AudienceBench

How to Set Up a Custom Domain on beehiiv (2026)

Set up a beehiiv custom domain with the new Settings → Domains flow: paid plans only, Entri or manual DNS, Cloudflare DNS only, branded links, and required DMARC.

By AudienceBench Editorial · Published · Updated · Pricing & docs checked

beehiiv gives every publication a built-in subdomain (like yourpublication.beehiiv.com). A custom domain, such as www.yourbrand.com or newsletter.yourbrand.com, is optional, but it makes your site and sending address look more professional. Custom domains are not on Free. beehiiv’s help articles are marked All Paid Plans, and the pricing table lists custom domains on Lite, Pro, and Enterprise only.

Updated October 26, 2026: beehiiv rewrote its custom domain help on October 23, 2026 around a new setup flow (Settings → Domains → Set up custom domain, then Host my website, Send my newsletters, or Set up both). It also split the DNS steps into two new articles, one for automatic setup through Entri and one for adding records by hand. We rewrote this guide to match. The older flow we described on October 10 (with “Connect to an Existing Website Domain” and a 12-record list) is no longer in beehiiv’s docs.

How we researched this: Every step below comes from beehiiv’s help center (custom domain setup, automatic setup, manual DNS records, DMARC, removing a domain) and beehiiv’s public pricing page, all checked October 26, 2026. We haven’t connected our own custom domain on a beehiiv account, so there are no screenshots here. beehiiv’s articles carry a notice that they’re “currently being updated,” so some screens may differ from what you see.

About our links: beehiiv links on this page are affiliate links (/go/beehiiv). That’s the only program we earn from here. Our recommendations would be the same without them.

What a custom domain does

beehiiv says one custom domain can do up to four jobs:

  • Web domain: where your publication’s website lives (for example www.yoursite.com or newsletter.yoursite.com).
  • Website redirect: sends visitors from your root domain (yoursite.com) to your beehiiv website.
  • Email domain: the domain your newsletters are sent from.
  • Branded link: the domain used for tracked links in your emails. More in our branded links guide.

You can publish without one. Every publication keeps its beehiiv subdomain.

Before you start

From beehiiv’s custom domain article (updated Oct 23, 2026) and pricing page:

  1. A paid plan (Lite or higher) and the Admin role in your workspace. The help articles are marked for Admins on All Paid Plans.
  2. A domain you control, with access to its DNS settings. beehiiv says it will never ask you to change your nameservers.
  3. Use a subdomain when you can. beehiiv says a subdomain (like www. or newsletter.) is simpler to verify and secure than a root domain. If your root domain already runs another site, such as a company website, always use a subdomain so that site keeps working.
  4. Send email from a subdomain (like email.yoursite.com). beehiiv says this protects your main domain’s reputation and can help deliverability.
  5. Moving an existing site to beehiiv? Use your current domain to keep its SEO value. beehiiv warns that connecting it replaces your current website, and old page addresses won’t carry over on their own. Plan redirects with our site redirects guide.
  6. Moving from another email platform? Keep the same sending domain or subdomain. Your domain still goes through beehiiv’s Smart Warming.
  7. On Cloudflare? beehiiv can’t detect records set to Proxied. Set every beehiiv record to DNS only.

Plan prices (context). On October 26, 2026, beehiiv’s pricing page showed Lite at $59/mo monthly or $49/mo billed yearly at 1,000 subscribers, and Pro at $109/mo monthly or $95/mo billed yearly. Free is $0 up to 2,500 subscribers, without custom domains. Full tables: beehiiv pricing explained.

Start on beehiiv

Step 1: Start setup in Settings → Domains

  1. Click Settings in the bottom left corner of your dashboard, then Domains → Set up custom domain.
  2. Choose what to set up, then click Next:
    • Host my website: your domain for the website, with an optional redirect.
    • Send my newsletters: your domain for sending, with a branded link.
    • Set up both: website and sending domain in one setup. beehiiv recommends this for most publications.
  3. Website: enter your Web domain or subdomain (for example www.yoursite.com). Turn on Website redirect (optional) only if visitors to your root domain should land on your beehiiv site. Leave it off if your root domain serves another website. Click Next.
  4. Email: enter your Email domain or subdomain (for example email.yoursite.com) and your Sending address, the part before the @ (like hello or newsletter). Click Next.

Your sender name isn’t set here. beehiiv says to change it under Settings → Email → Email sending details.

Source: How to use a custom domain for your publication (updated Oct 23, 2026), checked October 26, 2026.

Step 2: Choose automatic (Entri) or manual DNS

beehiiv then asks How do you want to set it up?

Option 1: Automatically set it up for me (Entri)

beehiiv’s setup partner Entri signs in to your domain provider and adds the records. beehiiv calls this the quickest option if your provider is supported, and it skips the domain-ownership step. beehiiv detects your provider when you enter your domain. Supported providers include Cloudflare, GoDaddy, Namecheap, Squarespace, Porkbun, Route 53, and others (see Entri’s supported providers for the current list).

  1. Select Automatically set it up for me, then Next.
  2. A window opens to connect your domain. If it doesn’t, click Auto configure on the records screen.
  3. Click Continue with [your provider] and sign in if asked.
  4. Your provider shows the DNS records to be added. Review them and approve (in Cloudflare, Authorize). beehiiv says this is a one-time approval for these records only.
  5. When you see Your domain is now connected to beehiiv, click Back to beehiiv.

If automatic setup doesn’t finish, beehiiv says it tells you and lets you continue manually without losing progress.

Source: How to set up a custom domain automatically (updated Oct 23, 2026), checked October 26, 2026.

Option 2: I’ll add the records myself

Choose this if your provider isn’t supported, you’d rather add records by hand, or someone else manages your DNS. beehiiv’s manual article has click-through walkthroughs for Cloudflare, GoDaddy, and Namecheap.

Before you add records:

  • Copy records exactly with beehiiv’s copy icons. Each record has a Type, Name, and Value. Some providers call these Host and Target/Content/Points to.
  • Enter only the part before your domain if your provider adds the domain automatically. If beehiiv shows www for yoursite.com, enter www, not www.yoursite.com.
  • Remove conflicting records first. If an A or CNAME record with the same name (like www) already exists, remove it before adding beehiiv’s.
  • Someone else manages your DNS? The instructions menu next to Auto configure lets you copy the instructions, email them, or open a prompt for an AI assistant.

The steps:

  1. Verify you own the domain. Select I’ll add the records myself, then Next. Copy the TXT record’s Name and Value into your DNS settings and save. Back in beehiiv, click Verify ownership. When it shows Verified, click Next. beehiiv says DNS changes can take an hour or more, so try again later if it doesn’t verify right away.

  2. Add the remaining records. beehiiv groups them by what they connect:

    • Web domain: 1 CNAME record
    • Email domain: the records for your sending address
    • Branded link: 2 CNAME records

    Add each group’s records at your provider, then click Verify record on that group. Records show Not detected until beehiiv finds them. The button has a short countdown (Verify again in…) between checks. You can click Done for now, and beehiiv keeps checking for up to 72 hours.

Source: How to add your custom domain DNS records manually (updated Oct 23, 2026), checked October 26, 2026.

On both paths, your branded link may show Needs attention partway through. beehiiv says this is an expected second step, not an error:

  1. On the Email sending address card, click Replace record.
  2. Under Branded link, find the record marked Needs attention. beehiiv shows the old value crossed out and the new value.
  3. At your DNS provider, change only that record’s value. Leave the other branded link record as it is.
  4. Back in beehiiv, click Verify updated record. It shows Verifying…, then Live.

When everything’s done, your email sending address shows Live with Branded link live underneath.

Step 4: Wait for Live, then add DMARC (required)

  • Track progress under Settings → Domains → Your custom domain. Verifying… means beehiiv is still checking (usually a few hours, up to 72 hours). Live means that part is connected.
  • Your website often goes Live before your email sending address. Don’t send from the new domain until the sending address shows Live.
  • DMARC is required for every publication sending from a custom domain. On the Domains page, click Create a DMARC record in the banner.

beehiiv’s DMARC article (updated Oct 9, 2026) adds:

  • During setup, beehiiv creates your SPF and DKIM as CNAME records for you to add. DMARC is a TXT record you add yourself, and beehiiv has required it for custom domains since February 2024.
  • Use beehiiv’s DMARC wizard to generate the record. Its example value is v=DMARC1; p=none; rua=mailto:….
  • The reporting email address is publicly visible in DNS and can get a lot of reports, so beehiiv suggests a dedicated inbox.
  • Changes can take 24–72 hours to propagate.
  • beehiiv subdomains don’t need a DMARC record. The wizard won’t accept them.

Sources: custom domain, automatic setup, manual DNS, and DMARC help articles, checked October 26, 2026.

After setup

  1. Publish your website. beehiiv says /subscribe, /upgrade, and other pages depend on a published site to display correctly. New to the builder? See how to set up your beehiiv website step by step.
  2. Old beehiiv subdomain links keep working. When your custom domain is live as your web domain, yourpublication.beehiiv.com redirects to it and keeps the full URL path. This applies to your website only.
  3. Save your DNS records. beehiiv has a separate article on viewing and saving your custom domain DNS records.
  4. Removing a domain later is permanent. beehiiv’s removal article (updated Jun 16, 2026) says disconnecting means the site is no longer reachable on that domain, existing links to it stop working, redirect domains stop redirecting, and you go back to your beehiiv subdomain. To use the domain again, you go through setup again. Also delete the old DNS records at your provider.

Troubleshooting (from beehiiv’s docs)

IssueWhat beehiiv says to check
Records show Not detectedWait a few minutes after adding, then Verify record again. Check Type, Name, and Value were copied exactly, and that you didn’t add your domain twice in the Name field
Can’t add a CNAME for wwwRemove the existing A or CNAME record with the same name first
Cloudflare records never verifySet each beehiiv record’s Proxy status to DNS only
Branded link says Needs attentionExpected. Replace that one record’s value and click Verify updated record
Website Live, email not yetNormal. Wait until the sending address shows Live before sending
Automatic setup stoppedContinue with manual setup. beehiiv keeps your progress
Odd /subscribe or /upgrade pagesPublish your website

Our recommendation

Based on beehiiv’s published docs:

  • Be on Lite or higher before you promise readers a branded URL. Free doesn’t include custom domains.
  • Choose Set up both unless you have a reason not to. That’s beehiiv’s recommendation for most publications.
  • Use a subdomain for the website if your root domain runs another site, and a subdomain like email. for sending.
  • Use Entri if your provider is supported. It skips the ownership step. Otherwise follow the manual walkthrough.
  • On Cloudflare, use DNS only. Proxied records block beehiiv’s verification.
  • Finish the branded link swap and DMARC before you treat the domain as ready, and don’t send until the sending address is Live.

Try beehiiv · beehiiv pricing explained · Branded links · Site redirects · Migrate from Substack to beehiiv

FAQ

What beehiiv plan do I need for a custom domain?

A paid plan. beehiiv’s pricing table lists custom domains on Lite, Pro, and Enterprise, and its help articles are marked All Paid Plans. Free keeps the built-in *.beehiiv.com subdomain only.

Do I have to change my nameservers?

No. beehiiv says it will never ask you to change your nameservers. You only add the records it shows you, or let Entri add them.

How long does verification take?

Usually a few hours, up to 72 hours. beehiiv keeps checking in the background, so you can click Done for now and come back to Settings → Domains.

Is DMARC optional?

Not on a custom domain. beehiiv requires a DMARC record for every publication sending from a custom domain. beehiiv subdomains don’t need one.

They redirect to your custom web domain with the path preserved, so existing post URLs keep working.

Can I use Cloudflare?

Yes. Cloudflare works with automatic setup and has a manual walkthrough. Set each beehiiv record to DNS only, not Proxied.

Where do I change my sender name?

Not in the domain setup. beehiiv says to use Settings → Email → Email sending details.

Sources

All checked October 26, 2026.