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Free newsletter platforms compared (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.
13 of the 18 platforms we track have a free plan. They differ a lot: in how many subscribers you can have, whether automations and paid subscriptions are included, and what you pay the day you outgrow them.
Short answer
- Biggest free lists: Substack (no limit), Kit (10,000), beehiiv (2,500), EmailOctopus (2,500).
- Free with automations: EmailOctopus (limited) up to 2,500, Sender up to 2,500, AWeber (limited) up to 500, Brevo (limited) up to 300, MailerLite (limited) up to 250, Klaviyo up to 250, Omnisend up to 250.
- Free with paid subscriptions: Substack (10% + Stripe fees), Kit (3.5% + $0.30 all-in), AWeber (1% + Stripe fees).
- No free plan: Ghost, Constant Contact, ActiveCampaign, Flodesk, Moosend.
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Every free plan side by side
| Platform | Free up to (subscribers) | Automations | Paid subscriptions | Own domain | No platform branding |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Substack | No limit | No | Yes: 10% + Stripe fees | Yes | No |
| Kit | 10,000 | No | Yes: 3.5% + $0.30 all-in | Yes | No |
| beehiiv | 2,500 | No | No | No | No |
| EmailOctopus | 2,500 | Limited | No | Not verified | No |
| Sender | 2,500 | Yes | Not verified | No | No |
| AWeber | 500 | Limited | Yes: 1% + Stripe fees | Not verified | No |
| GetResponse | 500 | No | No | Not verified | No |
| Brevo | 300 | Limited | Not verified | Not verified | No |
| MailerLite | 250 | Limited | No | No | No |
| Mailchimp | 250 | No | Not verified | Not verified | No |
| Klaviyo | 250 | Yes | Not verified | No | No |
| Omnisend | 250 | Yes | Not verified | Yes | No |
| Buttondown | 100 | No | No | No | No |
"Not verified" = the official pricing pages don't say, so we don't count it. "Limited" = included with caps (see the limits below). Card fees on paid subscriptions are Stripe's unless marked all-in.
The catch with each free plan
- Substack: No subscriber limit. Substack keeps 10% of paid-subscription revenue (plus Stripe fees); a custom domain is a one-time $50. No automation builder. source
- Kit: Up to 10,000 subscribers. No visual automations or sequences, Kit branding stays. Paid subscriptions allowed: 3.5% + 30¢ per transaction, card processing included. source
- beehiiv: Up to 2,500 subscribers. No automations, paid subscriptions or own domain on Free (beehiiv's pages disagree on own domain, so we count it from Lite). source
- EmailOctopus: 2,500 subscribers, 10,000 emails a month, up to 3 automation sequences, EmailOctopus branding. source
- Sender: 2,500 subscribers and 15,000 emails a month, 1 seat; email automation, forms, popups and up to 10 landing pages included. Sender branding stays, and custom domains need a paid plan. source
- AWeber: 500 subscribers and 3,000 sends a month; 1 list, 1 automation, 1 landing page; AWeber branding stays. Paid subscriptions via Stripe at 1.0% per transaction plus Stripe fees. source
- GetResponse: 500 contacts (unconfirmed and removed contacts count) and 2,500 newsletters a month. Automations only during the first 14 days; GetResponse badge on every email. Paid newsletters need a paid plan. source
- Brevo: Sends up to 300 emails a day (stores up to 100,000 contacts), so we count it as covering 300 subscribers per send. Automations limited to 2,000 contacts, Brevo branding stays. source
- MailerLite: 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month, 3 active automations (5 steps each). No paid newsletters on Free. source
- Mailchimp: 250 contacts, 500 emails a month (250 a day), 1 user; sending pauses when you hit a limit. Automation flows are listed as 'Not included' in the pricing page's key-features table. Mailchimp branding stays. source
- Klaviyo: 250 active profiles and 500 emails a month, plus $5 of mobile messages; flows, segmentation and forms included. Klaviyo branding stays, and email support ends after 60 days. source
- Omnisend: 250 contacts and 500 emails a month with all features, including automation workflows; the Omnisend badge stays. Non-subscribed customers count toward the 250. source
- Buttondown: Free for your first 100 subscribers. source
Which free plans fit your list?
| Subscribers | Free plans that cover it | …with automations |
|---|---|---|
| 250 | beehiiv, Kit, MailerLite, Substack, EmailOctopus, Brevo, Mailchimp, AWeber, GetResponse, Sender, Klaviyo, Omnisend | MailerLite, EmailOctopus, Brevo, AWeber, Sender, Klaviyo, Omnisend |
| 500 | beehiiv, Kit, Substack, EmailOctopus, AWeber, GetResponse, Sender | EmailOctopus, AWeber, Sender |
| 1,000 | beehiiv, Kit, Substack, EmailOctopus, Sender | EmailOctopus, Sender |
| 2,500 | beehiiv, Kit, Substack, EmailOctopus, Sender | EmailOctopus, Sender |
| 10,000 | Kit, Substack | none |
What you pay when you outgrow the free plan
The cheapest paid plan on the same platform, one subscriber above the free limit. This is the jump to plan for before your list grows.
| Platform | Free limit | Next step, monthly billing | On annual billing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Substack | No limit | Never for list size; you pay 10% of paid revenue instead | — |
| Kit | 10,000 | $169/mo on Creator at 10,001 | $140.83/mo |
| beehiiv | 2,500 | $109/mo on Lite at 2,501 | $95/mo |
| EmailOctopus | 2,500 | $31.50/mo on Pro at 2,501 | $28/mo |
| Sender | 2,500 | $39/mo on Standard at 2,501 | $39/mo |
| AWeber | 500 | $25/mo on Lite at 501 | $20.83/mo |
| GetResponse | 500 | $19/mo on Starter at 501 | $15.58/mo |
| Brevo | 300 | $9/mo on Starter at 301 | $8.08/mo |
| MailerLite | 250 | $12/mo on Comfort at 251 | $10.80/mo |
| Mailchimp | 250 | $13/mo on Essentials at 251 | n/a |
| Klaviyo | 250 | $20/mo on Email at 251 | n/a |
| Omnisend | 250 | $16/mo on Standard at 251 | n/a |
| Buttondown | 100 | $9/mo on Paid (usage-based) at 101 | $7.50/mo |
Running a paid newsletter on a free plan
Example: 500 subscribers, 25 of them paying $8/month ($200 a month in revenue). Free plans that allow paid subscriptions charge through fees instead:
| Platform (free plan) | Platform cut | Stripe fees (est.) | Total /mo | You keep |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kit | $0 | $14.50 | $14.50 | $185.50 |
| AWeber | $2 | $14.70 | $16.70 | $183.30 |
| Substack | $20 | $14.70 | $34.70 | $165.30 |
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, AWeber and Flodesk); not added for GetResponse (not confirmed); Kit's 3.5% + $0.30 is all-in. How we model fees. At this size a paid plan with a 0% cut can cost less: compare in the calculator.
Check your exact list size Rank platforms for your needs →
FAQ
Which newsletter platform has the biggest free plan?
By subscriber limit: Substack (no limit), Kit (10,000), beehiiv (2,500), EmailOctopus (2,500). Substack has no limit but keeps 10% of paid-subscription revenue. Prices and limits verified 2026-10-20.
Which free newsletter plans include automations?
Full automations: Sender, Klaviyo, Omnisend. Limited automations (capped number of sequences or contacts): EmailOctopus, AWeber, Brevo, MailerLite. No automations on the free plan in our data: Substack, Kit, beehiiv, GetResponse, Mailchimp, Buttondown.
Can I run a paid newsletter on a free plan?
Yes on Substack, Kit, AWeber. Each takes a cut instead of a monthly fee: Substack: 10% + Stripe fees; Kit: 3.5% + $0.30 all-in; AWeber: 1% + Stripe fees.
Which platforms have no free plan?
Ghost, Constant Contact, ActiveCampaign, Flodesk, Moosend have no free plan in our data (some offer a free trial); Flodesk has a free plan for forms and landing pages, but it can't send email.
What happens when I outgrow a free plan?
You move to a paid plan. Just above each free limit, the cheapest paid plan costs: Kit $169/mo on Creator at 10,001 subscribers; beehiiv $109/mo on Lite at 2,501 subscribers; EmailOctopus $31.50/mo on Pro at 2,501 subscribers; Sender $39/mo on Standard at 2,501 subscribers; AWeber $25/mo on Lite at 501 subscribers; GetResponse $19/mo on Starter at 501 subscribers; Brevo $9/mo on Starter at 301 subscribers; MailerLite $12/mo on Comfort at 251 subscribers; Mailchimp $13/mo on Essentials at 251 subscribers; Klaviyo $20/mo on Email at 251 subscribers; Omnisend $16/mo on Standard at 251 subscribers; Buttondown $9/mo on Paid (usage-based) at 101 subscribers (monthly billing).
Sources
- Substack pricing (checked 2026-10-20)
- Kit pricing (checked 2026-10-20)
- beehiiv pricing (checked 2026-10-20)
- EmailOctopus pricing (checked 2026-10-20)
- Sender pricing (checked 2026-10-20)
- AWeber pricing (checked 2026-10-20)
- GetResponse pricing (checked 2026-10-20) · free plan details
- Brevo pricing (checked 2026-10-20)
- MailerLite pricing (checked 2026-10-20)
- Mailchimp pricing (checked 2026-10-20)
- Klaviyo pricing (checked 2026-10-20) · free plan details
- Omnisend pricing (checked 2026-10-20) · free plan details
- Buttondown pricing (checked 2026-10-20)
More: cheapest platform by list size · head-to-head comparisons · price-change log · best platform for beginners · best platform by use case
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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)