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Best of 2026The best newsletter platforms in 2026
Five platforms, five different goals. What each costs at 1,000 subscribers, the cut it takes when you charge, and who it suits. Every figure comes from the official pages.
Researched from official pricing and help pages. Not hands-on tested.
Disclosure (#ad): We earn a commission if you sign up through links marked “paid link” (beehiiv), at no extra cost to you. Links marked “not a paid link” earn us nothing. Commissions never change a score or a fact on this page. How this works.
Our picks at a glance
Picked by goal. Prices in USD.
beehiiv
0% cut of paid subscriptions on Lite and Pro, a built-in Ad Network, and Free up to 2,500 subscribers.[B1] Read our beehiiv review.
Free · Lite $59/mo or ≈$49/mo billed annually (1,000 subs)
Kit
The free Newsletter plan goes up to 10,000 subscribers, with unlimited broadcasts.[K2] Automations need a paid plan.[K2]
Free · Creator $390/yr (≈$33/mo) at 1,000 subs
Substack
Free to publish at any list size. It keeps 10% of paid subscriptions, plus Stripe fees.[S1] Compare with beehiiv.
Free · 10% of paid subscriptions
systeme.io
Email, sales funnels and courses in one tool, with “no transaction fees”.[Y1]
Free (2,000 contacts) · Startup $17/mo
MailerLite
Comfort starts at $12/month. The free plan is small: 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month.[M1]
Free (250 subs) · Comfort from $12/mo
Side by side
| Platform | Free plan | Entry paid plan (1,000 subs) | Cut of paid subscriptions | Built-in ad network | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| beehiiv | Up to 2,500 subs, unlimited sends[B1] | Lite: $59/mo, or ≈$49/mo billed annually[B1] | 0% on paid plans + Stripe 2.9% + $0.30[B1] | Yes, Lite and up (not all regions)[B1] | Check price(paid link: we may earn a commission) |
| Kit | Up to 10,000 subs[K2] | Creator: $390/yr (≈$33/mo)[K1] | 3.5% + 30¢, card processing included[K1] | Newsletter sponsorships and Paid Recommendations[K1] | See plans(not a paid link) |
| Substack | Free, no subscriber limit[S1] | No monthly plan | 10% + Stripe fees[S1] | Not listed on the pages we checked | Visit(not a paid link) |
| systeme.io | 2,000 contacts[Y1] | Startup: $17/mo, 5,000 contacts[Y1] | “No transaction fees”[Y1] | Not listed | See plans(not a paid link) |
| MailerLite | 250 subs, 2,500 emails/mo[M1] | Comfort: from $12/mo[M1] | Not checked (unverified) | Not listed | See plans(not a paid link) |
USD, from each official page on the dates in the sources. MailerLite's $12 is its stated starting price. The pricing FAQ doesn't say which list size or billing period it applies to. Kit's monthly-billing price wasn't captured, so only the yearly figure is shown.
How to choose
- Earning from paid subs or sponsors: beehiiv takes 0% on paid plans.[B1] Substack takes 10%.[S1] Kit charges 3.5% + 30¢ on subscriptions and products.[K1]
- Biggest free list: Kit (10,000)[K2], then beehiiv (2,500)[B1], systeme.io (2,000 contacts)[Y1] and MailerLite (250)[M1]. Substack has no limit but takes its cut when you charge.[S1]
- Funnels and courses too: systeme.io includes funnels and courses on every plan, with 1 course on Free.[Y1]
- Coming from Substack: beehiiv has an official import for posts and free and paid subscribers.[B3] Read our migration guide.
How we picked
We compared the free plan, the entry paid plan, the cut each platform takes and the money-making tools, using each company's own pricing and help pages. Each pick is the platform whose published plans fit that goal best. We list picks by goal, and commissions don't set the order. We haven't tested deliverability, support or the editors. How we research.
Only beehiiv pays us (paid link). Kit, Substack, systeme.io and MailerLite links are plain links that earn us nothing.
FAQ
What's the best free newsletter platform?
For list size, Kit: its free plan goes to 10,000 subscribers.[K2] If you want to charge for subscriptions on day one with no bill, Substack is free and keeps 10%.[S1]
Which platform takes the smallest cut of paid subscriptions?
Of the five, beehiiv on its paid plans: 0% plus Stripe's fees.[B1] systeme.io says “no transaction fees”[Y1], but it's built for funnels and courses, not newsletter subscriptions.
Are these prices in Australian dollars?
No. All five publish USD prices on the pages we checked. Your card may add a currency conversion fee.
Did you test these platforms?
No. This page compares published plans, linked below. If we test any of them hands-on, we'll say so here.
Sources
- [B1] beehiiv, pricing page and plan comparison (USD): beehiiv.com/pricing (checked 31 Oct 2026)
- [B3] beehiiv, “How to migrate from Substack to beehiiv” (updated 22 Jun 2026): beehiiv.com/support (checked 31 Oct 2026)
- [K1] Kit pricing page: kit.com/pricing (checked 29 Oct 2026)
- [K2] Kit Help Center, “The Kit Free plan” (updated 23 Sep 2026): help.kit.com (checked 29 Oct 2026)
- [S1] Substack, “How much does Substack cost?” (updated 29 Sep 2026): support.substack.com (checked 30 Oct 2026)
- [S2] Substack, custom domains: support.substack.com (checked 30 Oct 2026)
- [M1] MailerLite pricing page and pricing FAQ: mailerlite.com/pricing (checked 31 Oct 2026)
- [Y1] systeme.io pricing page (states “Last updated: April 2026”): systeme.io/pricing (checked 29 Oct 2026)