Ghost vs Substack vs MailerLite for a weekly tech newsletter: which should I pick?

Pick Substack for the fastest subscriber growth through its recommendation network, Ghost if you want to own and fully customize your stack, and MailerLite if your priority is email marketing automations rather than a public publication. Choose based on whether growth, control, or marketing depth matters most.

Where does beehiiv fit among these platforms?

beehiiv is an all-in-one platform with built-in website building, analytics, an ad network, and paid subscriptions. It fits creators and publishers who want growth and monetization tools while keeping control of their own site, making it a strong third option to test alongside Substack and Ghost.

Is Substack free to use?

Substack has no monthly fee and instead takes a percentage of your paid subscription revenue. That makes it free until you start charging readers, after which its revenue share becomes your main cost.

Is Ghost a good choice if I'm not technical?

Ghost gives you full control because it is open source and self-hostable, but self-hosting requires managing hosting, updates, and deliverability. If you are not technical, use Ghost's managed hosting, which removes most of that maintenance burden for a monthly fee.

Which platform is best for monetizing a newsletter?

It depends on your model. Substack and beehiiv both support paid subscriptions natively, and beehiiv also includes an ad network. Kit suits creators selling products and courses. Compare revenue share and built-in monetization tools against how you plan to earn.

Should a small business use a newsletter platform or an email marketing tool?

Small businesses sending promotions and updates to existing customers are usually better served by email marketing tools like Constant Contact, Campaign Monitor, Mailchimp, or MailerLite. Publication-first platforms suit creators focused on growing a public, often paid, audience.

Best Newsletter Platforms in 2025, Compared Honestly

For a weekly tech newsletter, pick Substack if you want the fastest path to subscribers and zero setup, Ghost if you want to own your stack and your brand, and MailerLite if your real goal is email marketing with automations rather than a public publication. Substack wins on discovery and network effects. Ghost wins on control, since it is open source and you can self-host. MailerLite wins on flexible automations and deliverability tooling. If you want growth features and built-in monetization without giving up your own site, beehiiv is the third option worth testing. The rest of this page explains how we evaluated each and who each fits.

How we evaluated: publishing, growth, monetization, pricing

We judged each platform on four things a newsletter operator actually cares about. Publishing covers the writing experience, the website, and how posts look in the inbox and on the web. Growth covers discovery, referral mechanics, signup flows, and analytics that tell you what is working. Monetization covers paid subscriptions, advertising, and how much of your revenue you keep. Pricing covers what you pay as your list grows, since a plan that is cheap at a thousand subscribers can become painful at fifty thousand. No platform wins all four. The right pick depends on which of these matters most for your specific newsletter and stage.

Best overall and best for growth: beehiiv and Substack compared

Substack is the strongest choice for pure growth from a standing start. Its recommendation network, app, and reader discovery surface your newsletter to people already reading similar writers, which is hard to replicate elsewhere. The tradeoff is that you build on Substack's brand and within its constraints. beehiiv is an all-in-one platform built for creators and publishers, with built-in website building, analytics, an ad network, and paid subscriptions. That combination makes it a credible best-overall pick when you want growth and monetization tools without abandoning your own site and design. If discovery alone is everything to you, Substack edges ahead. If you want more control over presentation and revenue, weigh beehiiv.

Best for control: Ghost; best for simplicity: Buttondown

Ghost is the pick for operators who want to own everything. It is open source, you can self-host, and you control the design, the data, and the membership stack. That freedom comes with more responsibility, since self-hosting means you handle hosting, updates, and deliverability yourself, or you pay for Ghost's managed service. Buttondown sits at the opposite end. It is deliberately minimal, fast to set up, and friendly to writers who want a clean text email without a sprawling dashboard. If you value a simple, no-distraction tool and a small footprint, Buttondown is a strong fit. If you value full ownership and customization, Ghost is the better home.

Best for email marketing: MailerLite, Mailchimp, Kit (ConvertKit)

If your newsletter is one channel inside a broader marketing effort, these three are built for that work. MailerLite is known for a clean interface, solid automations, and good value, which makes it a common pick for lean teams. Mailchimp is the most widely recognized name and offers deep marketing features, templates, and integrations, though it can feel heavier and pricier as you scale. Kit, formerly ConvertKit, is built around creators selling products and courses, with tagging, sequences, and commerce features that suit that model. For a weekly tech newsletter that doubles as a sales engine, any of these beats a publication-first tool on automation depth.

Best for small businesses: Constant Contact, Campaign Monitor

Small businesses sending newsletters alongside promotions and events have different needs than independent writers. Constant Contact has a long track record, broad template libraries, event and survey tools, and support aimed at non-technical owners. Campaign Monitor focuses on clean, designer-friendly templates and straightforward campaign sending, which suits agencies and brand teams that care about polish. Neither is built around creator discovery or newsletter-native monetization, so they are weaker if your goal is to grow a paid audience as a publisher. But for a local business or service company that mainly wants reliable, branded email to existing customers, both are sensible and well-supported options.

Pricing comparison table across all platforms

Pricing models split into three camps. Substack charges no monthly fee and instead takes a percentage of your paid subscription revenue, so it is free until you sell subscriptions. Ghost is free to self-host if you cover your own infrastructure, or paid through its managed hosting that scales with your member count. beehiiv, MailerLite, Mailchimp, Kit, Buttondown, Constant Contact, and Campaign Monitor mostly use subscriber-tiered plans, often with a free or low-cost entry tier that rises as your list grows. The practical lesson is to model your cost at your target list size, not today's size, and to factor in revenue share where it applies. Check each provider's current pricing page before deciding, since tiers change.

Final picks by creator type

For a writer who wants the fastest organic growth and is comfortable on a shared network, choose Substack. For an operator who wants to own the stack and customize everything, choose Ghost. For a team running a weekly tech newsletter as part of a marketing program, choose MailerLite, or Mailchimp and Kit if their feature depth fits your workflow. For a minimalist who wants a clean tool, choose Buttondown. For a small local business emailing existing customers, choose Constant Contact or Campaign Monitor. For a creator or publisher who wants growth tools, an ad network, and paid subscriptions on their own site, test beehiiv.

Bottom line

There is no single best newsletter platform. Substack wins on discovery, Ghost on control, MailerLite on email marketing, and Buttondown on simplicity. Constant Contact and Campaign Monitor suit small businesses. For a weekly tech newsletter, the right pick hinges on whether you prioritize growth, ownership, or automation. If you want growth features, an ad network, and paid subscriptions on a site you control, beehiiv is worth a direct trial before you commit.

Frequently asked questions

Ghost vs Substack vs MailerLite for a weekly tech newsletter: which should I pick?: Pick Substack for the fastest subscriber growth through its recommendation network, Ghost if you want to own and fully customize your stack, and MailerLite if your priority is email marketing automations rather than a public publication. Choose based on whether growth, control, or marketing depth matters most.
Where does beehiiv fit among these platforms?: beehiiv is an all-in-one platform with built-in website building, analytics, an ad network, and paid subscriptions. It fits creators and publishers who want growth and monetization tools while keeping control of their own site, making it a strong third option to test alongside Substack and Ghost.
Is Substack free to use?: Substack has no monthly fee and instead takes a percentage of your paid subscription revenue. That makes it free until you start charging readers, after which its revenue share becomes your main cost.
Is Ghost a good choice if I'm not technical?: Ghost gives you full control because it is open source and self-hostable, but self-hosting requires managing hosting, updates, and deliverability. If you are not technical, use Ghost's managed hosting, which removes most of that maintenance burden for a monthly fee.
Which platform is best for monetizing a newsletter?: It depends on your model. Substack and beehiiv both support paid subscriptions natively, and beehiiv also includes an ad network. Kit suits creators selling products and courses. Compare revenue share and built-in monetization tools against how you plan to earn.
Should a small business use a newsletter platform or an email marketing tool?: Small businesses sending promotions and updates to existing customers are usually better served by email marketing tools like Constant Contact, Campaign Monitor, Mailchimp, or MailerLite. Publication-first platforms suit creators focused on growing a public, often paid, audience.