Best newsletter platforms in 2026
Ghost is the best newsletter platform for most writers who plan to charge. It takes 0% of payments, runs on your own Stripe account, and Publisher costs $75 a month at 5,000 members. Pick beehiiv for growth with ads, Kit for selling to a list under 10,000, and Substack to start free.
We compared Substack, beehiiv, Ghost, and Kit on their published pricing, fees, and terms as of October 2026. We did not test them hands-on. The biggest choice is whether you pay a percentage of revenue or a flat monthly fee, and a percentage gets more expensive every month you grow.
Our ranking
Ghost
Best for owning a paid newsletter
0% fees through your own Stripe account, a full website, and open-source code you can self-host. Publisher costs $35 a month at 1,000 members and $75 at 5,000.
beehiiv
Best for growing with ads and referrals
0% of subscriptions plus the Ad Network, referrals, and recommendations on one bill. Selling starts at $59 a month on Lite for 1,000 subscribers.
Kit
Best for selling to a list under 10,000
The free plan sells subscriptions for 3.5% + $0.30 per sale, card fees included, with no monthly bill up to 10,000 subscribers.
Substack
Best for starting with no budget
Free to publish at any size, with readers from Substack's app and network. The 10% cut plus Stripe fees gets expensive past about $700 a month.
What you keep on $1,000 a month
Newsletter platforms paid in $8 payments by US cards, on whichever plan leaves you the most. Fees checked October 21, 2026.
| Platform and plan | Share kept versus fees | You keep | Fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| KitFree | $928 | −$72 | |
| GhostPublisher | $859 | −$141 | |
| SubstackSubstack | $827 | −$173 | |
| beehiivLite | $825 | −$175 |
Newsletter platforms side by side
| Platform | Best for | Keep at $1,000 | Keep at $10,000 | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ghost | Writers and small publishers who sell subscriptions and want a real website, their own Stripe account, and the option to self-host. | $859 | $9,260 | 8.5 |
| beehiiv | Newsletter operators who want referrals, an ad network, and paid tiers in one tool and can cover a monthly bill. | $825 | $9,226 | 8.1 |
| Kit | Creators with a list under 10,000 who sell a paid newsletter alongside courses, ebooks, or other digital products. | $928 | $9,275 | 7.6 |
| Substack | Writers starting from zero who want a free setup and readers from Substack's app and recommendations. | $827 | $8,265 | 7.2 |
How to choose a newsletter platform
Pick the platform that matches how you will make money, then check who owns the list. A newsletter that lives on sponsorships needs different tools from one that lives on paid subscriptions.
Plan prices also depend on list size, so compare them at the size you expect to reach in a year, not the size you are today.
- Selling subscriptions and want full ownership: Ghost
- Earning from ads, sponsors, and referrals: beehiiv
- Selling subscriptions and products to under 10,000 subscribers: Kit
- No audience and no budget yet: Substack
Should you pay a percentage or a flat monthly fee?
Pay a flat fee once your revenue passes the point where the percentage costs more than the plan. Substack takes 10% of every payment. Ghost and beehiiv take 0% but charge a monthly plan, and Kit takes 3.5% + $0.30 all-in on every plan, including its free one.
Substack costs 10.7 points more per payment than Ghost or beehiiv, because its help center lists Stripe's 0.7% Billing fee on top of the 10%. At 5,000 subscribers, that gap passes Ghost Publisher's $75 at about $701 a month in revenue and beehiiv Lite's $109 at about $1,019. Kit's own share is only 0.6%, so its free plan costs less than Ghost until about $12,500 a month in sales.
Card processing applies everywhere. Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 sits under every platform here, and Substack's help center also lists Stripe's 0.7% Billing fee on recurring payments. See every plan's take-home pay side by side on our fee comparison.
Who owns your subscriber list?
You can export your email list as a CSV from all four platforms. The real difference is paying subscribers, because their card details live in Stripe.
Ghost and Substack connect to your own Stripe account, and Ghost tells Substack writers to connect the same one when they move. beehiiv uses a personal Stripe account you create through its setup and has an import tool for paid subscribers. Kit is the weak spot: paid subscriptions cannot move in or out of Kit with their card details.
Custom domains vary too. Substack charges a one-time $50 and still sends email from substack.com. beehiiv needs a paid plan. Ghost and Kit include a custom domain on every plan.
What changed in 2026?
beehiiv replaced its plans on October 1, 2026. Launch became Free, Scale became Lite, and Max became Pro, with higher prices for new customers. Existing customers move over at their first renewal on or after November 1, 2026.
Substack starts collecting and remitting sales tax and VAT on paid subscriptions on December 1, 2026, at no added cost. US and Canada publishers will see tax added at checkout. Kit collects VAT only, and beehiiv points you to Stripe Tax in your own Stripe account.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest platform for a paid newsletter?
Kit's free plan is cheapest for lists under 10,000 subscribers. It charges 3.5% + $0.30 per sale with card processing included and no monthly fee. Above 10,000 subscribers, or once you want a full website, Ghost Publisher is usually the cheapest flat fee.
Which newsletter platforms take no cut of subscriptions?
beehiiv and Ghost take 0% of paid subscriptions. You pay Stripe's processing fee plus a monthly plan instead. Kit's own share is 0.6%, and Substack takes 10%.
Which newsletter platforms are free?
Substack is free at any list size but takes 10% of paid subscriptions. Kit is free up to 10,000 subscribers and can sell on that plan. beehiiv is free up to 2,500 subscribers but cannot sell subscriptions on its free plan. Ghost has no free hosted plan, though its software is free to self-host.
Is Substack or beehiiv better?
beehiiv is better once your subscriptions earn more than about $1,019 a month at 5,000 subscribers, because its flat fee beats Substack's 10% plus Stripe Billing from there. Substack is better for starting from zero with no budget. See our Substack vs beehiiv comparison.
Can I switch newsletter platforms later?
Yes. All four export your list as a CSV, so free subscribers move easily. Paid subscribers move most easily when you keep the same Stripe account, which Ghost supports for Substack writers. Paid subscriptions on Kit cannot move with their card details, so leaving means asking readers to resubscribe.