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Cheapest newsletter platform for 5,000 subscribers (2026)
Last verified against official pricing pages · USD, 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.
Short answer
- Basic newsletter: Kit Free, Substack Free + 10% of paid revenue at $0/mo full ranking
- With automations: Buttondown Paid (usage-based) at $29/mo full ranking
- With automations + website on your own domain: Buttondown Paid (usage-based) at $29/mo full ranking
- With automations, no platform branding: EmailOctopus Pro at $31.50/mo full ranking
- Paid newsletter (5% pay $8/mo): Kit Free at $145/mo full ranking
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Full rankings for 5,000 subscribers
Basic newsletter
| # | Platform | Cheapest fitting plan | Total /mo (monthly billing) | Total /mo (annual billing) | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kit | Free | $0 | $0 | Visit |
| 2 | Substack | Free + 10% of paid revenue | $0 | $0 | Visit |
| 3 | Buttondown | Paid (usage-based) | $29 | $24.17 | Visit |
| 4 | EmailOctopus | Pro | $31.50 | $28 | Visit |
| 5 | Brevo | Starter (priced by emails sent; assumes 4 sends/subscriber/month) | $32 | $28.75 | Visit |
| 6 | MailerLite | Comfort | $49 | $44.10 | Visit |
| 7 | Ghost | Publisher | $75 | $63 | Visit |
| 8 | Mailchimp | Essentials | $75 | n/a | Visit |
| 9 | beehiiv | Lite | $109 | $95 | Visit (affiliate) |
With automations
| # | Platform | Cheapest fitting plan | Total /mo (monthly billing) | Total /mo (annual billing) | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buttondown | Paid (usage-based) | $29 | $24.17 | Visit |
| 2 | EmailOctopus | Pro | $31.50 | $28 | Visit |
| 3 | Brevo | Starter (limited automations) (priced by emails sent; assumes 4 sends/subscriber/month) | $32 | $28.75 | Visit |
| 4 | MailerLite | Comfort | $49 | $44.10 | Visit |
| 5 | Mailchimp | Essentials (limited automations) | $75 | n/a | Visit |
| 6 | Kit | Creator | $89 | $74.17 | Visit |
| 7 | beehiiv | Lite | $109 | $95 | Visit (affiliate) |
Not available for this scenario: Ghost, Substack.
With automations + website on your own domain
| # | Platform | Cheapest fitting plan | Total /mo (monthly billing) | Total /mo (annual billing) | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buttondown | Paid (usage-based) | $29 | $24.17 | Visit |
| 2 | MailerLite | Comfort | $49 | $44.10 | Visit |
| 3 | Kit | Creator | $89 | $74.17 | Visit |
| 4 | beehiiv | Lite | $109 | $95 | Visit (affiliate) |
Not available for this scenario: Ghost, Substack, Mailchimp.
Not ranked because a required feature isn't confirmed on their official pricing pages: EmailOctopus, Brevo.
With automations, no platform branding
| # | Platform | Cheapest fitting plan | Total /mo (monthly billing) | Total /mo (annual billing) | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | EmailOctopus | Pro | $31.50 | $28 | Visit |
| 2 | Brevo | Starter + No Brevo logo add-on (limited automations) (priced by emails sent; assumes 4 sends/subscriber/month) | $44 | $39.55 | Visit |
| 3 | MailerLite | Comfort | $49 | $44.10 | Visit |
| 4 | Mailchimp | Essentials (limited automations) | $75 | n/a | Visit |
| 5 | Buttondown | Paid (usage-based) | $79 | $65.83 | Visit |
| 6 | Kit | Creator | $89 | $74.17 | Visit |
| 7 | beehiiv | Pro | $199 | $169 | Visit (affiliate) |
Not available for this scenario: Ghost, Substack.
Paid newsletter (5% pay $8/mo)
| # | Platform | Cheapest fitting plan | Total /mo (monthly billing) | Total /mo (annual billing) | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kit | Free | $145 | $145 | Visit |
| 2 | Buttondown | Paid (usage-based) | $162 | $157.17 | Visit |
| 3 | MailerLite | Comfort | $182 | $177.10 | Visit |
| 4 | Ghost | Publisher | $208 | $196 | Visit |
| 5 | beehiiv | Lite | $242 | $228 | Visit (affiliate) |
| 6 | Substack | Free + 10% of paid revenue | $333 | $333 | Visit |
Not available for this scenario: EmailOctopus.
Not ranked because a required feature isn't confirmed on their official pricing pages: Brevo, Mailchimp.
Ranked by total monthly cost on monthly billing (the cheapest plan on each platform that covers 5,000 subscribers and the required features). Paid totals include platform cut + estimated card processing. Ranking is by cost only — affiliate links never change the order (disclosure).
Adjust in the calculator Rank with your exact needs and budget →
FAQ
What is the cheapest newsletter platform for 5,000 subscribers?
For a basic newsletter: Kit Free, Substack Free + 10% of paid revenue at $0/mo. If you need automations: Buttondown Paid (usage-based) at $29/mo. Monthly billing, prices verified 2026-10-20.
What is the cheapest option for 5,000 subscribers with automations and my own domain?
Buttondown Paid (usage-based) at $29/mo, on monthly billing.
What is the cheapest platform for a paid newsletter with 5,000 subscribers?
Assuming 250 paid subscribers at $8/month: Kit Free at $145/mo, including platform cut and estimated card processing.
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)
- Stripe pricing (card-fee estimate)
Other sizes: 1,000 subscribers · 10,000 subscribers · 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
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