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Best newsletter platform for small business (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.
A small business newsletter usually needs automations (welcome emails, follow-ups) and no "powered by" branding from the platform. We rank every tracked platform on the cheapest plan that includes both.
Short answer
- Our pick at 1,000 subscribers: EmailOctopus Pro, $13.50/mo. It is the cheapest plan that covers everything this use case needs at that size (and at 500, 2,500 and 5,000 subscribers too).
- Trade-offs of that plan: own domain not verified. If that matters, compare the next options in the ranking.
- Runner-up: MailerLite Comfort, $19/mo.
- 500 subscribers: EmailOctopus Pro at $10/mo.
- 2,500 subscribers: EmailOctopus Pro at $20/mo.
- 5,000 subscribers: EmailOctopus Pro at $31.50/mo.
Try EmailOctopus Try MailerLite
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 and no platform branding.
500 subscribers
| # | Platform and plan | Total /mo | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | EmailOctopus Pro | $10 | Visit |
| 2 | MailerLite Comfort | $12 | Visit |
| 3 | Mailchimp Essentials, limited | $13 | Visit |
| 4 | Brevo Standard | $18 | Visit |
| 5 | GetResponse Starter, limited | $19 | Visit |
| 6 | AWeber Plus | $30 | Visit (paid link) |
| 7 | Kit Creator | $39 | Visit |
| 8 | ActiveCampaign Plus | $59 | Visit |
| 9 | Buttondown Paid (usage-based) | $79 | Visit |
| 10 | beehiiv Pro | $109 | Visit (paid link) |
Not available for this use case at this size: Ghost, Substack.
Not ranked because a required feature isn't confirmed on their official pricing pages: Constant Contact.
1,000 subscribers
| # | Platform and plan | Total /mo | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | EmailOctopus Pro | $13.50 | Visit |
| 2 | MailerLite Comfort | $19 | Visit |
| 3 | GetResponse Starter, limited | $19 | Visit |
| 4 | Mailchimp Essentials, limited | $26.50 | Visit |
| 5 | Brevo Starter + No Brevo logo add-on, limited | $29 | Visit |
| 6 | Kit Creator | $39 | Visit |
| 7 | AWeber Plus | $45 | Visit (paid link) |
| 8 | ActiveCampaign Plus | $59 | Visit |
| 9 | Buttondown Paid (usage-based) | $79 | Visit |
| 10 | beehiiv Pro | $109 | Visit (paid link) |
Not available for this use case at this size: Ghost, Substack.
Not ranked because a required feature isn't confirmed on their official pricing pages: Constant Contact.
2,500 subscribers
| # | Platform and plan | Total /mo | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | EmailOctopus Pro | $20 | Visit |
| 2 | GetResponse Starter, limited | $29 | Visit |
| 3 | MailerLite Comfort | $33 | Visit |
| 4 | Brevo Starter + No Brevo logo add-on, limited | $37 | Visit |
| 5 | Mailchimp Essentials, limited | $45 | Visit |
| 6 | AWeber Plus | $55 | Visit (paid link) |
| 7 | Kit Creator | $59 | Visit |
| 8 | Buttondown Paid (usage-based) | $79 | Visit |
| 9 | ActiveCampaign Plus | $119 | Visit |
| 10 | beehiiv Pro | $149 | Visit (paid link) |
Not available for this use case at this size: Ghost, Substack.
Not ranked because a required feature isn't confirmed on their official pricing pages: Constant Contact.
5,000 subscribers
| # | Platform and plan | Total /mo | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | EmailOctopus Pro | $31.50 | Visit |
| 2 | Brevo Starter + No Brevo logo add-on, limited | $44 | Visit |
| 3 | MailerLite Comfort | $49 | Visit |
| 4 | GetResponse Starter, limited | $54 | Visit |
| 5 | Mailchimp Essentials, limited | $75 | Visit |
| 6 | Buttondown Paid (usage-based) | $79 | Visit |
| 7 | Kit Creator | $89 | Visit |
| 8 | AWeber Plus | $90 | Visit (paid link) |
| 9 | ActiveCampaign Plus | $179 | Visit |
| 10 | beehiiv Pro | $199 | Visit (paid link) |
Not available for this use case at this size: Ghost, Substack.
Not ranked because a required feature isn't confirmed on their official pricing pages: Constant Contact.
Rank with your exact needs Open in the calculator →
We rank on price and verified features only. Things like phone support or event tools aren't in the ranking; where official pages state them, they are on each platform page (for example, Constant Contact lists live phone and chat support on every plan: source).
FAQ
What is the best newsletter platform for small businesses?
On cost, from verified prices: at 1,000 subscribers EmailOctopus Pro at $13.50/mo. At 500: EmailOctopus Pro at $10/mo. At 2,500: EmailOctopus Pro at $20/mo. At 5,000: EmailOctopus Pro at $31.50/mo. Monthly billing, prices verified 2026-10-20.
How do you pick the best platform?
By total monthly cost at 500, 1,000, 2,500, 5,000 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 paid newsletters · best for beginners · best for creators · best for nonprofits · free plans compared · cheapest by list size · head-to-head comparisons · alternatives to Substack, Mailchimp, beehiiv and Kit