A storyarb alternative for teams who want to keep editorial in-house

storyarb is a done-for-you B2B content service. Its tiers with a newsletter run $9,999 to $13,999/mo on 6- or 12-month minimums, and long-form starts on the $13,999 tier. HeyNews is self-serve newsletter AI at $39-499/mo flat. Build the engine yourself instead of renting it.

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What it is

HeyNews is a self-serve AI newsletter writer for creators, operators, and B2B marketing teams. 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.

storyarb is a done-for-you B2B content service. A team of strategists and writers runs an always-on content program across social, email newsletters, and long-form, interviewing your SMEs and reporting on attributable pipeline. Its pricing page lists Executive at $4,999/mo for executive social posts only (a designated point of contact and at least two executives are required), Essentials at $9,999/mo with a biweekly newsletter, Scale at $13,999/mo with long-form added, and custom pricing for Premium, according to storyarb's pricing page (checked October 11, 2026). Executive and Essentials have 6-month minimums; Scale and Premium have 12-month minimums. Different category from HeyNews: services vs software.

Honest comparison

What it does	storyarb	HeyNews
Product type	Done-for-you B2B content service (humans plus AI)	Self-serve SaaS
Scope	Multi-channel content program: social, newsletters, custom content; long-form on Scale and Premium	Newsletter drafting only (AI layer; you send from your ESP)
Who writes the draft	storyarb team writes; SME interviews, monthly strategy sessions	AI writer trained on your archive and sources; you review
Voice training	Team learns your brand and your SMEs over an onboarding period; SME interviews drive the content	Voice Profile built automatically from your recent issues, ready in minutes
Source ingestion	Done by storyarb's team; SMEs are the primary input	RSS, blogs, social profiles, Reddit, browser extension, with relevance scoring
Newsletter platform integration	Helps set up beehiiv or works in your existing ESP; does not handle distribution yet	beehiiv import and unsent drafts in beehiiv (paid beehiiv plan); Kit import (OAuth); archive import for Substack, Ghost, Mailchimp, Medium
Reporting	A contact-based reporting stack in every tier	Open, click, unsubscribe, and bounce rates in Analytics (beehiiv and Kit); opens and clicks feed story ranking and subject lines
Time to first draft	Onboarding period plus the agency cadence	Connect your platform; first draft within minutes
Contract length	6-month minimum (Executive, Essentials) or 12-month minimum (Scale, Premium)	Monthly subscription; cancel anytime
Pricing model	$4,999 to $13,999/mo listed, custom for Premium	Flat SaaS: $39 / $99 / $299 / $499 per month

storyarb details are according to storyarb's homepage and storyarb's pricing page (checked October 11, 2026).

When to choose storyarb over HeyNews

You want a dedicated content team running social plus newsletter plus long-form as one connected program, not just newsletter drafting.
Your B2B marketing team is 1-15 people and you need outside firepower for SME-driven content at scale.
You want contact-based reporting and quarterly performance reviews as part of the deliverable.
You can commit to a 6- or 12-month minimum and a $9,999 to $13,999/mo budget for the tiers that include a newsletter.
You explicitly want humans interviewing your SMEs, not an AI summarizing what they already wrote.

When to choose HeyNews over storyarb

You only need newsletter drafting, not a multi-channel content program.
You want flat monthly SaaS pricing ($39-499/mo) instead of a service retainer ($9,999 to $13,999/mo for storyarb's newsletter tiers).
You want to keep editorial in-house and use AI as a force-multiplier, not outsource the work.
You publish on beehiiv, Kit, Substack, Ghost, Mailchimp, or Medium and want native or archive-based integration.
You want monthly billing with no contract minimum, not a 6-12 month commitment.

Pricing

Plan	storyarb	HeyNews
Pricing model	Monthly program fee with a 6- or 12-month minimum	Flat SaaS, monthly billing, cancel anytime
Entry tier	$4,999/mo Executive (executive social only, 6-month minimum; a designated point of contact and at least two executives are required); $9,999/mo Essentials is the lowest tier with a newsletter	$39/mo Hobbyist (5 issues/mo, 1 publication)
Mid tier	$13,999/mo Scale (multi-channel: social, newsletter, long-form; 12-month minimum)	$99/mo Starter (15 issues/mo, 2 publications)
Top tier	Premium: custom pricing, 12-month minimum, fully custom partner	$499/mo Team (90 issues/mo, 10 publications, 100 AI revisions per draft)
Free trial	No free trial listed; plans start with a demo request	14 days OR 5 issues, payment method required
Scope	Social, newsletters, custom content, and reporting; long-form from Scale up	Newsletter drafting only (you keep your ESP, social, and long-form workflow)

storyarb details are according to storyarb's pricing page (checked October 11, 2026).

storyarb's lowest tier ($4,999/mo, executive social only) costs more than 100 times HeyNews Hobbyist at $39/mo, but they are not the same product. storyarb sells a multi-channel content program with humans; HeyNews sells AI drafting software. The right comparison is build vs buy and scope.

Use cases

The B2B marketing team that almost hired storyarb

You looked at storyarb because the content backlog is crushing your team of 3. The retainer math did not work. HeyNews trains on your past newsletter issues at $39-499/mo and gives back the time without the agency commitment. You still write the briefs; HeyNews does the drafting.

The startup that wants to keep content in-house

Outsourcing voice to an agency feels like outsourcing your brand. HeyNews keeps editorial inside your team and uses AI as the force-multiplier. The Voice Profile trains on issues your team has already written.

The agency owner running client newsletters

Outsourcing a client newsletter to a third-party agency usually costs margin and control. HeyNews gives you flat-rate AI drafting per publication, so you keep the client relationship and the editorial layer.

The B2B founder who needs newsletter content but not full agency scope

storyarb's $9,999/mo Essentials tier covers a biweekly newsletter and social posts, according to storyarb's Essentials tier page (checked October 11, 2026), and long-form starts at $13,999/mo on Scale. If you only need the newsletter slice, HeyNews handles that from $39/mo, and you can layer in social and long-form yourself when ready.

FAQ

Is storyarb a software product like HeyNews?

No. storyarb is a done-for-you B2B content service. A team of strategists and writers runs your content program: SME interviews, social posts, newsletters, long-form, custom content, and reporting. HeyNews is self-serve AI software for newsletter drafting.

Is HeyNews cheaper than storyarb?

Yes, by roughly two orders of magnitude per month. storyarb's lowest tier with a newsletter is Essentials at $9,999/mo with a 6-month minimum, according to storyarb's pricing page (checked October 11, 2026). HeyNews starts at $39/mo with monthly billing. But the comparison is not really apples-to-apples. storyarb sells a multi-channel content program with humans; HeyNews sells newsletter AI software.

Can HeyNews do everything storyarb does?

No. HeyNews does newsletter drafting (sourcing, voice, drafts, performance loop). storyarb covers social posts, SME-driven long-form content, custom content such as lead magnets, and contact-based reporting with quarterly performance reviews. Multi-channel content programs and human SME interviews are out of HeyNews scope.

Do I need a content team to use HeyNews?

No. Most HeyNews users are solo operators or 2-5-person teams. Drafting, source review, and send-day approvals run inside HeyNews and your existing platform. You do still need someone to brief, review, and approve drafts before they go out.

What if I need newsletter AND social AND long-form?

Then a service like storyarb may be a better fit if budget allows, because they run all three as a connected program. Or you can use HeyNews for the newsletter slice ($39-499/mo) and handle social and long-form with your existing tools or hires. Different shapes for different teams.

How long does it take to get going with HeyNews?

Connect your platform or paste your archive URL, and the first Voice Profile is ready in minutes. You can generate your first draft the same day. No onboarding period, no SME interviews required.

Does HeyNews lock me into a contract?

No. Plans bill monthly or yearly with no minimum term beyond the period you pay for. Cancel from Account settings and your plan runs to the end of that period. storyarb requires a 6-month minimum on Essentials and 12-month minimum on Scale and Premium.