Best Newsletter Platforms (September 2026), Decided on Published Plans
Kit is the best newsletter platform for most writers: its free plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited broadcasts, landing pages and forms, and Creator at $33 a month ($390 billed yearly) at 1,000 subscribers adds unlimited automations. Choose beehiiv for a paid newsletter: 0% take rate on paid subscriptions from Scale ($43 a month billed annually at up to 1,000 subscribers) and a free plan to 2,500 subscribers. Choose MailerLite for the cheapest paid plan at 1,000 subscribers ($17.10 a month billed yearly), and Substack only if you want no plan at all and accept a 10% share of paid revenue.
See Kit plans →The four, side by side
| Feature | Kit 🏆 | beehiiv | MailerLite | Substack |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan cap | Up to 10,000 subscribers ✅ | Up to 2,500 subscribers | Up to 250 subscribers | No cap stated; "free to start" |
| Price at 1,000 subscribers | $0 free, or Creator $33/mo ($390/yr) | $0 free, or Scale $43/mo annual ($517/yr) ✅ | Comfort $17.10/mo yearly ($205.20/yr) ✅ | No per-subscriber price |
| Fee on paid subscriptions | 3.5% + 30c per sale | 0% take rate on Scale and Max ✅ | Not stated | 10% of paid revenue plus card fees |
| Custom domain | Every plan | Every plan, including Launch | Comfort and Power | Not stated |
| Automations | None on Free; unlimited on Creator and Pro | Scale and Max only | 3 on Free; 50 on Comfort; unlimited on Power | Not stated |
| Referral or recommendations | Free Recommendations on every plan; referral system on Pro | Scale and above | Affiliate and referral programs mentioned in FAQ | Not stated |
Prices are the vendors' USD figures on the billing period shown, at the tier that covers 1,000 subscribers. beehiiv and MailerLite price by subscriber tier and charge more above 1,000; Kit's figures are the ones its page shows at 1,000 subscribers. Substack publishes no pricing page, so its facts come from its About page. Sources and dates are under each card below.
How we decide
Newsletter platforms are decided on three published facts: how many subscribers the free plan allows, what the cheapest paid plan costs at 1,000 subscribers, and what share of paid-subscription revenue the platform keeps.
- The ranking rule for this page: Rank by the free plan's subscriber cap first, then by the cheapest paid plan's price per month at 1,000 subscribers on annual billing, then by the fee taken on paid subscriptions; a product whose page does not state a figure ranks below products that do on that criterion.
- Where the facts come from: each product's own pricing and documentation pages, linked under every card with the date we checked them. When a vendor changes a plan, the fact changes here on the next check, and the date moves.
- What we do not do: star ratings, review counts, or claims to have tested the software in a lab. We compare what the companies publish, and we say when two products are close.
- How we are paid: some links pay us a commission if you start a paid plan. That is disclosed in the footer, it never changes the price you pay, and products with no partner program are ranked on the same rule as products with one.
The picks
Kit (formerly ConvertKit)
Free to 10,000 subscribers, then $33 a month for automations
- Free plan Yes: "Free, up to 10,000 subscribers"; 1 user, unlimited landing pages and forms, unlimited email broadcasts, tagging and segmentation, sell digital products and subscriptions; no Visual Automations
- Creator $33/mo shown with "$390 billed yearly, Save $78 per year" at the 1,000-subscriber tier; 2 users, unlimited Visual Automations and email sequences, remove Kit branding, RSS campaigns, 24/7 email and chat support
- Pro $66/mo shown with "$790 billed yearly, Save $158 per year" at the 1,000-subscriber tier; unlimited users, Subscriber Signals, engagement analytics, newsletter referral system, priority support
- Fee on paid subscriptions "3.5% + 30c" on any digital product or subscription, listed on every plan and described as inclusive of card processing, "so Kit only takes 0.6% of the total fees"
- Custom domain Yes: "connect your own custom domain" is listed for landing pages on every plan
- Automations None on Free; unlimited Visual Automations on Creator and Pro
- Referral and recommendations Free Recommendations on every plan; Smart Recommendations on Creator and Pro; newsletter referral system (a free SparkLoop plan) on Pro only; Paid Recommendations fee 23.5%
- Trial 14-day free trial on Creator and Pro, no credit card required; annual billing described as "save 17%"
Facts from Kit's pricing page, checked 2026-09-05.
Kit's free plan is the reason it ranks first. It covers up to 10,000 subscribers, four times beehiiv's free cap and forty times MailerLite's, with unlimited landing pages, forms and email broadcasts, tagging and segmentation, and the ability to sell digital products and subscriptions. What Free lacks is Visual Automations; those arrive on Creator, which the page shows at $33 a month with $390 billed yearly (a stated saving of $78 a year) at 1,000 subscribers, along with unlimited email sequences, branding removal, RSS campaigns and a second user. Pro at $66 a month ($790 billed yearly) adds Subscriber Signals, engagement analytics, unlimited users and a newsletter referral system. Selling anything costs 3.5% + 30c per transaction, which the page describes as inclusive of card processing.
beehiiv
0% take rate on Scale, free to 2,500 subscribers
- Free plan Launch, $0: up to 2,500 subscribers, unlimited email sends and posts, 3 publications, 1 team member, website, custom domains, recommendation network, API access (excluding Send API); no automations, no paid subscriptions, no referral program
- Scale $43 per month, "$517 billed annually" (Save $71/year), or $49 billed monthly, at the "Up to 1,000 subscribers" tier; adds ad network, recommendations, paid subscriptions, digital products, email automations, surveys and polls, webhooks, 3 team seats
- Max $96 per month, "$1,151 billed annually" (Save $157/year), or $109 billed monthly, at the same tier; adds removal of beehiiv branding, sponsorship storefront, audio newsletters, up to 10 publications, unlimited seats, Send API, click-triggered automations
- Fee on paid subscriptions "0% Take Rate on Paid Subscriptions" on Scale and above; the FAQ states you keep everything "minus Stripe's standard processing fee of 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction"
- Custom domain Yes, listed on Launch and every paid plan
- Automations Email automations on Scale and Max; click-triggered automations on Max only; none on Launch
- Referral program Not on Launch; available on Scale, Max and Enterprise
- Higher tiers The pricing page prices Scale and Max by subscriber tier from 1,000 up to 100K; Enterprise is custom pricing for 100K+
Facts from beehiiv's pricing page, checked 2026-09-05.
beehiiv's Launch plan is free up to 2,500 subscribers with unlimited sends, a website, a custom domain and the recommendation network, but it does not allow paid subscriptions, automations or a referral program. Those come with Scale, which the page shows at $43 a month billed annually ($517 a year, a stated saving of $71) or $49 billed monthly at the "Up to 1,000 subscribers" tier, and the page states a 0% take rate on paid subscriptions; its FAQ says you keep everything minus Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. Max, $96 a month billed annually ($1,151 a year) or $109 monthly, removes beehiiv branding and adds the sponsorship storefront, up to 10 publications, the Send API and click-triggered automations. A writer who expects paid revenue should compare beehiiv's flat plan price against Substack's 10%.
MailerLite
Comfort $17.10 a month billed yearly, but the free plan stops at 250
- Free plan $0: up to 250 subscribers, 2,500 monthly emails, 2 user seats, 3 automations, 1 website and 1 landing page, 3 signup forms, community support
- Comfort $17.10/month "billed yearly" ($205.20/year, Save 10%) or $19 billed monthly at the "up to 1,000 subscribers" tier; monthly emails are 10 times the subscriber tier ceiling (10,000 at the 1,000 tier), 3 user seats, 50 automations, 10 websites and landing pages, remove MailerLite logo, 24/7 email support
- Power $35.10/month billed yearly ($421.20/year) or $39 billed monthly at the up to 1,000 subscribers tier; unlimited monthly emails, unlimited user seats, unlimited automations, 24/7 live chat
- Lowest tier Comfort $10.80/mo billed yearly ($129.60/yr, $12 monthly) and Power $22.50/mo billed yearly ($270/yr, $25 monthly) at up to 500 subscribers
- Fee on paid subscriptions Not stated on the pricing page ("Send paid newsletters" and "Sell recurring subscriptions" are listed on Comfort and Power, not on Free)
- Custom domain Yes on Comfort and Power; not on Free
- Automations 3 on Free, 50 on Comfort, unlimited on Power
- Referral program The FAQ states MailerLite "offers a referral program as well as an affiliate program"; the page states no subscriber-referral feature for newsletters
- Trial 14-day free trial of premium features, no credit card required
Facts from MailerLite's pricing page, checked 2026-09-05.
MailerLite ranks third because its free plan stops at 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month, though it does include 3 automations, a landing page and 3 forms. Its paid plans are the lowest priced here: at the tier up to 1,000 subscribers, Comfort is $17.10 a month billed yearly ($205.20 a year, a stated 10% saving) or $19 monthly, with 50 automations, 10 websites and landing pages, logo removal and a custom domain; Power is $35.10 a month billed yearly ($421.20) or $39 monthly with unlimited emails, seats and automations. The page lists paid newsletters and recurring subscriptions on both paid plans but states no fee for them, so a writer planning to charge readers should check that before choosing it on price.
Substack
Free to start, no subscriber cap stated, writers keep 90% of paid revenue
- Free plan "Free to start" and "free to leave"; no subscriber cap or plan limits stated
- Plans None. Substack publishes no plan names, subscriber tiers or monthly prices; substack.com/pricing returns a 404
- Fee on paid subscriptions "Writers keep 90% of their revenue minus credit card fees" and "90% goes to you. The rest powers the platform."
- Custom domain Not stated on the About page
- Automations Not stated on the About page
- Referral program Not stated on the About page; it describes recommendations and discovery as ways readers find publications
- Price at 1,000 subscribers Not applicable: no per-subscriber pricing exists; the cost is the 10% share of paid revenue
Facts from Substack's About page (Substack publishes no pricing page), checked 2026-09-05.
Substack is ranked last on this page's rule, not on popularity: it publishes no pricing page, no plan names, no subscriber tiers and no monthly price, so it cannot be compared on the first two criteria, and on the third its About page states that writers keep 90% of their revenue minus credit card fees, the largest stated share on this page. What it offers instead is a platform that is "free to start" with no cap stated, and reader discovery through recommendations. For a free newsletter Substack costs nothing; for a paid one, the 10% share exceeds beehiiv's flat plan price once monthly paid revenue passes about $430 (the point at which 10% of revenue equals beehiiv Scale's $43 a month on annual billing).
Which one should you actually get?
- You want the largest free list: Kit, to 10,000 subscribers. beehiiv Launch covers 2,500.
- You will charge readers: beehiiv Scale, 0% take rate for $43 a month billed annually at 1,000 subscribers. Substack's 10% share costs more than that above roughly $430 a month in paid revenue.
- You want the cheapest paid plan with automations: MailerLite Comfort at $17.10 a month billed yearly ($19 monthly) for 1,000 subscribers.
- You want no plan to think about and accept 10%: Substack.
Head to head
Frequently Asked Questions
On the vendors' published plans, Kit is the best newsletter platform for most writers: its free plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited broadcasts, and Creator is $33 a month ($390 billed yearly) at 1,000 subscribers when you need automations. beehiiv is the pick for a paid newsletter, because it takes 0% of paid-subscription revenue on Scale ($43 a month billed annually at up to 1,000 subscribers) and gives 2,500 free subscribers. MailerLite is the cheapest paid plan at 1,000 subscribers ($17.10 a month billed yearly) but its free plan stops at 250. Substack has no plans or prices at all and keeps 10% of paid revenue.
Kit: free up to 10,000 subscribers, with unlimited landing pages, forms and email broadcasts, but no Visual Automations. beehiiv Launch is free up to 2,500 subscribers with unlimited sends and a custom domain, but no automations, paid subscriptions or referral program. MailerLite Free covers 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month with 3 automations. Substack is "free to start" and states no subscriber cap.
beehiiv states a 0% take rate on paid subscriptions on its Scale and Max plans; its FAQ says you keep everything minus Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. Kit lists a 3.5% + 30c fee on any product or subscription, inclusive of card processing. Substack keeps 10% of revenue, minus credit card fees. MailerLite offers paid newsletters on Comfort and Power but its pricing page does not state a fee.
Kit: $0 on the free plan, or Creator at $33 a month ($390 billed yearly) for automations. beehiiv: $0 on Launch, or Scale at $43 a month billed annually ($517 a year; $49 billed monthly). MailerLite: Comfort $17.10 a month billed yearly ($205.20 a year; $19 monthly) or Power $35.10 billed yearly ($421.20; $39 monthly). Substack: no per-subscriber price; the cost is 10% of paid revenue.
beehiiv lists custom domains on its free Launch plan and every paid plan. Kit lists connecting your own custom domain for landing pages on every plan. MailerLite lists custom domains on Comfort and Power, not on Free. Substack's About page does not state anything about custom domains.
Every price on this page was read from the vendor's own pricing page on 2026-09-05 and is linked under each card. beehiiv and MailerLite price by subscriber tier, so the figures here are for the tier that covers 1,000 subscribers; Kit shows one price at 1,000 subscribers. The linked page is the authority and this page is updated on each check.