The best platforms for writing, growing, and monetizing an email newsletter. We compare beehiiv, Substack, Kit, and Ghost on monetization options, audience growth features, and what each costs as your list scales.
4 tools · Last updated June 11, 2026
| Tool | Best for | Pricing | Free plan | Open source | Why choose it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 beehiiv | Newsletter creators and independent journalists | Freemium · from $39/mo | Best growth toolkit: referral program, recommendation network, and an ad marketplace. | ||
| Independent writers and journalists going paid | Free | Free to start with built-in discovery — costs 10% of revenue once you charge subscribers. | |||
| Creators selling courses, products, or paid content | Freemium · from $25/mo | Creator-focused automation with powerful tagging, sequences, and paid-product support. | |||
| Serious publications with growing paid revenue | Freemium · from $9/mo | Open source publishing platform — own your site, archive, and member relationships outright. |
The newsletter platform built for growth — create, grow, and monetize your email audience without code.
The home for independent voices — publish a newsletter, podcast, or community and get paid by subscribers.
Substack is the fastest free start with built-in discovery, while beehiiv offers the strongest growth toolkit (referral program, boosts, ad network) once you get serious. If you want full ownership and your own site, Ghost is the open source pick.
Substack is free but takes 10% of paid subscription revenue, which gets expensive once you monetize. Flat-fee platforms like beehiiv, Kit, or self-hosted Ghost usually cost less than that 10% cut beyond roughly 100 paid subscribers.
Yes — subscriber lists export as CSV on all four platforms. The harder parts to migrate are paid subscriptions (Stripe relationships) and SEO from your archive, so pick a platform with a custom domain early if you expect to move.