The cheapest newsletter platform at your list size

For a free newsletter, Substack costs $0 at any size, and the free plans of Kit and beehiiv cost $0 up to 10,000 and 2,500 subscribers. For a paid newsletter, Kit is the cheapest in our example up to 10,000 subscribers. Above that, Ghost(Pro), MailerLite and beehiiv are within a few percent of each other, and Ghost's prices at those sizes are not yet confirmed on its own page. Prices checked 2026-10-19.

Cheapest platform by list size

Cheapest newsletter platform at each list size, for a free and a paid newsletter
Subscribers	Free newsletter: cheapest	Paid newsletter: cheapest	2nd	3rd	Substack, same list
500	beehiiv, Kit, Substack $0.00/mo	Kit $14.50/mo · Free	MailerLite $24.10/mo · Comfort	Buttondown $31.30/mo · Standard	$33.30
1,000	beehiiv, Kit, Substack $0.00/mo	Kit $29.00/mo · Free	MailerLite $43.70/mo · Comfort	Buttondown $44.60/mo · Standard	$66.60
2,500	beehiiv, Kit, Substack $0.00/mo	Kit $72.50/mo · Free	MailerLite $96.20/mo · Comfort	Buttondown $104.50/mo · Standard	$166.50
5,000	Kit, Substack $0.00/mo	Kit $145.00/mo · Free	Buttondown $171.00/mo · Standard	MailerLite $177.10/mo · Comfort	$333.00
10,000	Kit, Substack $0.00/mo	Kit $290.00/mo · Free	MailerLite $346.10/mo · Comfort	Buttondown $354.00/mo · Standard	$666.00
25,000	Substack $0.00/mo	Ghost (Pro) $806.00/mo * · Publisher	MailerLite $826.10/mo · Comfort	beehiiv $834.00/mo · Lite	$1,665.00
50,000	Substack $0.00/mo	Ghost (Pro) $1,538.00/mo * · Publisher	beehiiv $1,579.00/mo · Lite	MailerLite $1,617.10/mo · Comfort	$3,330.00
100,000	Substack $0.00/mo	Ghost (Pro) $2,934.00/mo * · Publisher	MailerLite $3,055.10/mo · Comfort	beehiiv $3,059.00/mo · Lite	$6,660.00

Per month, US dollars, plans billed yearly where offered, otherwise month-to-month. Covers Substack, beehiiv, Kit, Ghost(Pro), Buttondown and MailerLite; a platform with no self-serve price at a size is left out. "Free newsletter" is the plan price. "Paid newsletter" assumes 5% of the list pays $8/month and includes the plan, the platform's fee and Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 per charge. * = includes a figure not yet confirmed on the vendor's own page. Change any input in the cost calculator.

Disclosure: links to platforms go through /go/ redirects. Some are affiliate links (currently beehiiv and Systeme.io): if you sign up and pay, we may earn a commission at no cost to you. That never changes the numbers or the order of results. Full disclosure.

Why the answer changes with size

Revenue share vs plan price. Substack charges nothing up front and keeps 10% of subscriptions. Every other platform here charges a plan price and takes 0% (or 0.6% on Kit). The more you earn, the more the 10% costs. The break-even calculator finds your crossover point.
Free plan limits. Kit Free sells subscriptions up to 10,000 subscribers; beehiiv Free stops at 2,500 and cannot sell subscriptions; MailerLite Free stops at 250.
Tier steps. Plans are priced in list-size bands, so a few hundred extra subscribers can move you to a dearer band. Check the exact band on each pricing page: beehiiv, Kit, MailerLite, Buttondown.

Systeme.io is not in this table because it prices by contacts and bundles funnels and courses; see Systeme.io pricing.

Head-to-head comparisons

Questions

What is the cheapest newsletter platform?

For a free newsletter, Substack costs $0 at any list size, and Kit's and beehiiv's free plans cost $0 up to 10,000 and 2,500 subscribers. For a paid newsletter with 5% of readers paying $8/month, Kit is the cheapest in our data up to 10,000 subscribers.

Is Substack the cheapest option?

Only while nobody pays. Substack keeps 10% of paid subscription revenue, so once a newsletter earns a few hundred dollars a month, platforms with a flat price and 0% to 0.6% fees cost less.

Ranking is computed only from published prices and never from whether a platform pays us. See the methodology.