A newsletter is the one audience you own: no algorithm decides whether your readers see your post. The platforms below split into two families. Newsletter platforms are built for writers, with a web archive, paid subscriptions and growth tools. Email marketing tools are built for selling, with forms, automations and segments. Many creators end up wanting a bit of both.
What separates them for one person is the free tier and how price grows with your list. Some free plans stop you sending at 250 contacts, others let you reach 2,500. Some take a cut of paid subscriptions, some take none. Plans and terms were read from each platform's own pricing and terms pages on 4 Nov 2026, and user scores from Trustpilot the same day.
Quick picks
- Biggest free list for a newsletter: beehiiv, free up to 2,500 subscribers with 0% taken from paid subscriptions.
- Free email marketing with room to grow: Sender, free for 2,500 subscribers and 15,000 emails a month, rated 4.9 from 1,594 reviews.
- Cheapest simple paid plan: EmailOctopus Pro from $9/mo billed yearly, rated 4.8.
- Nothing to pay until readers pay: Substack, free to publish, keeping 10% of paid subscriptions.
- Good-looking emails without design skills: Flodesk, rated 4.8, but its free plan cannot send email.
How these platforms were compared
This guide is built from what each company publishes and what its customers report. For every platform it checks the free tier and what happens when you outgrow it, the first paid plan monthly and yearly, any cut of paid subscriptions, refund terms, and the Trustpilot score with recent review themes.
Compare at a glance
| Platform | Free plan | First paid plan | Refunds | Trustpilot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| beehiiv | 2,500 subscribers | $49/mo ($39 yearly) | Auto-renews until cancelled | 3.9 (414) |
| Substack | Free, 10% of paid revenue | No plan fee | Not stated | 1.4 (186) |
| Ghost | Trial only | $25/mo ($18 yearly) | No refunds | Too few reviews |
| Kit | See pricing | See pricing | Not stated | 3.8 (166) |
| Buttondown | 100 subscribers | $9/mo | Not stated | Not listed |
| MailerLite | 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails | $12/mo ($9 yearly) | Only if they end service | 4.1 (3,398) |
| Sender | 2,500 subscribers, 15,000 emails | $9/mo ($5.40 yearly) | Only if they end service | 4.9 (1,594) |
| EmailOctopus | 2,500 subscribers, 10,000 emails | $10/mo ($9 yearly) | Yearly not refundable | 4.8 (348) |
| Flodesk | Forms and pages, no sending | $25/mo ($19 yearly) | Not stated | 4.8 (323) |
| Mailchimp | 250 contacts, 500 sends | $13/mo | None on monthly plans | 2.5 (1,558) |
Newsletter platforms
Built for writers who publish an issue every week or month, often with a paid tier.
beehiiv
from $49/mo
Free plan: Up to 2,500 subscribers
beehiiv is an all-in-one newsletter platform with paid subscriptions (it takes 0%), an ad network, a referral program and digital products. The free plan covers up to 2,500 subscribers with one publication and 30 days of analytics, and keeps beehiiv branding. Lite is $49/mo ($39/mo yearly) for up to 100,000 subscribers. Removing branding needs Pro at $95/mo. Plans renew automatically until cancelled.
On Trustpilot, beehiiv scores 3.9 from 414 reviews. Reviewers say setting up a newsletter, a site and paid subscriptions is easy, and praise responsive support.
Pick it if you want to grow and monetize a newsletter and can live with branding on the free plan.
Substack
See pricing
Free plan: Unlimited free publishing to email and web
Substack is free to publish, with paid subscriptions, podcasts and video, and you keep your subscriber list. Instead of a monthly fee it keeps 10% of paid subscription revenue, plus card fees. Disputes over purchases are handled between readers and writers.
On Trustpilot, Substack scores 1.4 from 186 reviews. Many recent reviews come from readers rather than writers, complaining about chatbot-only support, billing and trouble unsubscribing.
Pick it if you want to start writing today with no cost until readers pay.
Ghost
Ghost is open source software for a blog and newsletter in one, with paid memberships. Managed hosting starts at $25/mo ($18/mo yearly) for 1,000 members with the default theme; custom themes and paid subscriptions come with Publisher at $39/mo. There is no permanent free plan, and its terms say all sales are final. Trustpilot has too few reviews for a reliable score.
Pick it if you want your newsletter and website to be one site you control.
Kit
Kit, formerly ConvertKit, offers broadcasts and sequences, visual automations, landing pages and a network where creators recommend each other. Billing is based on active subscribers, not emails sent. Its current plan prices could not be read for this guide.
On Trustpilot, Kit scores 3.8 from 166 reviews. Reviewers find landing pages, email sequences and digital products easy to set up, and like the community and support.
Pick it if you sell courses or products to your list and want automations built for creators.
Buttondown
Buttondown is simple newsletter software with a Markdown editor, hosted archives and privacy-first analytics. It is free for the first 100 subscribers; Basic is $9/mo up to 1,000. Tagging and automations are paid add-ons, and the prices assume at most one email a day to your whole list.
Pick it if you write in Markdown and want a clean, quiet tool.
Email marketing tools
Forms, automations and segments for selling to your list.
Sender
from $9/mo
Free plan: 2,500 subscribers, 15,000 emails/month
Sender offers forms and popups, automations, transactional email and SMS. Its free plan allows 2,500 subscribers and 15,000 emails a month, with Sender branding. Standard is $9/mo ($5.40/mo yearly) without branding. Refunds are given only if Sender ends the service without cause.
On Trustpilot, Sender scores 4.9 from 1,594 reviews. Reviewers call it reliable and praise patient, knowledgeable support.
Pick it if you want the most generous free email marketing plan.
EmailOctopus
from $10/mo
Free plan: 2,500 subscribers, 10,000 emails/month
EmailOctopus has a drag-and-drop editor, automations and templates. The free Starter plan covers 2,500 subscribers and 10,000 emails a month, with its branding and 30 days of reports. Pro starts at $10/mo ($9/mo yearly). Yearly plans are not refundable for business customers.
On Trustpilot, EmailOctopus scores 4.8 from 348 reviews. Reviewers like how clean and simple it is to design and schedule campaigns.
Pick it if you want a simple tool at a low price.
MailerLite
from $12/mo
Free plan: 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails/month
MailerLite combines email with a landing page and website builder, paid newsletter subscriptions and booking. The free plan stops at 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month, and sending is locked if you go over. Comfort is $12/mo ($9/mo yearly) for 1,000 subscribers.
On Trustpilot, MailerLite scores 4.1 from 3,398 reviews. Reviewers praise support that walks them through setup step by step.
Pick it if you want email and a simple website in one account.
Flodesk
from $25/mo
Free plan: Forms and pages, no email sending
Flodesk is known for designer templates, plus forms, workflows and a checkout. The free plan builds forms, landing pages and a link-in-bio page but cannot send email. Lite is $25/mo ($19/mo yearly) for up to 25,000 subscribers with unlimited sends; hiding the Flodesk footer needs Pro.
On Trustpilot, Flodesk scores 4.8 from 323 reviews. Reviewers say it makes good-looking emails and workflows easy without any design or coding skill.
Pick it if the look of your emails matters and your list is growing past a few thousand.
Mailchimp
from $13/mo
Free plan: 250 contacts, 500 sends/month
Mailchimp offers email and SMS, automations and over 300 integrations. The free plan covers 250 contacts and 500 sends a month, and sending stops if you go over. Essentials starts at $13/mo. Monthly plans are never refunded; yearly plans have a 60-day money-back window.
On Trustpilot, Mailchimp scores 2.5 from 1,558 reviews. Most recent reviewers report account lockouts, login problems and support that did not resolve them.
What to check before you commit
- What happens at the limit. MailerLite and Mailchimp stop sending when the free list is full.
- Cuts of paid subscriptions. Substack keeps 10%; beehiiv takes 0%.
- Branding. beehiiv, Sender and EmailOctopus show their branding on free plans.
- Refunds. Ghost, Sender and MailerLite generally refuse them; Mailchimp refunds only yearly plans within 60 days.
Which one should you pick?
- You write a newsletter and want to grow it: beehiiv.
- You want to start for nothing: Substack, or Sender for email marketing.
- You want a blog and newsletter in one site: Ghost.
- You sell products to your list: Kit.
- You care most about design: Flodesk.
How this guide was put together
The platform list comes from the guides that rank highest for newsletter and email marketing tools, plus tools that run partner programs. Plans, limits and terms come from each platform's own pricing, help and terms pages, read on 4 Nov 2026. User ratings and review themes come from each platform's Trustpilot page, read the same day; they reflect what reviewers chose to post, not a survey of all users.