MailerLite vs Substack
Both are newsletter platforms aimed at writers, creators and independent publishers. They differ most on low transaction fees, free plan and audience growth tools.
At a glance
| MailerLite | Substack | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 76/100 Higher | 71/100 |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Paid from | $19/mo monthly; $17.10/mo billed annually | No paid plan; 10% of paid revenue |
| Positioning | email marketing | publishing network |
| Launched | 2010 | — |
| Best for | Small businesses and writers who want the lowest monthly price and no cut of subscription revenue. | Writers starting a paid newsletter who would rather give up a share of revenue than pay a monthly bill. |
Where each one leads
| Dimension | MailerLite | Substack | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | 2/5 | 5/5 | Substack |
| Paid subscriptions | 4/5 | 5/5 | Substack |
| Value for money | 5/5 | 3/5 | MailerLite |
| Ease of use | 4/5 | 5/5 | Substack |
| Low transaction fees | 5/5 | 1/5 | MailerLite |
| Audience growth tools | 3/5 | 5/5 | Substack |
| Automation | 4/5 | 1/5 | MailerLite |
| Publication website | 4/5 | 2/5 | MailerLite |
Scores are 1–5 per dimension. MailerLite leads on 4 dimensions, Substack on 4. The overall figure weights these for newsletter platforms generally — see methodology.
Pricing
Plans are listed per tool rather than paired row by row — tiers rarely line up, and putting one vendor's second plan beside another's implies an equivalence that is not there.
| Tool | Plan | Per month | Terms |
|---|---|---|---|
| MailerLite | Free | Free | — |
| Comfort | $19 | monthly; $17.10/mo billed annually | |
| Power | $39 | monthly; $35.10/mo billed annually | |
| Substack | Free | Free | 10% of paid-subscription revenue |
Pricing checked 24 September 2026 against each vendor's own pricing page. MailerLite: Billed in USD (EUR also offered). Paid prices are for up to 1,000 subscribers and rise with list size; annual billing saves 10%. Substack: Stripe adds 2.9% + $0.30 per payment, plus 0.7% on recurring billing.
Verdict
MailerLite
- +Paid plans start at $19 a month for 1,000 subscribers.
- +No sales fee on paid newsletters — only Stripe’s processing charge.
- +Comfort includes 10 websites and landing pages on your own domain, and 50 automations.
- −The free plan is small: 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month.
- −Paid newsletters and custom domains need a paid plan.
Substack
- +Free to publish at any size, with no monthly fee even once readers pay.
- +Paid subscriptions work from day one, with nothing to pay until you earn.
- +Other writers can recommend your publication, and new recommendations reach their subscribers in a digest email.
- −Keeps 10% of every paid-subscription payment, on top of Stripe’s fees, and no plan removes it.
- −At $1,000 a month in subscriptions the 10% share is $100 a month, and it grows with every paying reader.
Common questions
Does MailerLite or Substack have a free plan?
MailerLite has a free plan, and Substack has a free plan.
Which is better, MailerLite or Substack?
On our weighted scoring across the use cases in this category, MailerLite comes out ahead overall. The honest answer is that it depends on the use case — the tables above break the score down by dimension so you can weight it to your own priorities.
Other comparisons
Sources & verification
- support.substack.com — checked 24 September 2026Publishing is free however many subscribers you have. Paid subscriptions cost nothing a month; Substack takes 10% of each payment.
- support.substack.com — checked 24 September 2026One-time $50 fee to use your own domain.
- support.substack.com — checked 24 September 2026Writers recommend other publications; new recommendations reach their subscribers in a digest email.
- mailerlite.com — checked 24 September 2026
- mailerlite.com — checked 24 September 2026No sales fee on paid newsletters; Stripe processes the payments.
- mailerlite.com — checked 24 September 2026Free plan: up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month, with 3 automations, 1 website and 1 landing page. Paid newsletters, custom domains and removing the MailerLite logo need a paid plan.