The right newsletter platform is the one that supports the next job your audience expects you to do: publish consistently, sell a product, or move an existing list safely. Start with that job, then test the free plan against your actual list size.
Start with the business behind the newsletter
A consultant may need a simple lead-nurture sequence. An author may care more about a clean archive and paid subscriptions. An educator may need forms, segmentation, and a reliable handoff to a course or workshop. Those are different jobs even when the tools all say “newsletter.”
- Publication and audience growth: start with beehiiv or Substack.
- Creator products and sequences: start with Kit.
- Very small, conventional email marketing: compare MailerLite.
Use the free tier as a real constraint
Free plans are useful for validating the workflow, not for pretending the future will never cost anything. Write down the point where you would need a paid feature, a higher subscriber tier, or a different platform.
- Count active subscribers, not only the people who opened last month.
- Separate broadcast sends from automated sequences.
- Check whether your paid product or recommendation feature is available on the free plan.
Keep the exit path visible
Before moving a list, confirm export, consent, tags, archive content, and payment handling. A platform is easier to trust when you can explain how to leave it.
Read the official product information
These are direct canonical links. Pricing, plan boundaries, and program terms can change; confirm them at the source before you act.