These three are all genuine email marketing platforms, but they serve different primary buyers: Beehiiv is built for newsletter creators who want to monetize…
Best for: Independent writers, publishers, and media creators who want to grow and monetize a newsletter audience with built-in ads, subscriptions, and digital products.
Best for: Product and growth teams at SaaS or app companies that need granular, event-based segmentation and multi-channel messaging across email, SMS, push, and in-app.
Freemium · From Free (paid plans from about $19/month)
Best for: Small businesses and solo creators who want one affordable platform covering email, automation, landing pages, webinars, and course sales.
At a Glance
Beehiiv
Customer.io
GetResponse
Primary category
Email Marketing
Email Marketing
Email Marketing
Rating
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
Pricing model
Freemium
Subscription (usage-based)
Freemium
Starting price
Free (paid plans from $43/month)
$100/month
Free (paid plans from about $19/month)
Free plan
Yes
Not documented
Yes
Free trial
Yes
Yes
Yes
Platforms
Web
Web
Web
Team collaboration
Not documented
Not documented
Not documented
AI features
Yes
Yes
Yes
Public API
Yes
Yes
Yes
Standout Differences
Beehiiv is purpose-built for newsletter monetization
Beehiiv bundles a native ad network with a 0 percent take rate on paid subscriptions, digital product sales, and a sponsorship storefront directly into its platform, a combination neither Customer.io nor GetResponse offers as a core feature.
Beehiiv
Customer.io leads on behavioral, multi-channel messaging
Its Data Pipelines customer data platform and Journeys workflow builder let teams trigger email, SMS, push, and in-app messages from any tracked behavioral event, going beyond the simpler segmentation in Beehiiv or GetResponse.
Customer.io
GetResponse has the broadest all-in-one feature set
Beyond email, GetResponse includes landing pages, conversion funnels, webinars, and a course creator, letting small businesses avoid stitching together separate tools.
GetResponse
Only Customer.io has no permanent free plan
Beehiiv offers a free Launch plan for up to 2,500 subscribers and GetResponse has a free tier, while Customer.io offers only a 14-day trial before its $100/month Essentials plan applies.
Multi-channel orchestration (email, SMS, push, in-app) from one workflow builder
More affordable entry pricing than Braze or Iterable for similar behavioral capabilities
Strong API and SDK support for developer-driven data instrumentation
Cons
Pricing scales quickly with profile and email volume
Steeper learning curve than simple email marketing tools due to data-model flexibility
No permanent free plan, only a 14-day trial
Advanced tiers (Premium/Enterprise) require custom sales negotiation for pricing
GetResponse
Pros
Genuinely usable free plan and 30-day free trial with no credit card required
Broad all-in-one feature set (email, funnels, webinars, courses) reduces need for separate tools
Strong deliverability reputation and two decades of email infrastructure experience
Competitive pricing relative to the breadth of included features
E-commerce integrations with Shopify, WooCommerce, and other major platforms
Cons
Automation builder and reporting are less advanced than dedicated enterprise platforms like HubSpot or Marketo
Interface and template design can feel dated compared to newer competitors
Pricing scales quickly as contact list size grows
Some advanced features (custom IP, dedicated account management) are locked behind the custom-priced Enterprise tier
Free plan is limited enough that most serious users will need to upgrade quickly
Use Cases
Choose Beehiiv: Independent writers, publishers, and media creators who want to grow and monetize a newsletter audience with built-in ads, subscriptions, and digital products.
Choose Customer.io: Product and growth teams at SaaS or app companies that need granular, event-based segmentation and multi-channel messaging across email, SMS, push, and in-app.
Choose GetResponse: Small businesses and solo creators who want one affordable platform covering email, automation, landing pages, webinars, and course sales.
Beehiiv
Launching a new newsletter — Independent writers starting a newsletter from scratch using the free plan's tools.
Growing and monetizing an audience — Established newsletter operators using automations, the ad network, and digital products to generate revenue.
Media and publisher operations — Larger publishers managing multiple publications, teams, and advanced analytics.
Customer.io
Lifecycle and retention marketing — Automated email and multi-channel journeys to onboard, engage and retain users based on behavior.
Behavioral triggers — Cart abandonment, feature-adoption nudges and onboarding sequences triggered by product events.
Multi-channel campaign orchestration — Coordinated email, SMS, push and in-app campaigns from a single workflow builder.
GetResponse
Small business email marketing — Running newsletters, promotions, and automated welcome sequences for a growing customer list.
E-commerce conversion funnels — Building abandoned cart recovery flows and sales funnels integrated with Shopify or WooCommerce stores.
Course and webinar delivery — Hosting webinars and selling online courses directly through the platform without third-party tools.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which of these three has the most generous free plan?
Beehiiv's free Launch plan supports up to 2,500 subscribers with unlimited email sends. GetResponse also has a free tier but with more limited contacts and features. Customer.io has no permanent free plan, only a 14-day trial before its $100/month Essentials plan.
Which platform is best for sending SMS and push notifications alongside email?
Customer.io and GetResponse both support multi-channel messaging (SMS, push, in-app for Customer.io; SMS and web push for GetResponse). Beehiiv is focused on email, website, and podcast delivery rather than SMS or push.
Which tool is designed specifically for newsletter monetization?
Beehiiv, which bundles a native ad network, digital product sales, and a sponsorship storefront directly into the platform. GetResponse offers paid newsletter subscriptions but no native ad network, and Customer.io does not offer newsletter monetization tools.
Does GetResponse offer webinars and course creation?
Yes. GetResponse's Creator plan adds native webinar hosting for up to 100 attendees and a course creator supporting roughly 500 students, features neither Beehiiv nor Customer.io offers.
Is Customer.io suitable for non-technical marketers?
Customer.io is developer-friendly and API-driven, and reviewers note it has a steeper learning curve than simpler email tools due to its data-model flexibility. Teams without engineering support may find Beehiiv or GetResponse faster to set up.
Which platform is cheapest to start on a paid plan?
GetResponse's Starter plan begins around $19/month, cheaper than Beehiiv's Scale plan at $43/month and well below Customer.io's Essentials plan at $100/month.