cost compared with Soku?
beehiiv: Free; Lite from $49/mo (annual, 1,000 subscribers). Soku: Free (2,000 credits); paid from $19/mo. Prices from each vendor's pricing page, checked 2026-11-10.
Do beehiiv and Soku have a free plan?
beehiiv: yes, a free plan or free tier is listed. Soku: yes, a free plan or free tier is listed.
Which is better, beehiiv or Soku?
Start with the work you need done. beehiiv mainly replaces separate email tool + newsletter website + ad sales; Soku mainly replaces a freelance media buyer's routine checks, separate ad-creative tools, manual weekly ad reports and copy-pasting campaigns between meta, google and tiktok. We haven't run hands-on tests of either yet, so we don't declare a winner.
More comparisons
Get the weekly AI briefing for business
One free email each week. Read the Small Business track, the Enterprise track or both.