every week someone tells me they’re going to vibe-code their own @beehiiv alternative over the weekend.

wishing them the best, here’s the backlog of things to make sure to include:

99.3% email delivery rate (industry-leading)
team of deliverability experts with decades of experience
infrastructure to send 3M+ emails per minute
validating every single email submission (1st and 3rd party)
automated bot-detection to prevent spam signups
registering for every mailbox provider’s feedback program
ingesting data from said feedback loops and building suppression lists
tagging every email so gmail reports complaint rates per newsletter
classifying every bounce (hard, soft, mailbox full, DNS failure) and knowing which ones mean “try again” vs. “never again”
three layers of suppression: global, per-publication, and transactional
temporary suppressions that expire on their own, and permanent ones that never do
one-click unsubscribe, the way gmail and yahoo now require it
warming new IPs and domains on a schedule
watching blocklists around the clock, and pulling an IP from rotation the moment it’s listed
retrying deferred mail for 24+ hours before calling it a bounce
blocking disposable, invalid, and typo’d addresses before they ever reach the list
rate limiting every signup endpoint a bot can find
filtering bot clicks out of every report (something we pay an ungodly amount of money for)
an acquisition source on every subscriber
engagement history for every reader, across every post
multiple sender addresses for different emails
custom domain configuration that is aligned with DKIM, SPF, DMARC
a true WYSIWYG editor: what you write is what lands in the inbox, with no HTML required
turning that editor into table-based, inline-styled email HTML that holds up in outlook
real-time collaborative editing, so the whole team can work on the same issue at once
dynamic content: different sections for different readers, all in a single send
separate email and web versions of every post, from one draft
free and premium versions of the same post, split by a paywall break
merge tags that personalize every email, and a simulated subscriber to preview them before you send
templates with saved colors, fonts, and spacing, plus a default style for every post
columns, tables, buttons, blockquotes, sections, file attachments, and a table of contents with anchor links
native embeds for X, youtube, tiktok, instagram, bluesky, stocktwits, and podcast episodes
polls, referral blocks, recommendations, and ad slots, built right into the post
an AI writer, AI images, and a built-in AI agent one keyboard shortcut away
images resized and optimized automatically, however they’re uploaded
a live email-size gauge that warns you before gmail clips your newsletter
custom HTML blocks, cleaned so a stray script tag can’t break your post
automatically hiding anything an inbox can’t handle (video, iframes, audio) in the email version, while keeping it on the web
links and embeds made clickable even in outlook, which ignores links wrapped around tables
vertical alignment in columns, because a layout that looks off by 4px looks broken to readers
converting your newsletter to audio versions for readers who prefer to listen
random cohort sends to randomly split your list to test different content and conversion
slash commands: type “/” and insert any block without touching a menu
markdown and keyboard shortcuts for people who never want to touch a mouse
pasting from google docs with the formatting intact
search and replace across the whole post
comment threads right in the draft, so editors and writers stop living in google docs
footnotes and citations that work in the inbox and on the web
code blocks, for the technical newsletters
an AI writer that rewrites, translates, and fixes spelling and grammar in place
autosave, so a closed tab never costs you a draft
subject line A/B testing, built into the send flow
drag-and-drop images, from your computer, your media library, or a URL
rich-text image captions, plus image titles and alt text for accessibility
audio files that play inline
file attachments, so a PDF can ride along with the issue
sections with their own backgrounds, borders, and spacing
blockquotes with custom borders, colors, and styles
content breaks and dividers that render cleanly in every inbox
a REST API for subscribers, posts, segments, automations, and more
a send API to create and send newsletters programmatically
creating, updating, and deleting subscribers in real time
reading and writing custom fields on any subscriber
tagging subscribers from your own app
enrolling subscribers into automations via API
pulling opens, clicks, and engagement for every post
fetching post HTML rendered for free vs. premium, email vs. web
creating posts from a template, then appending or prepending content
fetching segments and every subscriber in them
managing tiers and premium subscriptions
pulling referral program data and milestones
reading poll and survey responses
pagination that holds up across millions of records
rate limits that protect the platform without blocking real integrations
API keys you can create and revoke anytime
an MCP server so claude, chatgpt, and other AI tools can work inside beehiiv
drafting and editing posts from an AI chat
asking for open rates, CTR, and revenue in plain english
comparing performance across dozens of posts in one request
looking up any subscriber's full history and engagement
building segments by describing them
creating and editing automations
generating AI images straight into your media library
managing website pages, redirects, and SEO
reading and replying to community posts and DMs
reviewing ad offers and ad revenue reports
managing podcast shows and episodes
creating digital products, coupons, and promo codes
running subscriber growth and earnings reports
setting up subject line A/B tests
deliverability by mailbox provider for any post
searching docs without leaving the chat
inviting teammates by email
admin, member, and contributor roles
admins who control billing, exports, integrations, payments, and domains
members with full access minus admin permissions
contributors limited to drafting posts and automations
roles at the workspace or publication level
multiple publications under one workspace
workspace grouping and search for people on multiple teams
multiple authors per post, with bylines
guest authors for one-off contributors
author profiles with bios, avatars, and social links
community roles mapped to workspace roles (admin, manager, moderator)
real-time collaboration and comment threads on every draft
removing access the moment someone leaves
publication transfers between owners, with written consent
secure, single-use magic links to log in from desktop
a no-code website builder on your own custom domain
an AI website builder that works from plain-english prompts or screenshots
AI custom elements for live widgets
drag-and-drop editing, plus HTML access for full control
site-wide theme tokens for fonts, colors, borders, and shadows
global navbar, footer, and signup and login modals
saving sections, blocks, and pages as reusable templates
version history with one-click restore
custom pages with their own SEO settings and paywalls
redirects, so old links never break
custom robots.txt
auto-generated meta titles and descriptions for every post
google news schema
pages up to 80% faster on largest contentful paint
image carousels and grids
youtube blocks that update when you post new videos
an automatic page for every podcast episode
pop-ups and gated content to turn visitors into subscribers
a visual automation builder, no code required
triggers based on signup source, behavior, purchases, and engagement
welcome sequences that start the second someone subscribes
delays and wait steps
branching logic based on subscriber attributes
reusable condition sets across automations
email steps built in the same editor as your newsletter
webhook steps that call your own systems, with automatic retries
enrolling subscribers via API
per-subscriber journey tracking
opens and clicks for every email in every flow
editing a draft version while the live automation keeps running
comparing draft vs. live before you publish changes
reordering steps in bulk
segment conditions based on whether an automation started
product delivery and follow-ups triggered by purchases
selling files, links, guides, templates, and ebooks
memberships and time-based products
1:1 coaching sessions and appointments
0% platform fees on every sale
a storefront on your beehiiv website
products sold inside emails and automations
free products that double as lead magnets
product variants
discount codes and promotion codes
product reviews, with moderation
product tags for organizing your catalog
orders dashboard with buyer details
sales totals per product
duplicating a product in one click
automatic delivery the moment someone buys
payouts through stripe
live webinars with up to 10,000 attendees
ticket sales in 10 currencies
native streaming with video, screen sharing, and chat
no zoom required
up to 5 automated reminder emails
calendar invites sent automatically
a recording of every session
selling the replay as its own product
0% platform fees on tickets
free webinars that grow your list
discount codes on tickets
1:1 coaching bookings
buyers linked to their subscriber profile
promoting events in your newsletter and on your site
orders and revenue reporting for every event
a community built into your newsletter: channels, posts, and comments
channels that are free or gated to paid tiers
syncing newsletter posts into the community
direct messages between you and members
threaded comments
pinned posts
a moderation queue for reported posts and comments
banning and unbanning members
admin, manager, and moderator roles
inviting subscribers, segments, or specific emails
surfacing your most engaged subscribers to invite first
community metrics: new members, posts, and activity
notification emails with your own from name
channel ordering and a default channel
luma calendar integration for events
discord integration that syncs roles with subscription tiers
native podcast hosting with zero platform fees
distribution to apple podcasts, spotify, and youtube
an automatic webpage for every episode
automatic transcripts
IAB-standard analytics by country, app, and device
bot filtering on downloads
downloads and unique listeners per episode and per show
private feeds for paying subscribers
bundling your podcast with your paid subscription
importing from other hosts with episode GUIDs preserved
RSS redirects so listeners follow you over
scheduled episodes
apple podcasts categories and metadata
podcast players embedded in your posts
a full episode library on your site
webhooks for episode and private-feed events
segments built on behavior, attributes, and engagement
dynamic segments that update automatically
static segments that stay fixed
filtering by acquisition source, including magic links
filtering by custom fields and tags
filtering by subscription tier and paid trial status
filtering by whether an automation started
reusable condition sets
recalculating a segment on demand
sending to a segment, or excluding one
segments that power dynamic content inside a single post
segments as automation conditions
adding a whole segment to a newsletter list
multiple newsletter lists in one publication
exporting any segment
webhooks for new, confirmed, and deleted subscribers
upgrade, downgrade, pause, and resume events
tier created, deleted, paused, and resumed events
newsletter list subscribe and unsubscribe events
post sent, scheduled, and updated events
survey response events
podcast episode published, updated, archived, and deleted events
private podcast feed access events
choosing exactly which events each endpoint receives
a signing secret on every endpoint
automatic retries on failed deliveries
a log of every delivery attempt
manually retrying any failed message
disabling an endpoint without deleting it
versioned payloads
webhook steps inside automations
survey forms with multiple question types
polls that readers answer with one click, right in the inbox
every answer tied to a real subscriber
live poll results
per-question response breakdowns
aggregate results across every survey
individual responses you can browse one by one
webhooks the moment a survey is submitted
survey and poll data available via API
polls on the web and in email
signup flows that send new subscribers through a survey
surveys that tell you what to write next
polls for picking topics, products, and pricing
response data you can turn into segments
no third-party form tool required
a library of professionally designed post templates
custom colors, fonts, and spacing on every template
a default style applied to every new post
content outlines baked into templates
separate email and web styling
theme design tokens per template
duplicating templates in one click
a custom email footer applied to every post
templates with sponsor slots, referral blocks, and recommendations built in
creating posts from templates via API
template changes picked up instantly by API-created posts
website templates
saved sections, blocks, and pages for your site
welcome email templates
templates your whole team shares
the largest native ad network for newsletters
brands like netflix, hubspot, notion, and nike (and 525+ others)
ads available to claim for your upcoming posts
dropping an ad into a post with one click
earnings and payouts reported for every placement
ad revenue reports post by post
a history of every opportunity you accepted or declined
bot-filtered clicks advertisers can trust
custom link parameters for advertiser attribution
brand safety review on every campaign
payouts to your beehiiv wallet
direct sponsorships: selling your own placements
sponsorship products with your own formats and pricing
scheduled sponsor placements with advertiser details
0% platform fees on paid subscriptions
multiple paid tiers
monthly and annual plans
free trials
paid trials, like $1 for 30 days
metered paywalls, new york times-style
a paywall break inside any post
discount offers
gift subscriptions
group subscriptions: one buyer, many seats
custom group deals for teams and companies
pausing and resuming subscriptions
private podcast feeds and gated community channels as paid perks
payouts through stripe connect
recommendation network with 60K+ active newsletters
getting recommended by thousands of other newsletters
free, reciprocal recommendations
paid recommendations: pay to grow, or get paid to recommend
discovering newsletters to partner with
AI-suggested recommendation partners
applications for paid recommendations, with accept and reject
engagement and spend insights for every partner
pausing, resuming, or ending any partnership
fraud detection on paid recommendations
clawing back payouts for fake subscribers
recommendations inside your newsletter, not just at signup
attribution for every subscriber a partner sends you
one-click subscribes powered by magic links
one-click subscribe links, no form needed
UTM parameters carried through on every link
rate limiting on every request
bot detection and honeypots
a confirmation step only when a click looks suspicious
double opt-in respected
redirecting new subscribers straight to your site
magic links as a filterable acquisition source
links you can drop into other newsletters, socials, and ads
login magic links so paid subscribers can read premium posts
single-use tokens that expire in minutes
rate limits on login requests
protection against timing attacks
logging in on desktop from a link sent to mobile
faster logins across every beehiiv publication
embeddable subscribe forms for any website
full-width, fixed-width, and slim embeds
an attribution script to track where signups come from
custom colors, fonts, and styling
theme design tokens per form
a draft and publish workflow for form changes
comparing draft vs. live before publishing
multiple forms per publication
custom success behavior: a message or a redirect
pop-ups on your beehiiv site
gating posts to subscribers only
readers picking which newsletter lists to join
signup flows that run right after subscribing
bot protection on every submission
forms that work on wordpress, webflow, and anywhere else
a customizable link-in-bio page
hosted on your own beehiiv site and domain
a subscribe form built in
your brand colors, fonts, and buttons
social links for every platform
links to your latest posts
links to your products and paid tiers
a linktree integration that captures newsletter signups
every visitor a potential subscriber
traffic from instagram, tiktok, and X turned into owned email subscribers
visits tracked in your website analytics
signups tagged with their acquisition source
mobile-first design
no third-party link tool required
updated in seconds, from the same dashboard as everything else
real-time website analytics, no third-party tools
traffic by channel
filters for location, device, OS, and referral source
website and newsletter analytics in one place
breakdowns by page, referrer, and more
custom conditions to slice any report
AI crawler and bot analytics: what was served vs. blocked
control over which crawlers can index your site
UTM tracking on every link
custom link parameters at the publication level
an acquisition source on every subscriber
google analytics integration
podcast analytics alongside your site
trends over time
website traffic connected to the subscribers it produced
native integrations with linktree, hubspot, manychat, meta, and dozens of other apps
human support team with a dozen experts ready to assist with whatever you need

oh, and besides having to manage all of this on your own indefinitely forever… your vibe-coded solution will still require paying for and stitching together a ton of software:

email sending (sendgrid, amazon SES, postmark)
web hosting (vercel, AWS, render)
database + queue (supabase, neon, RDS)
payments (stripe, memberful)
auth (clerk, auth0, supabase auth)
monitoring + alerting (sentry, datadog, pagerduty)
workflow engine (inngest, temporal, upstash qstash)
bot protection (cloudflare)
email validation (zerobounce, kickbox)
email rendering (litmus, email on acid)
click verification (omnivery)
media storage + CDN (S3, R2, vercel blob)
product analytics (posthog, mixpanel)

…but at least you saved $59/mo not paying for @beehiiv anymore 🫡