Best newsletter platform for bloggers
A proper website with the newsletter attached, rather than a newsletter with an archive page.
| # | Tool | Starting price | Best for | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ghost Top pick | $18/mo | Writers and publications that want a real website with the newsletter attached, and to keep all subscription revenue. | | Visit |
| =2 | beehiiv | Free, then $49/mo Free tier | Newsletter operators who want growth tools and ad revenue built in, and expect to outgrow a hobby list. | | Visit |
| =2 | MailerLite | Free, then $19/mo Free tier | Small businesses and writers who want the lowest monthly price and no cut of subscription revenue. | | Visit |
| 4 | Kit | Free, then $33/mo Free tier | Creators who want to charge for a newsletter from day one without paying a monthly fee first. | | Visit |
| 5 | Substack | Free; 10% of paid revenue Free tier | Writers starting a paid newsletter who would rather give up a share of revenue than pay a monthly bill. | | Visit |
Ranked on weighted capability scores, weighted most heavily towards publication website and low transaction fees. Commission is not an input — see methodology.
How this ranking was weighted
| Dimension | Weight | Ghost | beehiiv | MailerLite | Kit | Substack |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publication website | ×4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| Low transaction fees | ×1 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 1 |
| Value for money | ×1 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 3 |
| Ease of use | ×1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| Audience growth tools | ×1 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Weighted total | 90 | 83 | 83 | 68 | 55 |
Capability scores are 1–5 per dimension. Weights reflect what matters for this use case. A tool we have not assessed on a dimension scores 3, not 0.
Why Ghost wins here
Strengths
- +A full publishing website and newsletter in one, with a free custom domain on every plan.
- +Takes 0% of paid-subscription revenue from the Publisher plan up.
- +Recommendations, a referral programme and the Ghost Explore network on every plan.
Limitations
- −No free plan on the managed service — only a free trial.
- −The $18 Starter plan cannot take paid subscriptions or use custom themes; both need Publisher at $35 a month.
- −Starter allows one staff user and one newsletter.
The case for beehiiv
A newsletter platform built around growth, with a recommendation network, referral programme and ad network built in. Newsletter operators who want growth tools and ad revenue built in, and expect to outgrow a hobby list.
Full Ghost vs beehiiv comparison →
Common questions
Best newsletter platform for bloggers?
Ghost scores highest for bloggers, at 90 out of 100 when weighted for publication website and low transaction fees. beehiiv and MailerLite are joint second on 83.
Why is the pick here different from your overall ranking?
Our overall ranking for newsletter platforms puts beehiiv first, because it averages every use case. Weighted specifically for bloggers, Ghost comes out ahead — a proper website with the newsletter attached, rather than a newsletter with an archive page.
Sources & verification
- ghost.org — checked 24 September 2026Founded April 2013.
- ghost.org — checked 24 September 2026No free plan on Ghost(Pro) — each plan starts with a free trial. Ghost is also open-source software you can host yourself.
- kit.com — checked 24 September 2026Paid newsletters and recurring subscriptions on every plan, including free. 3.5% + 30¢ per transaction, inclusive of card processing — Kit says its own share is 0.6%.
- 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.
- beehiiv.com — checked 24 September 2026
- beehiiv.com — checked 24 September 2026Launch plan: free for up to 2,500 subscribers, with unlimited email sends, a website and custom domains. No card required. Paid subscriptions, automations and the ad network need a paid plan.
- 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.