About · Independent editorial
We measure. We don't paraphrase.
OwnLetter exists because newsletter platform comparison sites mostly copy vendor pricing pages and call it research. We do something different : we track pricing weekly, we test the platforms we review from a real account, we aggregate 10,810 cross-vendor reviews, and we publish our methodology in the open.
Why OwnLetter exists
If you've searched "Substack alternatives" or "Beehiiv vs Kit", you've probably noticed something. Most comparison sites read like reformatted vendor pages. Pricing screenshots from 2024. Generic feature checkmarks. Recommendations that conveniently align with whichever vendor pays the highest affiliate commission.
That's the problem we set out to fix. Newsletter creators making real platform decisions deserve real data : pricing verified this month, the platforms we review tested from a real account, limitations stated honestly, and recommendations grounded in measurable trade-offs rather than commission rates.
We're a small independent editorial team. We don't take money from vendors to influence rankings. We do earn affiliate commissions when readers sign up through our links — we're transparent about that on every page, and we explain the full mechanic on How we make money.
What makes OwnLetter different
1. Pricing tracked weekly, not snapshotted yearly
Every vendor in our coverage has pricing verified within the last 90 days, re-checked by an automated weekly scraper that flags any change. The cost numbers you see on OwnLetter today are not the cost numbers some intern transcribed from a vendor page in 2024.
2. Claims sourced or killed
Every sensitive claim on OwnLetter — pricing, fees, commissions, plan limits, migration paths, real-world cases — passes through a claims ledger before publish. If a claim cannot be verified against a primary source, it gets removed. No "industry experts say" without naming them. No round numbers pulled from a competitor blog.
3. Honest limitations, named explicitly
Every platform we cover has a "where it falls short" section. Beehiiv has weak segmentation. Kit charges a 0.6% fee on paid subscriptions. Ghost requires technical setup. Substack takes 10% and locks your email list to their platform. We say these things because creators making real decisions need to hear them, not because we're anti-vendor.
Editorial standards
We follow four principles on every page :
- First-hand testing : we open a real account on every platform we review and test the workflows we describe. When we say "we tested", we mean it, including the test date and methodology, documented on How we test.
- Affiliate disclosure on every page : readers know which links earn us commissions before clicking. Required by FTC Consumer Review Rule (October 2024) and required by us regardless.
- No fake authority :we don't invent expert quotes, fake testimonials, or imaginary author credentials. The editorial voice is "OwnLetter" (a real small team doing the work), not a fictional industry veteran with a stock photo.
- Rankings driven by data, not commission rates :Mailerlite pays 30% lifetime commission. Beehiiv pays 50-60% for 12 months. That difference does not influence which platform we rank higher. Our recommendations track what the data shows for the persona we're writing for.
Who's behind OwnLetter
Arthur Brulard
Founder & Newsletter SaaS Analyst
Founder of OwnLetter & Newsletter SaaS analyst. Cross-vendor analyst review across 11 newsletter platforms (Substack, Beehiiv, Kit, MailerLite, Ghost, AWeber, GetResponse, ActiveCampaign, Buttondown, Mailchimp, WordPress.com), aggregating user signals from Reddit, G2, Capterra, Trustpilot, and Hacker News per vendor. Background growth marketing + SaaS comparison. Independent, with no equity in vendors reviewed. Affiliate commissions disclosed inline (FTC compliant).
Topics: Newsletter platforms · Email marketing · Creator economy · Substack alternatives · Affiliate marketing SaaS
Contact
Spotted a pricing error ? Vendor changed something we missed ? Want to suggest a platform we haven't covered ? Email contact@ownletter.com. We read everything and we update fast when readers catch what our refresh schedule missed.