A Potions alternative for operators who want to keep editorial control

Potions manages newsletter design, writing, delivery, and list support with a hybrid AI plus human team. HeyNews gives you the drafting speed without handing the publication over. Different products for different operators.

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What it is

HeyNews is a self-serve AI newsletter writer for operators who want editorial control. It connects to beehiiv, Kit, Substack, Ghost, Mailchimp, or any newsletter with a public archive, learns your voice from past issues, monitors your sources, scores stories against your audience, and drafts your next issue. You review, edit, and send from your existing platform. The whole loop takes minutes per issue once it is set up.

Potions positions itself as a done-for-you newsletter system. Its team builds the template, writes each weekly newsletter, sends it to you for final edits and approval, and can help with list management, monetization, paid growth, drip campaigns, and strategy. Public pricing lists Starter at $299/mo monthly, Teams starting at $395/mo monthly for up to 5,000 subscribers, and flexible Power pricing. HeyNews and Potions sit on opposite ends of the build-vs-buy spectrum.

Honest comparison

What it does	Potions	HeyNews
Product type	Done-for-you newsletter system (humans plus AI)	Self-serve SaaS
Who writes the draft	A Potions team member, supported by AI; you approve before send	AI writer trained on your archive and sources; you review before send
Voice training	Team pulls from your website, blog, socials, brand assets, and content interviews	Voice Profile built automatically from every past issue, ready in minutes
Source monitoring	Done by the Potions team	RSS, blogs, social profiles, Reddit, browser extension, scored against your audience
Newsletter platform integration	Starts on your platform of choice or sends from Potions' own platform	Native beehiiv (API), Kit (OAuth); archive imports for Substack, Ghost, Mailchimp, Medium
Performance learning loop	Manual, run by the team	Automatic; reads open rate, CTR, unsubscribe data and adjusts future drafts
Time to first draft	Onboarding, then weekly cadence	Connect your platform; first draft ready in minutes
Pricing model	Public service plans from $299/mo monthly; Power is flexible pricing	Flat SaaS pricing: $39, $99, $299, $499/mo

When to choose Potions over HeyNews

You want a team running your newsletter end to end and you are willing to pay done-for-you service pricing for it.
You do not have time or interest in any part of the newsletter loop, including the 10-minute review step.
You want hands-on list management, paid growth, monetization help, drip campaigns, and ongoing strategy support from a service team.
You'd rather brief humans than learn an AI tool.

When to choose HeyNews over Potions

You want to keep editorial control and final say on every issue.
You want predictable flat-rate software pricing instead of a done-for-you service plan.
You publish on beehiiv, Kit, Substack, Ghost, Mailchimp, or Medium and want native or archive-based integration.
You want voice training that learns from your real archive instead of from a team onboarding period.
You want the next draft informed by your last issue's performance data, automatically.

Pricing

Plan	Potions	HeyNews
Pricing model	Starter $299/mo monthly ($169/mo annual); Teams from $395/mo monthly ($242/mo annual); Power flexible	Flat SaaS, $99 / $299 / $499 per month
Time-to-value	1-1 onboarding and strategy calls, then weekly approval cadence	First draft within minutes of connecting your archive
Editorial control	Approval-based, team executes	You write the brief and review every draft
Trial or sample	Try it Free / Get a Free Sample CTA	14 days OR 5 issues, payment method required
Cancellation	Subscription/service terms through Potions	Cancel anytime in two clicks before billing renews

Potions publishes done-for-you service pricing: Starter is $299/mo monthly or $169/mo billed annually; Teams starts at $395/mo monthly or $242/mo billed annually; Power is flexible. HeyNews sells self-serve software, so the cleaner comparison is total time saved, editorial control, and whether you want a team or a tool.

Use cases

The operator who almost hired Potions

You looked at a done-for-you service because the newsletter takes too long. Hiring a team felt like overkill. HeyNews trains on your archive and gives you the same time savings without handing the publication over.

The agency owner running a client newsletter

You can't outsource a client newsletter to a third-party service without losing margin and control. HeyNews handles drafting at flat-rate pricing so the agency keeps the relationship and the editorial layer.

The lawyer or consultant with a small list

You want a newsletter without a done-for-you service price tag. HeyNews trains on whatever archive exists, drafts from your sources, and starts at $39/mo.

The control-oriented founder

You'd rather drive the AI than brief a team every week. HeyNews keeps you in the editor instead of in a Slack channel with a vendor.

FAQ

Is Potions a software product like HeyNews?

No. Potions describes itself as a done-for-you newsletter system. A team builds the template, writes your newsletter, and sends it to you for approval. HeyNews is self-serve SaaS where the AI does the drafting and you review.

Is HeyNews cheaper than Potions?

At the published entry points, yes. HeyNews starts at $39/mo. Potions Starter is $299/mo monthly or $169/mo billed annually, and Teams starts at $395/mo monthly or $242/mo billed annually. The comparison is not like-for-like: Potions sells a service, while HeyNews sells software.

Can HeyNews do everything Potions does?

No. HeyNews does not handle list management, paid growth, drip campaigns, GTM coaching, or strategic branding assistance as a service. It handles drafting, sourcing, voice training, and the performance loop. Service work that humans do at Potions is out of scope.

Do I need a newsletter team to use HeyNews?

No. Most HeyNews users are solo operators or 2-to-3-person teams. Drafting, source review, and send-day approvals all run inside HeyNews and your existing platform.