Best Newsletter Platforms for Creators, Compared
If you mainly send a weekly newsletter, Mailchimp is usually overkill. Its strengths are ecommerce automations, transactional email, and multi-channel campaigns that a solo creator rarely touches. Kit (formerly ConvertKit) is the closer fit: it is built for creators, keeps subscriber management simple, and handles broadcasts and light automation without a heavy marketing dashboard. Choose Mailchimp only if you also run a store or need audience segmentation tied to purchase behavior. For a creator focused on writing and growing a list, Kit, beehiiv, or a publication-first tool like Substack will feel lighter and cheaper to run than Mailchimp.
How to choose a newsletter platform: the criteria that matter
Start with what you actually do each week. If your job is writing and sending, prioritize a clean editor, reliable deliverability, and simple list management. If you plan to charge readers, weigh how each platform handles paid subscriptions and the cut it takes. Growth tools matter next: signup forms, referral programs, and recommendations that surface you to other audiences. Then consider whether you want more than email, such as a website, podcast hosting, or digital products under one login. Finally, look at pricing as your list grows, since per-subscriber costs can climb fast. Match the tool to your actual workload, not the longest feature list.
beehiiv: all-in-one for creators, publishers, and media brands
beehiiv is built for people who treat the newsletter as a business. It is an all-in-one platform to create, grow, and monetize email newsletters, websites, podcasts, and digital products without code. That scope is the point: instead of stitching an email tool to a separate website builder and monetization layer, you run them from one place. It fits creators who want growth and monetization features native to the platform, and publishers or media brands that need more than a send button. If you only ever want to email a small list and nothing else, a lighter tool may be enough. beehiiv earns its place when you intend to scale.
Substack and Ghost: publication-first platforms
Substack and Ghost both center the publication rather than the marketing funnel. Substack is the fastest way to start a paid newsletter with almost no setup, and its network can send you readers through recommendations and its app. The tradeoff is limited control over design and data, plus a revenue cut on paid subscriptions. Ghost is open-source and can be self-hosted, giving you full ownership of your site, themes, and code, with membership and paid tiers built in. Ghost suits creators comfortable with more technical control and who value owning their stack. Both are strong if writing and publishing, not multi-channel marketing, is your core activity.
Mailchimp and MailerLite: email marketing generalists
Mailchimp and MailerLite are general email marketing tools, not newsletter-first products. Mailchimp is deep on automations, segmentation, ecommerce integrations, and multi-channel campaigns, which is powerful for businesses selling products but heavy for a weekly letter. Its pricing scales with contacts and can get expensive. MailerLite is the lighter, cheaper alternative with a solid editor, landing pages, and automation that most creators find sufficient. If you run a store or need behavior-based marketing, these earn their keep. If you just write and send to readers, most of their capability sits unused while you still pay for it.
Kit and Buttondown: creator-focused email tools
Kit (formerly ConvertKit) is designed around creators. It keeps a single subscriber list with tags instead of clunky lists, offers clean broadcasts, straightforward automations, and creator-friendly features like paid recommendations and digital product sales. For a weekly newsletter it feels purpose-built without the marketing bloat. Buttondown takes the opposite approach: it is minimal, developer-friendly, and cheap, favored by writers who want plain text, markdown, and no dashboard clutter. Choose Kit if you want growth and light monetization tools in a familiar creator workflow. Choose Buttondown if you value simplicity, low cost, and a no-frills sending experience above everything else.
Pricing overview across platforms
Pricing models differ enough to change your decision. Substack charges no monthly fee but takes a percentage of paid subscription revenue, so it is cheap to start and costlier as you monetize. Ghost is a flat subscription that scales with list size, or free if you self-host and manage the infrastructure. Mailchimp and MailerLite price by contact count, with Mailchimp trending more expensive as automations and contacts grow. Kit and Buttondown also scale with subscribers, with Buttondown among the lowest cost. beehiiv offers tiered plans. Model your cost at your target list size, not today's, because per-subscriber pricing is where surprises live.
Recommendations by use case
For a solo creator sending a weekly newsletter, Kit or Buttondown keep things simple and affordable, and Substack works if you want the fastest paid launch. If you want a website, growth tools, and monetization in one system as you scale, beehiiv fits, and so does Ghost if you prefer owning your stack. If you run an online store or need behavior-driven marketing alongside email, Mailchimp makes sense despite the overhead. MailerLite is a sensible middle ground when you want more marketing features than Kit but lighter and cheaper than Mailchimp. Match the tool to your real workflow.
Bottom line
For a weekly newsletter, Mailchimp is usually more than you need. Kit is the natural creator fit, Substack the fastest paid launch, and Buttondown the minimalist budget pick. Reach for Mailchimp only if ecommerce or heavy automation is part of your work. If you plan to build a website, podcast, and products around the newsletter and monetize as you scale, beehiiv or Ghost deserve a look. Match the platform to your actual workflow and your list size, not the feature list.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Mailchimp overkill for a weekly newsletter?
- For most solo creators, yes. Mailchimp's strengths are ecommerce and multi-channel automation, which a weekly letter rarely uses, while its pricing scales with contacts. Kit, MailerLite, or a newsletter-first tool is usually a better fit.
- Should I choose Mailchimp or Kit for a creator newsletter?
- Choose Kit if you mainly write and send, since it is creator-focused and lighter. Choose Mailchimp only if you also run a store or need marketing automation tied to purchase behavior.
- What is the cheapest way to start a paid newsletter?
- Substack has no monthly fee and instead takes a percentage of paid subscription revenue, making it inexpensive at the start. Buttondown is among the cheapest flat-cost options if you do not want a revenue cut.
- When does beehiiv make sense over Kit or Substack?
- beehiiv fits when you want more than email, including a website, podcast, and digital products with growth and monetization built in. If you only ever want to send email to a small list, a lighter tool may be enough.
- What is the difference between Substack and Ghost?
- Substack is the fastest hosted way to launch a paid newsletter with a built-in network but limited control. Ghost is open-source, can be self-hosted, and gives you full ownership of your site and code.
- Do per-subscriber prices matter when choosing a platform?
- Yes. Mailchimp, MailerLite, Kit, and Buttondown price by contact or subscriber count, so costs rise as your list grows. Model your price at your target size before committing.