The best newsletter platform depends less on features than on how you plan to earn. If you’ll charge readers, the fee model decides most of the outcome: Substack is free to run but keeps 10% of every paid subscription, while beehiiv’s Lite plan and Ghost’s Publisher plan take nothing, so on a $10 subscription the gap is $1 per reader per month. If your newsletter supports a business, Kit and MailerLite are stronger at automations and selling products.
Free plans differ more than people expect. Kit is free up to 10,000 subscribers, beehiiv up to 2,500, MailerLite only up to 250, and Substack has no limit at all. beehiiv also raised its prices on 1 October 2026, so older comparisons quote numbers that no longer apply.
The Short Answer
| If you | Choose | Because |
|---|---|---|
| Want to start writing today for free | Substack | No limit, built-in discovery network |
| Plan to charge and keep all the revenue | beehiiv or Ghost | 0% platform cut on paid subscriptions |
| Run a business or sell digital products | Kit | Free to 10,000 subscribers, strong automations |
| Want the cheapest paid email tool | MailerLite | $17.10 a month at 1,000 subscribers |
| Want a simple, writer-first tool | Buttondown | $9 a month up to 1,000 subscribers |
Newsletter Platform Pricing Compared
| Platform | Free plan | About 1,000 subscribers | About 10,000 subscribers | Cut of paid subscriptions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Substack | Unlimited | $0 | $0 | 10% |
| beehiiv | Up to 2,500 | $49/month (Lite, yearly) | $119/month (Lite, yearly) | 0% on Lite |
| Ghost(Pro) | No (self-host free) | $29/month (Publisher, yearly) | $88/month (Publisher, yearly) | 0% |
| Kit | Up to 10,000 | $33/month (Creator, yearly) | Free plan still applies | 3.5% + 30¢ per sale, incl. card fees |
| MailerLite | Up to 250 | $17.10/month (Comfort, yearly) | Higher tier | Check vendor |
| Buttondown | Up to 100 | $9/month | $79/month | 0% (paid add-on $9/month) |
Will You Charge Readers for Your Newsletter?
This is the question that separates the platforms most. Here’s what each one keeps from a $10 monthly subscription before card processing:
| Platform | Platform cut on $10 | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Substack | $1.00 | Plus Stripe’s 2.9% + 30¢ and 0.7% recurring billing fee; you keep about $8.34 |
| beehiiv Lite | $0 | Payments run through your own Stripe account |
| Ghost Publisher | $0 | Starter plan can’t take paid subscriptions |
| Kit | About $0.06 | Kit’s 3.5% + 30¢ already includes card processing |
| Buttondown | $0 | Paid subscriptions cost $9 a month as an add-on |
At 500 paying readers on $10 a month, Substack’s 10% comes to $500 a month, or $6,000 a year. If those 500 paying readers sit within a list of about 10,000 subscribers, beehiiv Lite would cost $119 a month and Ghost Publisher $88, both billed yearly, so the fee gap widens as paid revenue grows. Substack’s case is that the fee buys its discovery network and an app that brings readers to you, which matters most at the start.
How Will New Readers Find You?
Substack
Substack is free at any size, with no subscriber limit, and has the strongest built-in discovery: its app, recommendations between publications and Notes put your posts in front of readers who’ve never heard of you. The trade-off comes when you charge: Substack keeps 10% of paid revenue, on top of Stripe’s processing fees. Substack’s case is that the fee buys its discovery network and an app that brings readers to you, which matters most at the start. You can export your subscriber list, and paid subscriptions run through your own Stripe account, so moving later is possible.
beehiiv
beehiiv is free up to 2,500 subscribers, then from $49 a month billed yearly on Lite, with 0% taken from paid subscriptions. It grows through tools rather than a network: a referral programme that rewards readers for sharing, Boosts that let other newsletters pay to recommend you (or pay you to recommend them), and an ad network on paid plans.
Its October 2026 change matters for budgeting. Scale was renamed Lite, and prices rose at every tier: from $43 to $49 a month at 1,000 subscribers and from $96 to $119 at 10,000, billed yearly ($139 monthly). Existing customers move to the new prices at their first renewal on or after 1 November 2026.
Ghost
Ghost is built for search. Every issue is also a post on your own website with your own domain, so archives can rank on Google over time. Publisher costs $29 a month billed yearly at 1,000 members and takes 0% of paid subscriptions; the cheaper Starter plan can’t take payments at all. Ghost is also open source, so you can self-host it for the cost of a server and keep full control of your site, members and data. Our guide to website builders for small business covers other site options if you want a full website around your newsletter.
Buttondown
Buttondown is a small, independent tool popular with technical writers. It’s priced as a free plan plus add-ons, with paid subscriptions, analytics and sponsorships at $9 a month, custom-domain archives and automations at $29, and teams at $79. It takes no cut of paid subscriptions beyond the add-on. See our Buttondown profile.
Is Your Newsletter Part of a Business?
If the newsletter sells courses, digital products or services, choose an email marketing tool over a publishing platform.
Kit
Kit is built for creators selling online. Its free Newsletter plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited broadcasts, forms and landing pages; Creator, at $33 a month billed yearly for 1,000 subscribers, adds visual automations and a second user.
MailerLite
MailerLite is the low-cost option for small businesses that also send newsletters. It renamed its plans in 2026 and cut the free tier from 500 to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month. Comfort costs $17.10 a month billed yearly ($19 monthly) at 1,000 subscribers, and Power $35.10.
For transactional email and SMS alongside newsletters, our Brevo profile covers its plans, and before sending to a new list, read our email warmup guide.
What Happens to Your Costs as You Grow?
| Platform | When costs start | What changes at 10,000 subscribers |
|---|---|---|
| Substack | Never, unless you charge | Still free; the 10% fee grows with revenue |
| beehiiv | Above 2,500 subscribers | Lite rises to $119/month yearly ($139 monthly) |
| Kit | Above 10,000, or when you need automations | Free plan ends; Creator pricing applies |
| Ghost | From day one on Ghost(Pro) | Publisher rises to $88/month yearly |
| Buttondown | Above 100 subscribers | $79/month |
| MailerLite | Above 250 subscribers | Comfort scales with list size |
beehiiv’s October 2026 change matters here. Scale was renamed Lite, and prices rose at every tier: from $43 to $49 a month at 1,000 subscribers and from $96 to $119 at 10,000, billed yearly. Existing customers move to the new prices at their first renewal on or after 1 November 2026.
Do You Want to Own Your Platform?
Ghost
Ghost is open source, so you can self-host it for the cost of a server and keep full control of your site, members and data. Ghost(Pro) is the hosted version for people who’d rather not manage a server.
Buttondown
Buttondown is a small, independent tool popular with technical writers. It’s priced as a free plan plus add-ons, with paid subscriptions, analytics and sponsorships at $9 a month, custom-domain archives and automations at $29, and teams at $79.
On every platform, check that you can export your subscriber list, and whether paid subscribers stay attached to your own Stripe account if you leave.
Can You Get Paid From India?
Most of these platforms collect payments through Stripe, and that’s the problem for writers based in India. Stripe’s India pricing page says standard pricing is invite-based, and Substack says Indian creators who weren’t already connected to Stripe can’t connect a new account through Substack. Those already connected can still run paid subscriptions. Writers have also reported issues with Indian card rules for recurring payments and rupee-only pricing for overseas readers.
The practical options for Indian writers:
- Start free and earn through sponsorships until payments are sorted.
- Check whether the platform supports a payment processor available to you before you launch paid tiers.
- Use a membership platform that pays out internationally for the paid side.
- Confirm how GST and foreign remittance rules apply with a CA.
FAQs
What is the best free newsletter platform?
Which newsletter platform takes the lowest fees?
Is beehiiv better than Substack?
How much did beehiiv’s prices go up?
What is the best Substack alternative?
Can I move my newsletter from Substack to another platform?
Can Indian writers charge for a newsletter?
Pricing as of November 2026, in US dollars before tax. Newsletter platforms change plans often, and beehiiv’s October 2026 change is still rolling out to existing customers, so check each pricing page before you commit.
