Best platform for a paid newsletter
Charging subscribers while keeping as much of the revenue as possible.
| # | Tool | Starting price | Best for | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MailerLite Top pick | Free, then $19/mo Free tier | Small businesses and writers who want the lowest monthly price and no cut of 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 | Ghost | $18/mo | Writers and publications that want a real website with the newsletter attached, and to keep all 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 paid subscriptions and low transaction fees. Commission is not an input — see methodology.
How this ranking was weighted
| Dimension | Weight | MailerLite | beehiiv | Ghost | Kit | Substack |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paid subscriptions | ×3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| Low transaction fees | ×3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 1 |
| Value for money | ×2 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Audience growth tools | ×1 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| Ease of use | ×1 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Weighted total | 88 | 84 | 84 | 82 | 68 |
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 MailerLite wins here
Strengths
- +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.
Limitations
- −The free plan is small: 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month.
- −Paid newsletters and custom domains need a paid plan.
- −Comfort caps sending at 10,000 emails a month for a 1,000-subscriber list; unlimited sending needs Power at $39.
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 MailerLite vs beehiiv comparison →
Common questions
Best platform for a paid newsletter?
MailerLite scores highest for paid newsletters, at 88 out of 100 when weighted for paid subscriptions and low transaction fees. beehiiv and Ghost are joint second on 84.
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 paid newsletters, MailerLite comes out ahead — charging subscribers while keeping as much of the revenue as possible.
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.