Goal guide

Best tools for starting a newsletter

Choose around the newsletter you want to run: a publication, a creator business, or email campaigns for an existing company. Compare sourced pricing and capabilities, then test a short signup and publishing workflow.

Editorial shortlist · See methodology

Start here

Choose one email platform first. Kit fits a creator-led newsletter; GetResponse is worth considering if you also need broader marketing workflows. Consider beehiiv for a publication-led newsletter. A separate website can wait.

Before you pay: Build a signup form, send a test email, and check the price at your expected subscriber count—not just the size of your list today.

How this shortlist was put together

Advertising disclosure: Links marked “Ad · affiliate link” may earn us a commission if you buy, at no extra cost to you. How these links work.

Coverage: mature. A curated decision guide; coverage is not exhaustive.

Editorial criteria help narrow your choice. The table below uses sourced Tool records; conditional support still needs a plan check.

Publication or marketing channel?

Decide whether readers are buying the newsletter itself or whether email supports other offers. These are different publishing and audience workflows.

Price the next stage

Compare billing periods, expected list size, sending volume, and transaction costs. A starting price is not a quote for your future audience.

Name the required workflow

Write down your welcome sequence, paid subscription, signup page, and integration requirements. Conditional support needs a plan check.

Keep an exit path

Before importing contacts, check exports, consent records, unsubscribe handling, domain ownership, and the work needed to move again.

11 matching tools

Newsletter pricing and capability shortlist
Tool / editorial fit	Free plan	Starting paid price	Automation	Paid subscriptions	API
Kit Creators selling to an email audience	Yes	USD 33/month · annual billing equivalent · Creator · 1,000 subscribers	Conditional — Unlimited visual automations and sequences require Creator or above.	Supported	Supported — Direct API access; App Store installation has separate plan requirements.
beehiiv Publication-led newsletter businesses	Yes	USD 49/month · annual billing equivalent · Lite · 1,000 subscribers in the displayed selector	Conditional — Lite or above.	Conditional — Lite or above; payment-processing fees apply.	Supported
MailerLite Small teams building a newsletter and signup flow	Yes	Starting price not verified	Supported — Three automations on Free; higher plans increase limits.	Supported	Supported
Ghost Independent publishers building a publication website	No	USD 18/month · annual billing equivalent · Ghost(Pro) Starter · 1,000 members	Conditional — Through external integrations; not equivalent to a native email-sequence builder.	Conditional — Ghost(Pro) Publisher or above.	Conditional — Admin API and custom integrations require Publisher or above.
Substack Writers launching a free or paid publication	Yes	Starting price not verified	Not verified	Supported — Revenue share and payment-processing fees apply.	Not verified
GetResponse Small businesses combining campaigns and marketing workflows	Yes	Starting price not verified	Conditional — Starter includes one custom workflow; higher tiers add more.	Conditional — Premium newsletter subscriptions require Creator or above.	Not verified
Brevo Businesses planning recurring email campaigns	Yes	Starting price not verified	Supported — Free automation has contact limits; paid tier matters.	Not verified	Supported
Mailchimp Businesses organizing recurring audience campaigns	Yes	Starting price not verified	Conditional — Check the paid tier and journey requirements.	Not verified	Supported
AWeber Small businesses planning email campaigns	Yes	USD 12.49/month · annual billing equivalent · Lite · 0–500 subscribers	Conditional — Lite has three automations; Plus adds unlimited automations.	Not verified	Not verified
Systeme.io Course creators connecting email to an offer	Yes	Starting price not verified	Conditional — Workflow and campaign limits depend on the plan.	Not verified	Not verified
HubSpot Teams whose email is part of customer and lead management	Yes	Starting price not verified	Conditional — Actions and workflow depth depend on the plan.	Not verified	Not verified

Compare your options

These are alternatives or tools for different parts of the job. You do not need every one.

For a creator audience

Kit

Consider Kit when your newsletter builds relationships around your own offers.

Best for: Creators selling to an email audience

A focused creator workflowAudience and offers belong in the same decisionBudget for the workflows you need as the list growsApp Store access and API access have different conditions

Free plan available. Free plan up to 10,000 subscribers. Creator adds sequences and visual automations; commerce has separate fees.Alternatives to Kit →

Read profileTry Kit

For a publication-led business

beehiiv

Consider beehiiv when the newsletter is the product you plan to grow.

Best for: Publication-led newsletter businesses

A publishing-first way to organize the projectGrowth and monetization are part of the publishing workflowPaid capabilities should earn their subscription costGrowth tools do not guarantee readership or revenue

Free plan available. Free tier supports up to 2,500 subscribers. Lite adds automations and paid subscriptions; Pro adds webhooks and advanced analytics.Alternatives to beehiiv →

Read profileExplore beehiivAd · affiliate link to www.beehiiv.com

For a contained email project

MailerLite

Consider MailerLite for a recurring newsletter with a practical signup and follow-up workflow.

Best for: Small teams building a newsletter and signup flow

A useful starting point for a contained email projectOffers several ways to grow beyond the first issueSending volume belongs in the cost comparisonThe free tier is a starting point rather than unlimited growth

Free plan available. Free plan: up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 monthly emails in the researched table. Paid costs depend on list size and sending. Paid starting prices are not yet verified.

Read profileExplore MailerLite

For an independent publication

Ghost

Consider Ghost when the publication website is central to your project.

Best for: Independent publishers building a publication website

A website-centered publication workflowSuitable for evaluating a publication as a standalone productManaged hosting and self-hosting are different cost decisionsExternal automation adds setup work

No free plan for the researched offering. Managed hosting has no free plan. Starter covers a website and newsletter; Publisher adds paid subscriptions. Open-source self-hosting is a separate deployment choice.

Read profileExplore Ghost

For a writing-first launch

Substack

Consider Substack when starting to publish matters more than custom marketing workflows.

Best for: Writers launching a free or paid publication

A writing-first route to publishingA different cost structure for an early publicationRevenue share changes the economics of paid readershipUnknown API and automation support should not be assumed

Free plan available. Publishing is free. Paid subscriptions incur a 10% Substack fee plus payment-processing fees. A custom domain has a separate one-time charge; no flat monthly subscription price is recorded.

Read profileExplore Substack

For wider marketing needs

GetResponse

Consider GetResponse when the newsletter is one part of a broader campaign programme.

Best for: Small businesses combining campaigns and marketing workflows

Broader campaign planning in one productA shortlist option when webinars are a real requirementChoose the tier around the workflow, not the headline priceMoving a list still requires consent and unsubscribe records

Free plan available. A 14-day premium trial falls back to limited free access. Starter, Marketer, and Creator have different workflow and monetization access. The displayed price depends on contacts; a comparable starting price is not recorded.Alternatives to GetResponse →

Read profileView GetResponse

For campaign-led communication

Brevo

Compare Brevo when sending volume and customer communication are your starting points.

Best for: Businesses planning recurring email campaigns

A useful alternative cost model to compareFits a campaign-led shortlistDaily sends can constrain a free newsletter launchCompare both storage and sending allowances

Free plan available. Free includes 300 daily email sends. Paid tiers depend on email volume and contact storage; add-ons are separate. Exact comparable paid pricing is not recorded.

Read profileExplore Brevo

For business audience campaigns

Mailchimp

Compare Mailchimp when you want to organize recurring campaigns for an existing business.

Best for: Businesses organizing recurring audience campaigns

A campaign-oriented option for an existing businessUseful to compare against other audience platformsCompare renewal costs instead of introductory offersAssess audience management before importing contacts

Free plan available. The official page documents a Free option for fewer than 500 contacts. Paid prices include offers and contact-dependent tiers; ongoing comparable costs are not recorded.

Read profileExplore Mailchimp

For subscriber follow-ups

AWeber

Compare AWeber for recurring small-business campaigns and follow-ups.

Best for: Small businesses planning email campaigns

A focused campaign starting pointUseful for an audience that needs recurring follow-upsCheck subscriber and send allowances togetherA migration needs careful contact hygiene

Free plan available. A free option is documented separately. Lite and Plus differ in automation, landing-page, and sending limits.

Read profileExplore AWeber

For email around a course or offer

Systeme.io

Consider Systeme.io when a course or offer is the reason for your newsletter.

Best for: Course creators connecting email to an offer

A compact launch workflowUseful when a course is the reason for the newsletterEvaluate the entire purchase and delivery journeyVerify the plan limits before combining course and email workflows

Free plan available. Free and paid plans. Numeric plan limits are not yet verified; check contacts, workflows, courses, and checkout costs directly.

Read profileExplore Systeme.ioAd · affiliate link to systeme.io

For an existing CRM workflow

HubSpot

Consider HubSpot when customer records already organize the business. It is a contextual option rather than the starting point for a solo publication.

Best for: Teams whose email is part of customer and lead management

A customer-led way to organize email decisionsCan fit an existing CRM workflowAssess setup and contact-management effortDo not choose a broad suite for a narrow task

Free plan available. Free tools and paid Marketing Hub plans. Seats, marketing contacts, credits, regional offers, and onboarding affect cost. A comparable numeric starting price is not recorded.

Read profileExplore HubSpot

Advertising disclosure: Links marked “Ad · affiliate link” may earn us a commission if you buy, at no extra cost to you. How these links work.

Research and verification

This guide uses research-based profiles, not hands-on product reviews. Each record below shows its own factual verification status.

Kit sources

Sources & review status

Research-based profile, not a hands-on review. Last verified: October 4, 2026. Verification covers the sourced facts below; unknown fields remain unverified.

Categories: Email marketing · Newsletter platform

Kit pricing and plans ↗ · pricing · October 4, 2026
Kit API access overview ↗ · help-center · October 4, 2026