Home › Best platform for… › Paid newsletters
Ad disclosure: we earn a commission if you sign up through links marked (paid link), at no extra cost to you. Rankings are by cost only. Details
Best newsletter platform for paid newsletters (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.
If readers pay you, the platform's cut of your revenue can cost more than the monthly plan. We add both together (plus estimated card fees) for every platform that supports paid subscriptions.
Short answer
- Our pick at 5,000 subscribers: Kit Free, $145/mo including fees. It is the cheapest plan that covers everything this use case needs at that size (and at 1,000 and 10,000 subscribers too).
- Trade-offs of that plan: no automations, no branding removal. If that matters, compare the next options in the ranking.
- Runner-up: Buttondown Paid (usage-based), $176/mo.
- 1,000 subscribers: Kit Free at $29/mo.
- 10,000 subscribers: Kit Free at $290/mo.
- 25,000 subscribers: Ghost Publisher at $904/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 · beehiiv Free plan (2026) · AWeber Free plan (2026)
Get an email when these prices change
Platforms change prices, free-plan limits and fees without much notice. We check them every week and send one short email when something changes, with before/after numbers. Plus one monthly cost report. Free. 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)
Full ranking
Cheapest plan on each platform that covers the list size and includes paid subscriptions. Paid totals = plan + platform cut + Stripe card fees (2.9% + $0.30 per payment, estimate) + Stripe's 0.7% Billing fee on recurring payments where confirmed (beehiiv, MailerLite, Ghost, Buttondown, Substack and AWeber); not added for GetResponse (not confirmed); Kit's 3.5% + $0.30 is all-in. How we model fees
1,000 subscribers (50 pay $8/mo = $400 revenue)
| # | Platform and plan | Total /mo | You keep /mo | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kit Free | $29 | $371 | Visit |
| 2 | Buttondown Paid (usage-based) | $38.40 | $361.60 | Visit |
| 3 | MailerLite Comfort | $48.40 | $351.60 | Visit |
| 4 | AWeber Lite | $58.40 | $341.60 | Visit (paid link) |
| 5 | Ghost Publisher | $64.40 | $335.60 | Visit |
| 6 | Substack Free + 10% of paid revenue | $69.40 | $330.60 | Visit |
| 7 | beehiiv Lite | $88.40 | $311.60 | Visit (paid link) |
| 8 | GetResponse Creator | $95.60 | $304.40 | Visit |
Not available for this use case at this size: EmailOctopus.
Not ranked because a required feature isn't confirmed on their official pricing pages: Brevo, Mailchimp, Constant Contact, ActiveCampaign.
5,000 subscribers (250 pay $8/mo = $2,000 revenue)
| # | Platform and plan | Total /mo | You keep /mo | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kit Free | $145 | $1,855 | Visit |
| 2 | Buttondown Paid (usage-based) | $176 | $1,824 | Visit |
| 3 | MailerLite Comfort | $196 | $1,804 | Visit |
| 4 | Ghost Publisher | $222 | $1,778 | Visit |
| 5 | AWeber Lite | $227 | $1,773 | Visit (paid link) |
| 6 | GetResponse Creator | $242 | $1,758 | Visit |
| 7 | beehiiv Lite | $256 | $1,744 | Visit (paid link) |
| 8 | Substack Free + 10% of paid revenue | $347 | $1,653 | Visit |
Not available for this use case at this size: EmailOctopus.
Not ranked because a required feature isn't confirmed on their official pricing pages: Brevo, Mailchimp, Constant Contact, ActiveCampaign.
10,000 subscribers (500 pay $8/mo = $4,000 revenue)
| # | Platform and plan | Total /mo | You keep /mo | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kit Free | $290 | $3,710 | Visit |
| 2 | Buttondown Paid (usage-based) | $373 | $3,627 | Visit |
| 3 | MailerLite Comfort | $383 | $3,617 | Visit |
| 4 | Ghost Publisher | $399 | $3,601 | Visit |
| 5 | GetResponse Creator | $400 | $3,600 | Visit |
| 6 | beehiiv Lite | $433 | $3,567 | Visit (paid link) |
| 7 | AWeber Lite | $434 | $3,566 | Visit (paid link) |
| 8 | Substack Free + 10% of paid revenue | $694 | $3,306 | Visit |
Not available for this use case at this size: EmailOctopus.
Not ranked because a required feature isn't confirmed on their official pricing pages: Brevo, Mailchimp, Constant Contact, ActiveCampaign.
25,000 subscribers (1,250 pay $8/mo = $10,000 revenue)
| # | Platform and plan | Total /mo | You keep /mo | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ghost Publisher | $904 | $9,096 | Visit |
| 2 | MailerLite Comfort | $914 | $9,086 | Visit |
| 3 | GetResponse Creator | $914 | $9,086 | Visit |
| 4 | Kit Creator | $924 | $9,076 | Visit |
| 5 | beehiiv Lite | $934 | $9,066 | Visit (paid link) |
| 6 | Buttondown Paid (usage-based) | $974 | $9,026 | Visit |
| 7 | AWeber Lite | $1,045 | $8,955 | Visit (paid link) |
| 8 | Substack Free + 10% of paid revenue | $1,735 | $8,265 | Visit |
Not available for this use case at this size: EmailOctopus.
Not ranked because a required feature isn't confirmed on their official pricing pages: Brevo, Mailchimp, Constant Contact, ActiveCampaign.
Rank with your exact needs Open in the calculator →
What each platform takes from paid subscriptions
| Platform | Revenue cut | Free plan up to |
|---|---|---|
| beehiiv | 0% + Stripe fees | 2,500 |
| Kit | 3.5% + $0.30 per payment, card fees included | 10,000 |
| MailerLite | 0% + Stripe fees | 250 |
| Ghost | 0% + Stripe fees | no free plan |
| Buttondown | 0% + Stripe fees | 100 |
| Substack | 10% + Stripe fees | no limit |
| AWeber | 0.6–1% (by plan) + Stripe fees | 500 |
| GetResponse | 0% + Stripe fees | 500 |
Paid subscriptions not verified on the official pricing pages: Brevo, Mailchimp, Constant Contact, ActiveCampaign. A plan must allow paid subscriptions to be ranked here (e.g. Ghost Starter and MailerLite Free don't).
FAQ
What is the best newsletter platform for paid newsletters?
On cost, from verified prices: at 5,000 subscribers Kit Free at $145/mo. At 1,000: Kit Free at $29/mo. At 10,000: Kit Free at $290/mo. At 25,000: Ghost Publisher at $904/mo. Monthly billing, prices verified 2026-10-20.
Is Substack the cheapest way to run a paid newsletter?
Substack is free to start but keeps 10% of paid revenue. With 5% of subscribers paying $8/month, monthly totals including Stripe fees compare like this: 1,000: Substack $69.40 vs Kit $29; 5,000: Substack $347 vs Kit $145; 10,000: Substack $694 vs Kit $290; 25,000: Substack $1,735 vs Ghost $904. Prices verified 2026-10-20.
How do you pick the best platform?
By total monthly cost at 1,000, 5,000, 10,000, 25,000 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)
More: best for beginners · 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