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Best newsletter platform for nonprofits (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.
Several platforms publish a nonprofit discount. We apply the published discount to the verified list price and rank by what a nonprofit actually pays, on the cheapest plan with automations.
Short answer
- Our pick at 2,500 subscribers: EmailOctopus Free, $0/mo. It is the cheapest plan that covers everything this use case needs at that size (and at 1,000 subscribers too).
- Trade-offs of that plan: limited automations, own domain not verified, no branding removal. If that matters, compare the next options in the ranking.
- Runner-up: MailerLite Comfort, $23.10/mo.
- 1,000 subscribers: EmailOctopus Free at $0/mo.
- 5,000 subscribers: Buttondown Paid (usage-based) at $29/mo.
- 10,000 subscribers: EmailOctopus Pro at $44.50/mo.
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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 · 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 includes automations.
1,000 subscribers
| # | Platform and plan | List price /mo | Nonprofit price /mo | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | EmailOctopus Free, limited | $0 | $0 | Visit |
| 2 | MailerLite Comfort | $19 | $13.30 (−30%) | Visit |
| 3 | Brevo Starter, limited | $17 | $17 | Visit |
| 4 | AWeber Lite, limited | $25 | $18.75 (−25%) | Visit (paid link) |
| 5 | ActiveCampaign Starter | $19 | $19 | Visit |
| 6 | GetResponse Starter, limited | $19 | $19 | Visit |
| 7 | Mailchimp Essentials, limited | $26.50 | $22.53 (−15%) | Visit |
| 8 | Buttondown Paid (usage-based) | $29 | $29 | Visit |
| 9 | Constant Contact Lite, limited | $30 | $30 | Visit |
| 10 | Kit Creator | $39 | $39 | Visit |
| 11 | beehiiv Lite | $59 | $59 | Visit (paid link) |
Not available for this use case at this size: Ghost, Substack.
2,500 subscribers
| # | Platform and plan | List price /mo | Nonprofit price /mo | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | EmailOctopus Free, limited | $0 | $0 | Visit |
| 2 | MailerLite Comfort | $33 | $23.10 (−30%) | Visit |
| 3 | Brevo Starter, limited | $25 | $25 | Visit |
| 4 | AWeber Lite, limited | $35 | $26.25 (−25%) | Visit (paid link) |
| 5 | Buttondown Paid (usage-based) | $29 | $29 | Visit |
| 6 | GetResponse Starter, limited | $29 | $29 | Visit |
| 7 | Mailchimp Essentials, limited | $45 | $38.25 (−15%) | Visit |
| 8 | ActiveCampaign Starter | $49 | $49 | Visit |
| 9 | Constant Contact Lite, limited | $50 | $50 | Visit |
| 10 | Kit Creator | $59 | $59 | Visit |
| 11 | beehiiv Lite | $79 | $79 | Visit (paid link) |
Not available for this use case at this size: Ghost, Substack.
5,000 subscribers
| # | Platform and plan | List price /mo | Nonprofit price /mo | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buttondown Paid (usage-based) | $29 | $29 | Visit |
| 2 | EmailOctopus Pro | $31.50 | $31.50 | Visit |
| 3 | Brevo Starter, limited | $32 | $32 | Visit |
| 4 | MailerLite Comfort | $49 | $34.30 (−30%) | Visit |
| 5 | AWeber Lite, limited | $60 | $45 (−25%) | Visit (paid link) |
| 6 | GetResponse Starter, limited | $54 | $54 | Visit |
| 7 | Mailchimp Essentials, limited | $75 | $63.75 (−15%) | Visit |
| 8 | Constant Contact Lite, limited | $80 | $80 | Visit |
| 9 | Kit Creator | $89 | $89 | Visit |
| 10 | ActiveCampaign Starter | $99 | $99 | Visit |
| 11 | beehiiv Lite | $109 | $109 | Visit (paid link) |
Not available for this use case at this size: Ghost, Substack.
10,000 subscribers
| # | Platform and plan | List price /mo | Nonprofit price /mo | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | EmailOctopus Pro | $44.50 | $44.50 | Visit |
| 2 | Brevo Starter, limited | $46 | $46 | Visit |
| 3 | MailerLite Comfort | $89 | $62.30 (−30%) | Visit |
| 4 | AWeber Lite, limited | $100 | $75 (−25%) | Visit (paid link) |
| 5 | Buttondown Paid (usage-based) | $79 | $79 | Visit |
| 6 | GetResponse Starter, limited | $79 | $79 | Visit |
| 7 | Mailchimp Essentials, limited | $110 | $93.50 (−15%) | Visit |
| 8 | Constant Contact Lite, limited | $120 | $120 | Visit |
| 9 | beehiiv Lite | $139 | $139 | Visit (paid link) |
| 10 | Kit Creator | $139 | $139 | Visit |
| 11 | ActiveCampaign Starter | $189 | $189 | Visit |
Not available for this use case at this size: Ghost, Substack.
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Published nonprofit discounts
- MailerLite: 30% off any paid plan (replaces the annual discount; lifetime once approved). source
- AWeber: 3 months of Lite or Plus free for new accounts, then 25% off every invoice. source
- Mailchimp: 15% off for verified nonprofits (request it before you buy; not retroactive). source
- Constant Contact: "Save up to 30% on paid plans when you prepay" (exact terms not published, so not included in our numbers). source
Checked 2026-10-20 on each platform's official site. We did not find a published nonprofit discount for beehiiv, Kit, Ghost, Buttondown, Substack, EmailOctopus, Brevo, ActiveCampaign, GetResponse; if one exists we haven't verified it, so they are shown at list price. Discounts need proof of nonprofit status and approval by the platform. Prices on monthly billing; AWeber's first 3 free months are not included in the monthly figure.
FAQ
What is the best newsletter platform for nonprofits?
On cost, from verified prices: at 2,500 subscribers EmailOctopus Free at $0/mo after published nonprofit discounts. At 1,000: EmailOctopus Free at $0/mo. At 5,000: Buttondown Paid (usage-based) at $29/mo. At 10,000: EmailOctopus Pro at $44.50/mo. Monthly billing, prices verified 2026-10-20.
Which email platforms give nonprofits a discount?
Published on the official sites (checked 2026-10-20): MailerLite: 30% off any paid plan (replaces the annual discount; lifetime once approved); AWeber: 3 months of Lite or Plus free for new accounts, then 25% off every invoice; Mailchimp: 15% off for verified nonprofits (request it before you buy; not retroactive); Constant Contact: "Save up to 30% on paid plans when you prepay" (exact terms not published, so not included in our numbers).
How do you pick the best platform?
By total monthly cost at 1,000, 2,500, 5,000, 10,000 subscribers: the cheapest plan on each platform that covers the list size and includes what this use case needs, 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)
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