Guides
Which newsletter software deserves the subscription for owner-operators
Newsletter platforms differ most on subscriber pricing, payout timing and list export rights, so owner-operators should compare them on the money and the exit.
What to take away
Newsletter software for owner-operators splits on three things: subscriber pricing, payout timing and list export rights.
- Newsletter platforms bill on subscriber count, not on how often you send, so price the tier you will reach in twelve months, not today's list. Beehiiv's free plan stops at 2,500 subscribers and Kit's at 10,000.
- Payout timing differsSubstack keeps 10% of paid subscription revenue, Beehiiv runs its own ad network and shares that sponsor money, and Ghost takes no cut. Platforms pay on their own schedule, so read the terms before you sign a sponsor.
- Export rights decide whether you can leave. Check that your subscriber list leaves with you, in a format another platform accepts.
- Free tiers usually carry a percentage fee on paid subscriptions, such as Substack's 10%, which is a real cost once you charge readers.
- Keep platform records with your other business records, since subscription income is reportable.
This article covers general newsletter-business information, not individualized legal, tax or deliverability advice. Rules depend on your audience, location and payment model, so confirm current law and platform terms with a licensed attorney or a CPA.
The seven newsletter platforms owner-operators weigh
These are the platforms a small newsletter business picks between. Figures are published rates as of 2026, and they change most years.
What it is
- Beehiiv
- Newsletter-first publishing with an ad network and referral tools
- Substack
- Publishing and paid subscriptions with a discovery network
- Ghost
- Open-source publishing you can self-host or buy hosted
- Kit
- Email marketing with visual automations and landing pages
- Mailchimp
- General email marketing with a long template library
- MailerLite
- Email marketing with a simple editor and an automation builder
- Buttondown
- Plain-text newsletters written in Markdown, with a public archive page
Who it suits
- Beehiiv
- Operators who want sponsorship help built in
- Substack
- Writers whose growth comes from being found on the network
- Ghost
- Operators who want to own the stack and the data
- Kit
- Sellers who need funnels and tagging more than a magazine layout
- Mailchimp
- Established lists that also send campaigns beyond the newsletter
- MailerLite
- Small lists that want a paid tier under $20 a month
- Buttondown
- Writers who want a text-first send and nothing else
Pricing model
- Beehiiv
- Free to 2,500 subscribers; paid tiers from about $39 a month; no cut of paid subscription revenue
- Substack
- Free; 10% of paid subscription revenue plus payment processing
- Ghost
- Ghost Pro hosted from about $9 a month for 500 members; no cut of subscription revenue
- Kit
- Free to 10,000 subscribers; paid tiers from about $25 a month, rising with list size
- Mailchimp
- Free to 500 contacts; Essentials from about $13 a month, rising with contacts and sends
- MailerLite
- Free to 1,000 subscribers; paid plans from about $10 a month
- Buttondown
- Free to 100 subscribers; paid plans from about $9 a month
Prices on all seven change, often yearly. Read the platform's own pricing page the week you decide rather than trusting a figure in an article.
What to check before you pay
Subscriber pricing. The platforms above bill by contact count, not by send frequency. Free tiers differ: Beehiiv covers 2,500 subscribers, Kit 10,000, and Mailchimp 500. A list growing 4% a month crosses a paid boundary sooner than the monthly bill suggests. Multiply your current list by 1.04 twelve times before you compare tiers.
Pre-Payment Checks
- Subscriber pricingcharges by contact count
- Payout termswhen and how much
- Export and ownershipmove your list
- Deliverability basicsauthentication and domain
- Recordskeep subscription and sponsorship income
Payout terms. Ask when the platform pays you, what share it keeps, and whether it invoices the sponsor or you do. A platform that handles the sponsor relationship may also set the rate.
Substack keeps 10% of paid reader subscriptions. Beehiiv runs its own ad network and shares that sponsor money. Ghost takes no cut and charges for hosting instead.
Export and ownership. All seven export subscriber email addresses and status as a CSV file. Confirm the export carries paid-subscriber records too, and that another platform imports the file. A list you cannot move is not an asset you own.
Deliverability basics. Authentication records, a custom sending domain and a complaint process matter more than template design. The NIST small business quick-start guides cover the account and access side of that, and CISA's small business guidance covers the operational risk if a sending account is compromised.
Records. Subscription and sponsorship income is reportable, and the IRS recordkeeping guidance explains what to keep. Set up the export before your accountant asks for it.
Worked example: the tier you will actually pay
Say your list is 3,000 subscribers and grows 4% a month. In twelve months it reaches about 4,800. If the platform's next tier starts at 5,000, you have a year before the jump. If it starts at 4,000, you cross it in month eight.
Now add paid subscriptions. If 2% of subscribers pay $8 a month, that is 60 paying readers, or $480 a month before processing. Substack's 10% cut leaves $432. At typical card processing of 2.9% plus 30 cents a charge, a platform taking no cut leaves near $448.
Run the same arithmetic on each platform's published percentage and the ranking changes.
Common questions
Do I need a paid platform to start?
No. A free tier with a subscriber cap is enough to prove the newsletter works. Beehiiv stops free at 2,500 subscribers, Kit at 10,000, MailerLite at 1,000 and Buttondown at 100. Move when the cap or the percentage fee costs more than the next tier's monthly price.
What is the biggest hidden cost?
Payment processing on paid subscriptions, plus the platform percentage on top. Substack's 10% cut and card fees stack on the same $8 charge. Both come out of reader revenue before you see it, and both scale with growth.
Can I run two platforms at once?
Yes, and some operators do during a migration. Keep one list as the source of truth and sync the other, or you will email people twice and lose subscribers. The newsletter software and KPI guide covers the numbers to watch while you move.
Which one should an owner-operator pick?
Pick on payout terms and export rights first, price second, templates last.
For a paid newsletter you want to own outright, pick Ghost or Beehiiv. Ghost takes no cut of reader revenue and hosts from about $9 a month. Beehiiv carries 2,500 subscribers free and sells sponsorship through its own ad network.
Substack suits writers who rely on its discovery network, and it charges 10% of paid subscriptions for that reach. Kit, MailerLite and Buttondown suit operators who want automations or plain-text sending more than a magazine layout. Mailchimp fits an established list that also sends campaign email.
