Pricing guide · Updated September 2026
Newsletter Platform Pricing Compared in 2026
Newsletter platform pricing is harder to compare than it first appears. Some platforms charge a fixed monthly subscription, some scale with audience size, and others take a percentage of paid newsletter revenue.
Newsletter platform pricing at a glance
| Platform | Entry pricing | Free-plan limit | Paid revenue fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beehiiv | Scale shown from about $43/month billed annually at the displayed tier | 2,500 subscribers | 0% Beehiiv take rate on paid subscriptions on Scale |
| Kit | Creator $33/month at 1,000 subscribers when billed yearly | Up to 10,000 subscribers | 3.5% + $0.30 per USD transaction |
| Substack | No standard monthly software fee to publish | Publishing can start without a paid software plan | 10% platform fee on paid subscription revenue, plus processing |
| Ghost | Starter $18/month; Publisher $29/month billed yearly | No permanent free Ghost(Pro) hosting plan | 0% Ghost transaction fee on Publisher and above |
| MailerLite | Paid plans currently start from $12/month | 250 subscribers / 2,500 monthly emails | No MailerLite commission on digital-product sales; processing applies |
| GetResponse | Starter from $15.58/month billed yearly | 14-day free trial | Premium newsletters available on Creator |
Prices vary by subscriber count, plan, region and billing cycle. Figures are reference prices reviewed in September 2026 rather than a guarantee of your exact bill.
Fixed monthly pricing vs percentage-based fees
The biggest pricing difference is not always the advertised monthly price. A fixed software subscription behaves very differently from a platform that takes a percentage of subscription revenue.
Fixed or tiered pricing
Beehiiv, Ghost, MailerLite, GetResponse and Kit paid software plans generally charge based on a plan and/or audience tier. Your software bill changes when you move into a new tier.
Percentage pricing
Substack's 10% platform fee increases directly with paid subscription revenue. A newsletter generating $5,000 per month pays $500 per month to Substack before payment processing.
When does a fixed plan become cheaper than Substack?
A simplified platform-fee comparison makes the difference easy to see. This ignores payment-processing costs and future subscriber tier changes, so it should be treated as a directional break-even calculation rather than a full invoice estimate.
| Alternative | Reference monthly cost | Approx. Substack revenue break-even |
|---|---|---|
| Beehiiv Scale | About $43/month on annual billing at the displayed tier | About $430/month in paid revenue |
| Ghost Publisher | $29/month billed yearly at 1,000 members | About $290/month in paid revenue |
Example: 10% of $430 is $43 and 10% of $290 is $29. Payment processing still applies and Beehiiv/Ghost pricing changes at higher audience tiers.
Beehiiv pricing
Beehiiv currently offers a free Launch plan for up to 2,500 subscribers with unlimited email sends. Scale adds monetization, automations, advanced analytics and a 0% Beehiiv take rate on paid subscriptions.
Kit pricing
Kit's Free plan currently supports up to 10,000 subscribers. At 1,000 subscribers, Creator is listed at $33 per month when billed yearly. Kit Commerce charges 3.5% + $0.30 per USD transaction, including card processing.
Substack pricing
Substack is unusual because creators can publish without a normal monthly software subscription, but paid publications generally pay a 10% platform fee on subscription revenue. Payment-processing charges are separate.
Your exact newsletter can produce a different answer
Enter your subscribers, paid members, subscription price and growth assumptions to compare estimated platform costs using your own numbers.
Use the free NewsletterFit calculator →Methodology and sources
NewsletterFit checks publicly available provider pricing and documentation. We separate monthly software pricing from transaction fees because they behave differently as a newsletter grows.