Substack is easy to start on and hard to fully control. It owns the reader relationship through its app and discovery network, takes a cut of every paid subscription, and gives you limited say over design, monetisation options beyond subscriptions, and how your own data is exported. beehiiv was built partly as an answer to exactly those limits — you own the domain, the design, and increasingly the monetisation model, including an ad network for writers who don't want to run paid subscriptions at all.
The tradeoff is real. Substack's network effect — readers discovering you through its recommendations and app — does not travel with you. If a meaningful share of your growth comes from Substack's own ecosystem rather than your own marketing, expect a dip in discovery-driven signups after the move, at least until you build equivalent channels on beehiiv, such as its own recommendation network and referral programme.
This guide covers the mechanics: exporting free and paid subscribers, moving Stripe billing without double-charging anyone, bringing your archive across cleanly, and protecting your search rankings with proper redirects from your old Substack URLs.
How long this takes
3–5 hours
Most of that time goes into rebuilding automations and repointing forms, not the import itself.
Why switch from Substack to beehiiv?
Switch if…
- You want to stop paying Substack a cut of every paid subscription.
- You want full ownership of subscriber data and export rights, without platform lock-in.
- You want more control over design and layout than Substack’s templates allow.
- You want access to beehiiv’s ad network as an alternative or addition to paid subscriptions.
- You want a proper custom domain setup rather than a subdomain tied to Substack’s brand.
Stay put if…
- A significant share of your growth comes from Substack’s app and recommendation network, which does not transfer.
- You value the built-in reader app experience and don’t want to rebuild that audience habit elsewhere.
- Your paid subscriber base is small enough that Substack’s simplicity outweighs the savings from switching.
Substack vs beehiiv: the key differences
| What changes | Substack | beehiiv |
|---|---|---|
| Take rate on paid subs | Platform fee plus payment processing | Payment processing only, no additional platform cut on most plans |
| Discovery | Built-in network and app recommendations | Referral programme and beehiiv recommendations network |
| Design control | Limited templating | Custom domain, more layout control |
| Monetisation options | Paid subscriptions primarily | Subscriptions, ads, boosts, and referral-based growth |
| Data ownership | Limited export, reader relationship stays with Substack | Full subscriber export and ownership |
| Reader app | Native Substack app | No dedicated reader app |
| Analytics | Basic | More detailed source and referral tracking |
Before you switch, have this ready
- Admin access to your Substack publication and its Stripe-connected payments.
- A full export of free and paid subscribers from Substack.
- A list of every post you want carried into the new archive.
- Your custom domain registrar login, if you plan to move the domain.
- A note of every external link pointing at your Substack URL — social bios, guest posts, backlinks.
- A plan for how and when you’ll message paid subscribers about the switch.
Step-by-step: Substack to beehiiv
Step 1: Export subscribers from Substack
In Substack, go to Subscribers and export the full list as CSV. This includes free and paid subscribers, though paid status and billing details are limited compared with what you get directly from Stripe.
Cross-check the export against your Stripe dashboard if Substack manages your payments through Stripe Connect — Stripe is the more reliable source for who is actually paying and on what plan.
Keep a separate note of anyone who has unsubscribed or had a failed payment recently, so you don’t accidentally re-add them as active in beehiiv.
Screenshot
Substack Subscribers export screen
Step 2: Set up beehiiv and your subscription tiers
Create your beehiiv account and set up the publication basics — name, description, and design — before importing anything, since design decisions affect how your archive will look once posts land.
Under Monetize → Subscriptions, recreate your pricing tiers to match what you currently charge on Substack. Getting this right before migrating paid subscribers avoids a mismatch that forces people to re-subscribe at a different price.
Set up your free segment and any additional segments you want for engaged readers or lead magnet subscribers, separate from paid tiers.
Screenshot
beehiiv Monetize → Subscriptions tier setup screen
Step 3: Import your subscriber list
Go to Audience → Import in beehiiv and upload your Substack export, mapping email, name, and any custom fields carefully. Import free subscribers first since they carry the least risk.
Do not import paid subscribers through this same CSV route if you plan to migrate billing through Stripe directly — doing both creates duplicate or conflicting subscription records.
Spot-check the imported list against the original Substack export to confirm counts and key fields match before moving to paid subscribers.
Screenshot
beehiiv subscriber import mapping screen
Step 4: Migrate paid subscriptions without double-charging
If your Substack payments run through Stripe Connect, talk to beehiiv support about migrating those Stripe subscriptions directly — this preserves billing history and means subscribers don’t need to re-enter card details.
Where a direct migration isn’t possible, time the cutover to each subscriber’s renewal date rather than cancelling and re-billing mid-cycle, which is the most common cause of double charges in this kind of move.
Email paid subscribers ahead of the change explaining what to expect and when, then verify a handful of test accounts retain correct tier access on beehiiv before opening it up fully.
Screenshot
beehiiv Stripe connection and billing migration screen
Step 5: Import your post archive
Export your Substack posts and republish the ones worth keeping as beehiiv posts, rather than dumping the entire history in unedited — prioritise anything ranking in search or still driving signups.
Preserve original publish dates where beehiiv allows it, so the archive reads as a continuous history rather than starting abruptly on the migration date.
Check formatting on image-heavy or paywalled posts specifically, since embedded Substack paywall blocks and footnotes often need manual rebuilding.
Screenshot
beehiiv post editor showing an imported archive entry
Step 6: Point your custom domain at beehiiv
If you’re on a Substack custom domain, update your DNS records to point at beehiiv following their domain setup instructions, and verify the domain resolves correctly before removing it from Substack.
Set up 301 redirects from your old Substack post URLs to their new beehiiv equivalents wherever your domain setup allows it. This protects search rankings and stops old links from dead-ending.
If you were on a subdomain (yourname.substack.com), you can’t redirect it directly — update every external link you control (social bios, guest posts, your own website) to point at the new beehiiv address instead.
Screenshot
beehiiv custom domain settings screen
Step 7: Announce the move and wind down Substack
Send a final post on Substack explaining the move, what changes for readers, and what happens to paid subscriptions, with a clear link to subscribe on beehiiv if the automatic migration doesn’t cover everyone.
Keep the Substack publication accessible for a few weeks rather than deleting it immediately — old links, backlinks, and search traffic will still point there for a while.
Once you’re confident subscriber counts and payments have settled on beehiiv, pause new Substack posting entirely and add a permanent note directing visitors to the new home.
Screenshot
Substack final announcement post with beehiiv link
Integrations you need to update
Every one of these is a place contacts or data currently flow into Substack. Work through the list before you stop watching the old account — a missed form is invisible until someone complains they never got your email.
| Integration | What to do |
|---|---|
| Stripe | Migrate paid subscriptions directly where beehiiv supports it, to avoid re-billing. |
| Custom domain / DNS | Repoint DNS records at beehiiv and confirm SSL and resolution before cutting over. |
| Social bios and link-in-bio tools | Update every link currently pointing at your Substack address. |
| Zapier / Make | Rebuild any automation that referenced Substack subscriber events using beehiiv’s connector. |
| Google Search Console | Submit your new beehiiv sitemap and monitor for indexing issues after redirects go live. |
| Podcast or YouTube links | Update show notes and video descriptions that link to your Substack. |
| Guest post and backlink sources | Reach out to sites linking to your Substack archive and request updated links where practical. |
| Referral or affiliate tools | Recreate any referral incentive structure using beehiiv’s built-in referral programme. |
Troubleshooting: common post-migration problems
Paid subscribers were charged on both platforms
Refund the duplicate charge through Stripe immediately and align future migrations to each subscriber’s renewal date rather than an arbitrary cutover day.
Subscriber count in beehiiv doesn’t match Substack
Check whether you imported free and paid subscribers from two different sources — reconcile against the Stripe dashboard, which is more accurate than the Substack CSV for paid counts.
Search traffic dropped sharply after the move
Missing redirects from old Substack URLs are the most likely cause. Set up 301s wherever your domain setup allows, and update external links you control directly.
Imported posts show broken paywall or formatting
Substack-specific blocks like paywall markers don’t translate automatically. Rebuild those sections manually in beehiiv’s editor.
Growth slowed noticeably after leaving Substack
This is usually the loss of Substack’s discovery network and app. Lean into beehiiv’s referral programme and recommendations network to rebuild a comparable channel.
Some subscribers say they never got the migration email
Check deliverability on your first beehiiv sends and confirm your sending domain is authenticated — a new domain with no sending history can land in spam initially.
Should you make the switch?
The migration itself is rarely the hard part — it is the automations you rebuild and the forms you forget. If the reasons in the "switch if" list above describe your situation, beehiiv is worth the afternoon. If you are only moving because you are frustrated with an interface, fix the emails first and keep the platform.
Read both sides before you commit: our Substack review covers what you would be giving up, and our beehiiv review covers what you are buying, including current pricing and where it falls short. Every switch we document is listed on the migration guides hub.