Compare newsletter platforms

What the data says

Seven findings from the layers behind the tools above. Each one is verified against primary sources and dated; each link goes to the full breakdown.

• The real Substack fee is closer to 13%.The headline rate is 10% of paid revenue, but Stripe's processing fees stack on top, and there is no invoice to warn you. Full math in the Substack review.
• Two platforms charge 0% on paid subscriptions. Beehiiv and Ghost take nothing from reader revenue; you pay a monthly plan instead. Kit sits between: free publishing to 10,000 subscribers, selling at a 0.6% fee. The crossover math lives in Substack vs Beehiiv.
• Near-identical spec sheets can bill opposite ways. MailerLite answers yes on 41 of our 53 tracked features and Kit on 43, yet MailerLite bills on stored subscribers (even ones you never email) while Kit auto-upgrades your plan the day you cross a threshold. Detail in MailerLite vs Kit.
• Every platform says you own your list; control differs at the exit. AWeber reserves the right to delete all data on termination. GetResponse grants a 5-day window to request data back. In a documented March 2025 case, a locked Substack account could no longer export its subscriber list. Clause by clause in who controls your audience.
• Breach history is part of the comparison.Substack's October 2025 breach exposed roughly 663,000 accounts and went undetected for about five months. Beehiiv holds the only SOC2 certification among the modern challengers, with no documented breach in the last 24 months.
• Free tiers move. MailerLite cut its free tier from 1,000 to 500 subscribers in the Classic-to-New migration; Substack stays free at any list size. That churn is why our tracker re-checks 17vendors' pricing pages every week, stamped with verification dates.
• Support quality splits the field. Across 10,810 reviews read in full, MailerLite holds the best-supported paid plans of the panel, while free tiers across the market increasingly get no human support at all. Theme by theme in the MailerLite review.

How to compare newsletter platforms

Most comparisons start with the feature list. That is the last step, not the first. After verifying 53 features across 11 platforms and reading 10,810 user reviews, here is the order that actually predicts whether you will regret a choice.

Start with how the bill scales

Platforms charge three ways: a flat monthly plan, a share of your paid revenue, or both. A revenue share feels free until you earn; a flat plan feels expensive until you grow. The crossover point depends on your list size and paid conversion, which is why we built the switch-plan calculator to price it at your exact numbers instead of an average.

Check what you are billed for

Stored subscribers, active contacts, or emails sent: the billing unit changes the bill more than the sticker price does. A platform that counts stored subscribers charges you for people you never email. One that counts sends punishes a daily newsletter. Read the unit before the price.

Price the exit before the entry

The moment you need to leave is the moment you find out what the terms actually say. Check three things while everything is fine: whether subscriber export is one click, what the platform keeps if your account is suspended, and whether you can bring your own sending domain. Then export your list monthly regardless of the answer.

Treat spec sheets as claims

A yes in a feature matrix hides tiers, caps and gates: an automation feature locked to the top plan is a no for most budgets. Every cell in our matrix is checked against the vendor's own documentation and dated, and the methodology is public, including the scoring weights we fixed before scoring any vendor.

Rank for your job, not in general

A paid-first writer, a growth operator and a first-time creator should not use the same ranking. We keep segment guides for writers and beginners, and the 10-question quiz routes you to the two or three platforms worth your shortlist.