Best Newsletter Platforms for Creators (2026)

Most guides to the best newsletter platforms compare features. This one compares what you'll actually pay at a real list size, what each platform takes when you sell, and the step most roundups skip entirely: how followers get onto your list in the first place.

That last step usually happens in your bio. It's where followers click, so it's where a list starts. We'll cover the dedicated newsletter tools honestly, including where they beat Paage, and then show how Paage puts the sign-up form, the store and the email list on one page.

Prices were checked on October 12, 2026.

Best newsletter platforms: the short answer

"Not covered here" means this guide doesn't have a verified figure for that platform's cut on sales, so it isn't compared on that line.

What 1,000 and 10,000 subscribers really cost on each platform

A price list only means something at a real list size, so here are two: a list that's getting started, and one that's grown.

Example: a creator with 1,000 subscribers, then 10,000. Monthly billing where shown, subscription only (fees on sales are covered in the next section).

Paage prices are from its pricing page. Beehiiv's free plan stops at 2,500 subscribers, and the free plans of MailerLite, Mailchimp and Paage stop at 250, so those lists need a paid plan.

For a creator who only runs a newsletter, Kit's free plan costs nothing at both sizes, and Beehiiv's is free too until 2,500 subscribers. That's the honest answer: if a newsletter is all you need, a free plan from a dedicated tool is hard to beat.

At 10,000 subscribers, Paage needs its Pro plan. Its 15,000 included emails cover one send a month to the whole list; sending weekly (about 40,000 emails a month) would need the add-on. A newsletter that size, sent often, fits a dedicated newsletter tool better. Paage fits when the list comes from what you sell.

What each platform takes when you sell

The second cost is what a platform takes from your revenue. Each platform states its fee differently, so it matters what's included:

• Beehiiv: 0% of paid subscription and digital product revenue. Stripe's processing fee still applies.

• Kit: 3.5% + 30¢ on paid newsletters and products, and that fee includes card processing.

• Substack: 10% of each paid subscription. On top of that, Stripe charges 2.9% + $0.30 for US cards, plus 0.7% Stripe Billing on recurring payments.

• Paage: a platform fee of 9% on the Free and Basic plans, 3% on Plus and 1% on Pro. Card processing is charged separately, on top.

Example: what each takes on one $20 sale, with processing treated the way each platform states it:

• Kit: 3.5% + 30¢ = $0.70 + $0.30 = $1.00, processing included.

• Beehiiv: 0% platform cut, with Stripe processing on top.

• Paage Free: 9% = $1.80 platform fee, with processing on top.

This isn't a ranking. Kit's fee includes processing and the others don't, so the numbers aren't like-for-like. It shows what each one takes, not which is cheapest.

One more difference: Substack, Beehiiv and Kit sell paid newsletter subscriptions. Paage doesn't sell paid subscriptions today. It sells products, bookings and print-on-demand items, and emails the people who buy them.

Beehiiv, Kit, Substack, MailerLite, Flodesk, Mailchimp and Brevo: who each fits

Beehiiv

Beehiiv is free up to 2,500 subscribers. Lite starts at $49 a month and Pro at $95 a month on yearly billing (1,000-subscriber tier). At 10,000 subscribers, Lite costs $139 a month ($119 billed yearly) and Pro $239 a month ($199 billed yearly). It takes 0% of paid subscription and digital product revenue, with Stripe's fee applying. It fits a writer whose main product is the newsletter itself.

Kit

Kit's free plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers. Creator costs $33 a month at 1,000 subscribers ($390 billed yearly), and Pro $66 a month at that size. Its 3.5% + 30¢ fee on paid newsletters and products already includes card processing. It fits creators selling paid newsletters or products alongside their emails.

Substack

Substack is free to publish at any list size. It takes 10% of each paid subscription, with Stripe processing on top. It fits writers who want paid subscriptions without paying a monthly bill.

MailerLite

MailerLite's free plan covers up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month. Paid plans start at $12 a month (Comfort) and $25 a month (Power), according to MailerLite's FAQ. It fits a small list that may grow into a paid plan.

Flodesk

Flodesk now prices by active subscribers; its original flat-rate plan is retired for new members. The free plan doesn't send emails. Lite costs $25 a month at 1,000 subscribers billed monthly, or $19 a month billed annually.

Mailchimp

Mailchimp's free plan covers up to 250 contacts and 500 emails a month (250 a day). Essentials starts at $13 a month and Standard at $20 a month, as introductory prices for 12 months.

Brevo

Brevo has a free plan with up to 300 emails a day. Its paid Starter plan costs $9 a month for 5,000 emails a month.

Your list is the only audience you own

Followers belong to a platform. An email list belongs to you, and that shows up in Paage's own data: across more than 200,000 creators, adopting the email list is the #1 signal that a creator becomes a paying Paage user, with a 7.5× lift.

Owning the list also means you can take it with you. On Paage, you can export your contacts to CSV or XLSX, optionally filtered by source, and import contacts from a CSV.

The list starts where followers click. Ask an AI assistant for the best tool to grow an email list from a social media bio, and the answers cite link-in-bio tools next to Kit and Beehiiv. Newsletter roundups skip that step. On Paage, email is built into the page: every visit, sale or booking becomes a contact automatically.

Growing a list from your bio with Paage

Paage lets you collect emails from your bio and sell from the same page. Here's how it works, according to the Paage help center:

• Sign-up block: add one from My Paage › Add block › Audience › Email Sign-up, then edit its title, message and success message.

• Contacts from every source: each contact in your Audience shows their email, date added, location and source, such as imported or order. Buyers become contacts on their own.

• Filters and lists: filter by customers, subscribers or source, and build static lists or dynamic lists that update daily from your conditions.

• Broadcast emails: from the Emails tab, compose an email, choose the audience, set the subject, preview text and sender, send yourself a test, then send now or schedule it.

• Abandoned-cart reminders: when a shopper starts checkout but doesn't finish, Paage sends two reminders, the same day and the next day.

Each plan comes with its own contact and email allowances:

If your bio is also where you sell, this is the difference: the sign-up form, the store and the list are one system. For more on capturing leads from your bio, see the best link-in-bio tool to capture leads and track clicks. If you sell files, our guide on where to sell digital products compares the fees.

How to choose for your list size

• You run a pure newsletter and want to grow fast. A dedicated newsletter tool fits best. Kit's free plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers, and Beehiiv's up to 2,500.

• You want paid subscriptions. Substack, Beehiiv and Kit are built for it. Compare their cuts above: 10% plus Stripe, 0% plus Stripe, or 3.5% + 30¢ with processing included.

• You sell products, bookings or prints from your bio and want to email those buyers. That's Paage: the store and the list live on the same page, every buyer becomes a contact, and you can export the list whenever you like.