MailCheap.ai launches open-source newsletter platform from $19 per month

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 🫡