Compare Beehiiv, Substack, Kit, Mailchimp, Ghost, MailerLite, Brevo, Flodesk, Klaviyo and Buttondown based on what you're building, your audience, budget and must-have features.
Finding your best newsletter tools...
Matching your newsletter type...
Why this newsletter tool finder is different
Most comparisons pick one “best” platform for everyone. This finder changes the ranking based on what you're actually building.
Best Newsletter Tools at a Glance
The best newsletter tool depends on whether you're building a creator business, paid publication, ecommerce program or general email marketing system. Use the finder above for a personalized ranking.
| Platform | Best for | Free option |
|---|---|---|
| Beehiiv | Newsletter-first growth, media businesses and monetization | Up to 2,500 subscribers |
| Substack | Writers, simple publishing and built-in discovery | Free publishing; fees apply to paid subscriptions |
| Kit | Creators, products, subscriptions and automations | Up to 10,000 subscribers on its Newsletter plan |
| Mailchimp | General business email marketing and automation | Up to 250 contacts with sending limits |
| Ghost | Independent publishing, memberships and site control | No comparable free hosted plan |
| MailerLite | Affordable email marketing, landing pages and simple automation | Up to 250 subscribers |
| Brevo | Business email, CRM, automation and multichannel messaging | 300 email sends per day |
| Flodesk | Design-led creator email and selling products/services | Free list-building tools; email sending is paid |
| Klaviyo | Ecommerce, customer data, automation and SMS | Up to 250 active profiles / 500 emails monthly |
| Buttondown | Writers who value simplicity, privacy and a focused email workflow | First 100 subscribers |
Best Free Newsletter Tools
“Free” means different things across newsletter software. Kit currently offers a large subscriber allowance, Beehiiv combines a free newsletter and website stack, Substack is free to publish but monetized publications pay a revenue fee, while other tools limit contacts, sends or email sending itself.
Newsletter Software by Use Case
For creators
Beehiiv and Kit become stronger when audience growth, monetization, digital products or subscriptions matter.
For paid newsletters
Beehiiv, Ghost, Substack, Kit and Buttondown approach paid publishing differently, especially around fees, growth and control.
For ecommerce
Klaviyo and broader marketing platforms become much stronger when store data, SMS and purchase-triggered automation are central.
For writers and publishers
Substack, Ghost, Buttondown and Beehiiv each make different trade-offs around simplicity, discovery, ownership and monetization.
For small-business email marketing
Mailchimp, MailerLite and Brevo focus more heavily on broad email marketing workflows than newsletter-native monetization.
For newsletter-first media businesses
Beehiiv scores well when the newsletter itself is the product and growth, sponsorships, subscriptions and publishing matter together.
Newsletter Platforms Compared
A useful newsletter platform comparison should consider more than templates and price. Monetization model, free-plan limits, automation, ecommerce, publishing, SMS and ownership can completely change the right answer.
| Platform | Paid newsletters | Automation | Ecommerce / CRM | Publishing / site |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beehiiv | Strong | Strong on paid plans | Limited vs ecommerce-first tools | Strong |
| Substack | Strong | Basic | Limited | Strong and simple |
| Kit | Strong | Very strong | Creator commerce | Good creator site |
| Mailchimp | Limited | Very strong | Strong business marketing | Secondary |
| Ghost | Strong | Limited | Limited | Very strong |
| MailerLite | Moderate | Strong | Moderate | Good |
| Brevo | Limited | Very strong | Very strong CRM / multichannel | Secondary |
| Flodesk | Moderate | Strong | Strong creator commerce | Moderate |
| Klaviyo | Not its focus | Very strong | Excellent for ecommerce | Not its focus |
| Buttondown | Strong add-on | Available as add-on | Limited | Focused newsletter archive |
What Software Should You Use for a Newsletter?
What is the best newsletter tool?
There is no universal winner. A newsletter-first creator has different needs from an ecommerce brand, a paid writer or a company running CRM-driven email marketing. The finder above scores the platforms against your specific priorities.
What is the best free newsletter tool?
It depends on audience size and which features you need while staying free. A platform can have a generous contact limit but restrictive sending limits, or support list building without actually sending newsletters on the free tier.
Is newsletter software different from an email marketing platform?
Often, yes. Newsletter-native platforms tend to emphasize publishing, audience growth and creator monetization, while broader email marketing platforms often prioritize CRM, automation, ecommerce and multichannel campaigns.
Already considering Beehiiv?
If Beehiiv is already on your shortlist, use the dedicated Beehiiv comparison tool to compare it directly with its closest alternatives.