Best newsletter platform for growing an audience
Built-in ways to find new readers — recommendations, referrals and networks — plus automation to keep them.
| # | Tool | Starting price | Best for | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | beehiiv Top pick | 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 | 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 |
| =3 | Ghost | $18/mo | Writers and publications that want a real website with the newsletter attached, and to keep all subscription revenue. | | Visit |
| =3 | 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 |
| 5 | MailerLite | Free, then $19/mo Free tier | Small businesses and writers who want the lowest monthly price and no cut of subscription revenue. | | Visit |
Ranked on weighted capability scores, weighted most heavily towards audience growth tools and automation. Commission is not an input — see methodology.
How this ranking was weighted
| Dimension | Weight | beehiiv | Kit | Ghost | Substack | MailerLite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Audience growth tools | ×4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 |
| Automation | ×2 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Publication website | ×2 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 4 |
| Free plan | ×1 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 2 |
| Weighted total | 89 | 82 | 69 | 69 | 67 |
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 beehiiv wins here
Strengths
- +Free for up to 2,500 subscribers with unlimited sends, a website and your own domain.
- +Takes 0% of paid-subscription revenue on paid plans — you pay only Stripe’s processing fee.
- +A recommendation network on every plan, plus a referral programme and ad network from Scale up.
Limitations
- −Paid subscriptions, automations and the ad network all need the Scale plan, from $49 a month.
- −Prices climb with the list: Scale is $49 a month at 1,000 subscribers and $109 at 10,000.
- −Removing beehiiv branding needs the Max plan, from $109 a month.
The case for Kit
An email platform built for creators, with strong automation and a free plan for up to 10,000 subscribers. Creators who want to charge for a newsletter from day one without paying a monthly fee first.
Full beehiiv vs Kit comparison →
Common questions
Best newsletter platform for growing an audience?
beehiiv scores highest for growing an audience, at 89 out of 100 when weighted for audience growth tools and automation. Kit is second on 82.
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.