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title: "Group subscriptions overview"
updated: 2026-08-06
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# Group subscriptions overview

> Available on **Max and Enterprise** plans.

If you want to sell your paid subscriptions in bulk to a school, company, community, or other group, beehiiv gives you two ways to do it: letting buyers purchase and manage a group themselves, or setting up a custom deal directly on their behalf. This article covers what a group subscription is and how to decide which setup path fits your situation. For step-by-step instructions, this article links out to a dedicated how-to guide for each path.

![](https://beehiivhelp.zendesk.com/hc/article_attachments/42502660487703)

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## What is a group subscription?

A group subscription is a single purchase of multiple seats on one of your paid tiers. The person who buys it (the admin) receives a pool of seats and distributes access by inviting readers: by email, by a shareable redemption link, or by uploading a list. Each invite that is claimed consumes one seat and grants that reader a full paid subscription.

The admin manages the whole group from one place: how many seats exist, who has claimed them, who is still pending, and when the group renews.

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## How you can use group subscriptions

-   Selling a block of annual subscriptions to a book club or community.
-   Gifting subscriptions to family members.
-   Providing paid access to an entire newsroom or team.
-   Offering subscriptions as a corporate benefit.

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## Individual vs. gift vs. group subscriptions

Your paid subscription tiers can support all three of these purchase options, if enabled:

| Option     | What it is                                                             | Best for                                            |
| ---------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------- |
| Individual | A reader buys one subscription for themselves.                         | Standard paid subscribers.                          |
| Gift       | A reader buys a subscription for one other person.                     | One-off gifts to a known recipient.                 |
| Group      | A buyer purchases many seats at once and distributes them via invites. | Teams, communities, families, and corporate access. |

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## Two ways to offer group subscriptions

-   **Self-serve group purchases**: a buyer selects the Group option on your upgrade page, chooses a seat count, and checks out with a credit card using your tier's standard pricing. For setup instructions, see [**How to set up and use self-serve group subscriptions as a publisher**](https://beehiivhelp.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/41479263368087)[.](https://beehiivhelp.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/41479263368087)
-   **Custom group deals**: you set the pricing, seat count, and billing method (credit card, invoice, or off-platform) directly for a specific buyer instead of routing them through self-serve checkout. For setup instructions, see [**How to create custom group deals for your paid subscribers**](https://beehiivhelp.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/42505970570007).

Once a buyer has a group subscription, whether purchased self-serve or set up as a custom deal, they manage it the same way. For that experience, see [How to manage a group subscription you purchased](https://beehiivhelp.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/41479441846423).

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