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Best newsletter platform for beginners (2026)
Last verified against official pricing pages · USD, monthly billing, excluding tax
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.
When you are starting out, the questions that matter are: can I start free, how far does the free plan go, and what will I pay once the list grows? This page answers those from verified prices.
Short answer
- 4 plans tie at $0/mo at 1,000 subscribers: beehiiv Free, Kit Free, Substack Free + 10% of paid revenue and EmailOctopus Free. Tie-breaker: lowest cost at 2,500 subscribers, then the free plan that lasts longest.
- Our pick at 1,000 subscribers: Substack Free + 10% of paid revenue, $0/mo. It is tied for the cheapest plan that covers a basic newsletter at that size (and at 500 and 2,500 subscribers too).
- Trade-offs of that plan: no automations, no branding removal, keeps 10% of paid revenue. If that matters, compare the next options in the ranking.
- Runner-up: Kit Free, $0/mo (no automations, no branding removal).
- 500 subscribers: beehiiv Free, Kit Free, Substack Free + 10% of paid revenue, EmailOctopus Free, AWeber Free and GetResponse Free at $0/mo.
- 2,500 subscribers: beehiiv Free, Kit Free, Substack Free + 10% of paid revenue and EmailOctopus Free at $0/mo.
Ranked by cost only. Links marked (paid link) are affiliate links: we earn a commission if you sign up through them, at no extra cost to you, and it never changes the order. Disclosure.
Guides: Is beehiiv worth it in 2026 · Substack to beehiiv migration · beehiiv Free plan (2026) · AWeber Free plan (2026)
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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)
Full ranking
Cheapest plan on each platform that covers the list size and sends a basic newsletter.
500 subscribers
| # | Platform and plan | Total /mo | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | beehiiv Free | $0 | Visit (paid link) |
| 2 | Kit Free | $0 | Visit |
| 3 | Substack Free + 10% of paid revenue | $0 | Visit |
| 4 | EmailOctopus Free | $0 | Visit |
| 5 | AWeber Free | $0 | Visit (paid link) |
| 6 | GetResponse Free | $0 | Visit |
| 7 | Buttondown Paid (usage-based) | $9 | Visit |
| 8 | Brevo Starter | $9 | Visit |
| 9 | MailerLite Comfort | $12 | Visit |
| 10 | Constant Contact Lite | $12 | Visit |
| 11 | Mailchimp Essentials | $13 | Visit |
| 12 | Ghost Starter | $18 | Visit |
| 13 | ActiveCampaign Starter | $19 | Visit |
1,000 subscribers
| # | Platform and plan | Total /mo | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | beehiiv Free | $0 | Visit (paid link) |
| 2 | Kit Free | $0 | Visit |
| 3 | Substack Free + 10% of paid revenue | $0 | Visit |
| 4 | EmailOctopus Free | $0 | Visit |
| 5 | Buttondown Paid (usage-based) | $9 | Visit |
| 6 | Brevo Starter | $17 | Visit |
| 7 | Ghost Starter | $18 | Visit |
| 8 | MailerLite Comfort | $19 | Visit |
| 9 | ActiveCampaign Starter | $19 | Visit |
| 10 | GetResponse Starter | $19 | Visit |
| 11 | AWeber Lite | $25 | Visit (paid link) |
| 12 | Mailchimp Essentials | $26.50 | Visit |
| 13 | Constant Contact Lite | $30 | Visit |
2,500 subscribers
| # | Platform and plan | Total /mo | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | beehiiv Free | $0 | Visit (paid link) |
| 2 | Kit Free | $0 | Visit |
| 3 | Substack Free + 10% of paid revenue | $0 | Visit |
| 4 | EmailOctopus Free | $0 | Visit |
| 5 | Brevo Starter | $25 | Visit |
| 6 | Buttondown Paid (usage-based) | $29 | Visit |
| 7 | GetResponse Starter | $29 | Visit |
| 8 | MailerLite Comfort | $33 | Visit |
| 9 | AWeber Lite | $35 | Visit (paid link) |
| 10 | Mailchimp Essentials | $45 | Visit |
| 11 | ActiveCampaign Starter | $49 | Visit |
| 12 | Constant Contact Lite | $50 | Visit |
| 13 | Ghost Publisher | $55 | Visit |
Rank with your exact needs Open in the calculator →
Start free: how far each free plan goes
- Substack: free at any list size
- Kit: free up to 10,000 subscribers
- beehiiv: free up to 2,500 subscribers
- EmailOctopus: free up to 2,500 subscribers
- AWeber: free up to 500 subscribers
- GetResponse: free up to 500 subscribers
- Brevo: free up to 300 subscribers
- MailerLite: free up to 250 subscribers
- Mailchimp: free up to 250 subscribers
- Buttondown: free up to 100 subscribers
Limits, automations and paid-subscription rules for each free plan: free newsletter platforms compared.
Want a welcome email sequence from day one? At 1,000 subscribers the cheapest plan with automations is EmailOctopus Free at $0/mo (limited automations).
FAQ
What is the best newsletter platform for beginners?
On cost, from verified prices: at 1,000 subscribers Substack Free + 10% of paid revenue, Kit Free, beehiiv Free and EmailOctopus Free at $0/mo. At 500: beehiiv Free, Kit Free, Substack Free + 10% of paid revenue, EmailOctopus Free, AWeber Free and GetResponse Free at $0/mo. At 2,500: beehiiv Free, Kit Free, Substack Free + 10% of paid revenue and EmailOctopus Free at $0/mo. Monthly billing, prices verified 2026-10-20.
Which newsletter platform is free for beginners?
Free plans in our data: Substack (any size), Kit (up to 10,000), beehiiv (up to 2,500), EmailOctopus (up to 2,500), AWeber (up to 500), GetResponse (up to 500), Brevo (up to 300), MailerLite (up to 250), Mailchimp (up to 250), Buttondown (up to 100). Prices verified 2026-10-20.
How do you pick the best platform?
By total monthly cost at 500, 1,000, 2,500 subscribers: the cheapest plan on each platform that covers the list size, from prices checked on the official pricing pages (2026-10-20). Features the official pages don't confirm count as not available. Ties are broken by cost at the largest size, then the bigger free plan. Affiliate links never change the order.
Sources
- beehiiv pricing (checked 2026-10-20)
- Kit pricing (checked 2026-10-20)
- MailerLite pricing (checked 2026-10-20)
- Ghost pricing (checked 2026-10-20)
- Buttondown pricing (checked 2026-10-20)
- Substack pricing (checked 2026-10-20)
- EmailOctopus pricing (checked 2026-10-20)
- Brevo pricing (checked 2026-10-20)
- Mailchimp pricing (checked 2026-10-20)
- AWeber pricing (checked 2026-10-20)
- Constant Contact pricing (checked 2026-10-20)
- ActiveCampaign pricing (checked 2026-10-20)
- GetResponse pricing (checked 2026-10-20)
- Stripe pricing (card-fee estimate)
- Stripe Billing pricing (0.7% on recurring payments)
More: best for paid newsletters · best for small businesses · best for creators · best for nonprofits · free plans compared · cheapest by list size · head-to-head comparisons · alternatives to Substack, Mailchimp, beehiiv and Kit