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Newsletter platform cost calculator
Enter your list size and the features you need. We show what beehiiv, Kit, MailerLite, Ghost, Buttondown, Substack, EmailOctopus, Brevo, Mailchimp, AWeber, Constant Contact, ActiveCampaign, GetResponse, Flodesk, Sender, Moosend, Klaviyo and Omnisend would actually cost you today — and at 2× and 5× your list — with every price linked to its official source.
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Prices change often. Every price here was checked against the platform's official pricing page on the date shown, but plans, promos and taxes vary. Always confirm on the official site before you buy or switch. Not financial advice.
Your newsletter
Results
| # | Platform | Cheapest fitting plan | Plan /mo | Total /mo | At 2× list | At 5× list | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buttondown Cheapest | Paid (usage-based) tier up to 5,000 | $29 | $29 | $79 | $239 | Visit |
| 2 | EmailOctopus | Pro tier up to 5,000 | $31.50 | $31.50 | $44.50 | $94.50 | Visit (paid link) |
| 3 | Brevo | Starter tier up to 5,000 limited automations on this plan; priced by emails sent; assumes 4 sends/subscriber/month | $32 | $32 | $46 | $82 | Visit |
| 4 | Sender | Standard tier up to 5,000 | $39 | $39 | $69 | $149 | Visit |
| 5 | Moosend | Pro tier up to 5,000 billed on peak contacts; overage charges above the tier | $48 | $48 | $88 | $160 | Visit |
| 6 | MailerLite | Comfort tier up to 5,000 | $49 | $49 | $89 | $179 | Visit |
| 7 | Flodesk | Lite tier up to 5,000 limited automations on this plan | $52 | $52 | $72 | $162 | Visit |
| 8 | GetResponse | Starter tier up to 5,000 limited automations on this plan; billed on peak contacts; overage charges above the tier | $54 | $54 | $79 | $174 | Visit |
| 9 | AWeber | Lite tier up to 5,000 limited automations on this plan | $60 | $60 | $100 | $210 | Visit (paid link) |
| 10 | Mailchimp | Essentials tier up to 5,000 limited automations on this plan; billed on peak contacts; overage charges above the tier | $75 | $75 | $110 | $270 | Visit |
| 11 | Constant Contact | Lite tier up to 5,000 limited automations on this plan | $80 | $80 | $120 | $280 | Visit |
| 12 | Omnisend | Standard tier up to 5,000 | $81 | $81 | $132 | $282 | Visit |
| 13 | Kit (ConvertKit) | Creator tier up to 5,000 | $89 | $89 | $139 | $199 | Visit |
| 14 | ActiveCampaign | Starter tier up to 5,000 billed on peak contacts; overage charges above the tier | $99 | $99 | $189 | $489 | Visit |
| 15 | Klaviyo | Email tier up to 5,000 | $100 | $100 | $150 | $400 | Visit |
| 16 | beehiiv | Lite tier up to 5,000 | $109 | $109 | $139 | $199 | Visit (paid link) |
Not shown (2)
- Ghost (Ghost(Pro)): Starter: no automations; Publisher: no automations; Business: no automations
- Substack: Free + 10% of paid revenue: no automations
Cheapest fitting plan per platform; ties keep the lower tier. "n/a" means no self-serve plan covers that list size or feature set. Ranking is by cost only — affiliate relationships never change the order (disclosure).
Next: What would switching cost me? · Best platform for my needs & budget · Price change tracker
Get alerted if these prices change
We re-check every platform's official pricing page and email you when a price, limit or fee changes, with before/after numbers and the cheapest alternative. Plus one monthly cost report. Free, no spam. What you get →
Recently flagged: Kit: 25% off the first year of Pro on annual billing (limited-time offer) (20 Oct 2026) · beehiiv renames plans and raises prices (Scale → Lite, Max → Pro) (1 Oct 2026)
Costs at a glance
- 1,000 subscribers (with automations, monthly billing): cheapest is EmailOctopus Free at $0/mo; most expensive tracked option is beehiiv at $59/mo.
- 10,000 subscribers (with automations, monthly billing): cheapest is EmailOctopus Pro at $44.50/mo; most expensive tracked option is ActiveCampaign at $189/mo.
- 50,000 subscribers (with automations, monthly billing): cheapest is EmailOctopus Pro at $178/mo; most expensive tracked option is ActiveCampaign at $759/mo.
Price-change log
Dated, sourced record of every pricing change we track — starting with beehiiv's October 2026 increase.
beehiiv price increase 2026
What you'll pay at your renewal and the cheaper alternatives at your list size.
Substack vs beehiiv vs Ghost
Cost at 1k, 10k and 50k subscribers — free and paid newsletters.
Head-to-head comparisons
- beehiiv vs Kit
- beehiiv vs Substack
- Kit vs MailerLite
- beehiiv vs MailerLite
- Substack vs Ghost
- Mailchimp vs MailerLite
- Brevo vs MailerLite
- Brevo vs Mailchimp
- AWeber vs MailerLite
- AWeber vs Mailchimp
- AWeber vs Kit
- Constant Contact vs Mailchimp
- Constant Contact vs MailerLite
- AWeber vs Constant Contact
- ActiveCampaign vs Mailchimp
- GetResponse vs Mailchimp
- ActiveCampaign vs GetResponse
- GetResponse vs MailerLite
- beehiiv vs Ghost
- Kit vs Substack
- Kit vs Mailchimp
- beehiiv vs Mailchimp
- Kit vs Ghost
- Substack vs MailerLite
- Ghost vs MailerLite
- beehiiv vs AWeber
- Substack vs Mailchimp
- AWeber vs Substack
- AWeber vs Ghost
- Ghost vs Mailchimp
- AWeber vs GetResponse
- AWeber vs ActiveCampaign
- AWeber vs Brevo
- beehiiv vs Brevo
- beehiiv vs Buttondown
- beehiiv vs Constant Contact
- beehiiv vs ActiveCampaign
- Kit vs Flodesk
- MailerLite vs Flodesk
- beehiiv vs Flodesk
- Sender vs MailerLite
- Sender vs Mailchimp
- Sender vs Brevo
- Sender vs Kit
- Sender vs EmailOctopus
- Moosend vs Mailchimp
- Moosend vs MailerLite
- Moosend vs Constant Contact
- Moosend vs Brevo
- Flodesk vs Moosend
- Flodesk vs Mailchimp
- Flodesk vs Substack
- Flodesk vs Constant Contact
- Flodesk vs Brevo
- MailerLite vs EmailOctopus
- EmailOctopus vs Mailchimp
- EmailOctopus vs Brevo
- EmailOctopus vs Kit
- EmailOctopus vs beehiiv
- Buttondown vs Substack
- Buttondown vs Mailchimp
- GetResponse vs Brevo
- ActiveCampaign vs Brevo
- ActiveCampaign vs Constant Contact
- ActiveCampaign vs Kit
- ActiveCampaign vs MailerLite
- Kit vs Brevo
- Constant Contact vs Brevo
- Constant Contact vs Kit
- GetResponse vs Kit
- Klaviyo vs Mailchimp
- Klaviyo vs Omnisend
- Klaviyo vs Brevo
- Klaviyo vs Constant Contact
- Klaviyo vs MailerLite
- Klaviyo vs Kit
- Klaviyo vs ActiveCampaign
- Klaviyo vs beehiiv
- Klaviyo vs Flodesk
- Klaviyo vs GetResponse
- AWeber vs Klaviyo
- Omnisend vs Mailchimp
- Omnisend vs Brevo
- Omnisend vs MailerLite
- Omnisend vs Kit
- Omnisend vs Flodesk
- Omnisend vs ActiveCampaign
- Omnisend vs beehiiv
- Constant Contact vs Omnisend
- All comparisons →
Cheapest platform for your list size
- Cheapest newsletter platform for 500 subscribers
- Cheapest newsletter platform for 1,000 subscribers
- Cheapest newsletter platform for 2,500 subscribers
- Cheapest newsletter platform for 5,000 subscribers
- Cheapest newsletter platform for 10,000 subscribers
- Cheapest newsletter platform for 25,000 subscribers
- Free newsletter platforms compared
Best platform for your use case
- Best for paid newsletters
- Best for beginners
- Best for small businesses
- Best for creators
- Best for nonprofits
Cheaper alternatives
- Substack alternatives
- Mailchimp alternatives
- beehiiv alternatives
- Kit alternatives
- Flodesk alternatives
- Sender alternatives
- Klaviyo alternatives
- Omnisend alternatives
- Moosend alternatives
FAQ
What is the cheapest newsletter platform?
It depends on list size and features. With no special needs, Substack is free (it takes 10% of paid subscription revenue instead), Kit is free up to 10,000 subscribers and beehiiv is free up to 2,500. If you need automations, EmailOctopus is usually the cheapest in our data; if you also want your website on your own domain, MailerLite or Buttondown usually is. Use the calculator for your exact numbers.
How much did beehiiv raise its prices in 2026?
On October 1, 2026 beehiiv renamed Scale to Lite and Max to Pro. At 10,000 subscribers on monthly billing, Lite went from $109 to $139/month and Pro from $219 to $239/month. Existing customers move to the new prices at their first renewal on or after November 1, 2026.
Does the calculator include payment processing fees?
Yes, if you tick "paid subscriptions". We add each platform's own cut (e.g. Substack 10%, Kit's all-in 3.5% + $0.30) plus an estimate of Stripe's standard card fee (2.9% + $0.30 per payment) for Stripe-based platforms, and Stripe's 0.7% Billing fee on recurring payments where the platform's own docs confirm subscriptions run on your Stripe account (beehiiv, MailerLite, Ghost, Buttondown, Substack, AWeber and Flodesk).
How often are prices checked?
Every price row shows the date it was last verified against the official pricing page and links to the source. Price changes are recorded in our dated price-change log.
Want to know when any of this changes? Get free price-change alerts.