A Hoppy Copy alternative for operators who already have an ESP

Hoppy Copy bundles AI writing with its own email platform, and the price scales with your subscriber count. HeyNews is a flat $99/mo AI layer on top of the beehiiv, Kit, or Substack you already run. Trained on your real archive, not on uploaded brand docs.

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What it is

HeyNews is an AI newsletter writer for creators and operators on beehiiv, Kit, Substack, Ghost, Mailchimp, or Medium. It connects to your platform, reads every issue you have ever sent, and builds a Voice Profile from your tone, vocabulary, sentence patterns, and signature phrases. It pulls fresh stories from your sources (RSS, blogs, social profiles, Reddit, saved articles), scores each one against your audience, and drafts your next issue. You review, edit, and send from your existing platform.

Hoppy Copy is a four-tier bundle: AI writing plus its own ESP plus forms plus automations plus competitor monitoring. Pricing starts at $119/mo for 3,000 subscribers (Start) and scales by both tier and subscriber count, with a Managed done-for-you option at $499/mo. HeyNews is one job done well, sitting on top of the platform you already trust, at flat pricing that does not move with your list size.

Honest comparison

What it does	Hoppy Copy	HeyNews
Voice training source	Brand voice from uploaded brand docs and prompts	Voice Profile from your real past issues, automatic on connect
Newsletter platform integration	Bundled ESP (you migrate your list), Zapier for external CRMs	Native beehiiv (API), Kit (OAuth); archive imports for Substack, Ghost, Mailchimp, Medium
Story sourcing	RSS, blogs, videos, courses, social, community feeds	RSS, blogs, social profiles, Reddit, browser extension, with relevance scoring per audience
Performance learning loop	Subject lines and content tuned across the bundled list	Reads open rate, CTR, and unsubscribe data from your platform; adjusts future drafts
Brand voices / writers	3 brand voices on Start, 5 on Platform, custom on Enterprise	Separate AI Writers per edition, unlimited within publication
Competitor email tracking	10 competitors on Start, 50 on Platform (dedicated swipe-file feature)	No
Forms, automations, ESP	Bundled (replaces Mailchimp/Flodesk-style tools); subscriber-based pricing	Not included; you keep beehiiv/Kit/Substack for sending
Done-for-you option	Managed tier at $499/mo includes 2-3 human-polished newsletters/mo and a dedicated account manager	No (HeyNews is self-serve only)
Multi-publication support	Up to 3 workspaces on Platform, more on Enterprise	Up to 10 publications on Team, separate Voice Profiles each
Pricing model	Subscriber-based; price scales as your list grows	Flat per plan; price does not move with subscriber count
Entry price (3,000-subscriber list)	$119/mo Start (or $99/mo billed yearly, ~17% off)	$99/mo Starter (flat; 14-day trial)

When to choose Hoppy Copy over HeyNews

You want one platform for AI writing AND your ESP AND forms AND competitor monitoring, and you are willing to migrate your list to get it.
You actively use the competitor email swipe-file (10 competitors on Start, 50 on Platform) and want it sitting next to your composer.
You want a hybrid done-for-you tier (Managed at $499/mo) that includes 2-3 human-polished newsletters per month and a dedicated account manager.
You do not have a strong existing newsletter archive on a platform like beehiiv or Substack to train on.

When to choose HeyNews over Hoppy Copy

You already publish on beehiiv, Kit, Substack, Ghost, Mailchimp, or Medium and do not want to migrate your list to a new ESP.
You want voice training on your actual sent issues, not on brand docs you have to upload and maintain.
You want HeyNews to find the stories from your real source feeds and score them against your audience, not a bundled curation feature.
You only need the AI layer and want flat pricing that does not climb as your subscriber list grows.
You want the next draft informed by what worked in the last send on your existing platform.

Pricing

Plan	Hoppy Copy	HeyNews
Entry (3K subscribers)	$119/mo Start ($99/mo yearly)	$39/mo Hobbyist (5 issues/mo, 1 publication)
Mid (3K subscribers)	$249/mo Platform ($199/mo yearly): 3 workspaces, 5 brand voices, white-glove setup	$99/mo Starter (15 issues/mo, 2 publications)
Done-for-you	$499/mo Managed ($399/mo yearly): 2-3 human-polished newsletters/mo, dedicated account manager	Not offered (HeyNews is self-serve only)
Top tier	Scale / Enterprise: custom; dedicated IP, custom AI models	$499/mo Team (90 issues/mo, 10 publications, 100 AI revisions per draft)
Free trial	7 days free, then paid	14 days OR 5 issues, payment method required
Pricing model	Scales with subscriber count (3K, 5K, 10K, etc.)	Flat per plan, regardless of subscriber count
ESP fees	Bundled into Hoppy Copy price	Separate (you keep your existing ESP plan)

Hoppy Copy Start at $119/mo (or $99/mo billed yearly) is competitive with HeyNews Starter at the 3,000-subscriber tier, but Hoppy Copy's price increases as your list grows because it includes the ESP. HeyNews stays flat regardless of subscriber count.

Use cases

The beehiiv operator with $40k MRR and 50k subscribers

Your audience and revenue live in beehiiv. Migrating to Hoppy Copy means moving your list, your domain reputation, and your billing, and the price keeps climbing as your list grows. HeyNews plugs into your existing beehiiv account via API at flat pricing.

The Kit creator who already has 30k subscribers

Kit handles your sequences, forms, and audience tagging. HeyNews handles the weekly broadcast that keeps your list warm. You skip the ESP migration and the subscriber-tier price escalation, and only pay for the AI layer.

The Substack writer comparing Hoppy Copy and HeyNews

Hoppy Copy assumes you will use their ESP, so the value of the bundle drops if you stay on Substack. HeyNews trains on your Substack archive from $39/mo flat and works with the Substack publishing flow you already have.

The marketing team that wants AI without re-platforming

You picked your ESP for deliverability and team workflow reasons. Replacing it for an AI feature is the wrong trade. HeyNews adds the AI layer without changing how email gets sent or how billing scales.

FAQ

How much does Hoppy Copy actually cost?

At a 3,000-subscriber list, Hoppy Copy Start is $119/mo monthly or $99/mo billed yearly. Platform is $249/mo (or $199/mo yearly). Managed (their done-for-you tier) is $499/mo (or $399/mo yearly). Scale/Enterprise is custom. Pricing scales with subscriber count because Hoppy Copy bundles the ESP.

Does HeyNews send email like Hoppy Copy does?

No. HeyNews does not include an ESP. You keep beehiiv, Kit, Substack, or your current platform for sending. HeyNews is the AI layer that drafts your next issue.

Is HeyNews cheaper than Hoppy Copy?

At the lowest tier with 3,000 subscribers, Hoppy Copy Start ($119/mo monthly, $99/mo yearly) is above HeyNews Hobbyist ($39/mo flat) and close to HeyNews Starter ($99/mo flat). As your list grows, Hoppy Copy gets more expensive because subscriber count drives the price; HeyNews stays flat. At the higher tiers, Hoppy Copy is more expensive in exchange for the bundled ESP.

Hoppy Copy advertises 25% more opens. Does HeyNews make the same claim?

No. We do not make a percentage claim because open rate depends on your audience, list hygiene, and platform. HeyNews adjusts future drafts based on your actual open and click data, but we will not promise a specific lift.

How does voice training compare?

Hoppy Copy builds Brand Voices from documents you upload and prompts you write. HeyNews builds your Voice Profile automatically from the issues you have already sent through your existing newsletter platform. The training data is your real shipped content.

Can HeyNews replace my ESP?

No. HeyNews is intentionally not an ESP. We work with the platform you already use because the cost of migrating an audience is high and the deliverability risk is real.

Does HeyNews offer a done-for-you tier like Hoppy Copy Managed?

No. HeyNews is self-serve only. If you want a service team running your newsletter end to end with human-polished drafts and a dedicated account manager, Hoppy Copy Managed ($499/mo) is one option, and Potions is another (see /alternatives/potions).

Does HeyNews have competitor email monitoring?

No. If competitor email swipe files are central to your workflow, Hoppy Copy is the better fit (10 competitors tracked on Start, 50 on Platform). HeyNews focuses on your sources, your voice, and your performance loop.