BestSends Guide · Tested by Carlos Gil
Best Email Platforms for Paid Newsletters in 2026
The fees, payouts, and features that actually matter when you are charging readers a subscription.
Charging readers a subscription is a business decision, not a product decision. The platform you pick directly affects your unit economics. Substack takes 10%. beehiiv takes basically nothing. Ghost is one-time cost. Below is the real economics of every major paid-newsletter platform, ranked by what you actually keep.
At a glance
| Tool | Best for | From | Free plan | Rating | Try |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| beehiivTop pick | Lowest take rate | Free + Stripe fees | 2,500 subs | 4.8 | Visit → |
| Ghost | Owned, self-hosted | $9/mo Pro or self-host | Self-host free | 4.5 | Visit → |
| Substack | Speed to first dollar | Free + 10% | Free | 4.2 | Visit → |
| Kit | Paid sequences + products | $15/mo | 10K subs | 4.6 | Visit → |
| MailerLite | Hobby paid newsletters | $10/mo | 1K subs | 4.3 | Visit → |
What we love · what we don't
What we love
- Take rates have collapsed since beehiiv entered the market.
- Migration tooling exists between every major platform.
- Stripe is the universal payment rail.
What we don't
- Substack's 10% never goes away.
- Discovery on owned platforms remains weaker than rented ones.
The ranking
1. beehiiv
beehiiv runs paid subs through Stripe with no platform cut. On a $100K/year newsletter you keep ~$97K (after Stripe). On Substack you keep $90K.
You also get the ad network and referral program on the same platform.
Required if newsletter revenue is meaningful.
Pros
- ~0% take rate
- Native referral + ads
- SEO-friendly archives
Cons
- Less editorial cachet than Substack
- Discovery is weaker
Who it's for
Operators with $20K+/year revenue ambition.
Skip it if
You want zero setup and brand-day-one discovery.
2. Ghost
Ghost lets you host the entire stack yourself. The subscriber DB lives where you put it.
Native member tiers, gated posts, Stripe integration — no plugins required.
Ops cost is real if you self-host (server, backups, SSL).
Pros
- You own everything
- No platform fee
- Beautiful defaults
Cons
- No native discovery
- Self-host requires ops
Who it's for
Tech-comfortable founders who want full control.
Skip it if
You hate servers.
3. Substack
Substack is the lowest-friction launch in the category — perfect for testing demand without commitment.
The 10% take rate compounds painfully past $50K/year. You will regret it eventually.
Migration to beehiiv is well-supported; many writers start here and graduate.
Pros
- Fastest to launch
- Built-in discovery (Notes)
- Recommendations engine
Cons
- 10% take rate forever
- You do not fully own the relationship
Who it's for
Writers testing demand fast.
Skip it if
You expect serious revenue — start on beehiiv.
4. Kit
Kit's paid sequences are unique — sell a 5-email course or a 30-day challenge with one-click checkout.
Plus native checkout for ebooks, presets, templates.
Not a recurring-subscription platform first; it is product-first with subscriptions secondary.
Pros
- Paid sequences
- Native product checkout
- Best automation in the bunch
Cons
- Recurring sub UX is less polished than beehiiv
Who it's for
Creators selling courses and products.
Skip it if
Pure recurring subs only.
5. MailerLite
MailerLite added paid subs in 2024. They work. They are not as polished as beehiiv but cost less.
Good first step before graduating.
Pros
- Cheap
- Easy UI
- Paid subs included
Cons
- No discovery
- No ad network
Who it's for
Side hustles testing the waters.
Skip it if
You are serious about it.
How we chose these platforms
We evaluated paid newsletter platforms on take rate, payout speed, subscriber ownership, Stripe integration, and migration risk. We ran real paid subscription flows on each platform, reviewed Stripe fee structures, and compared the cost of switching. beehiiv won because it keeps the most revenue in the creator’s pocket while still delivering a complete publishing suite. Substack remains the fastest way to start, Ghost the most owned, and Kit the best for product-based monetization.
Best for...
Best for maximum revenue
beehiiv
Lowest take rate, period.
Best for fastest launch
Substack
Live in 10 minutes.
Best for owned stack
Ghost
Self-host and own the DB.
Best for product creators
Kit
Sell products + paid sequences.
Pricing at every list size
Estimated monthly cost on each platform's standard plan, billed monthly. Cheapest at each tier highlighted.
| Tool | 1,000 | 10,000 | 50,000 | 100,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| beehiiv | Free | $84 | $295 | Custom |
| Substack | Free + 10% | Free + 10% | Free + 10% | Free + 10% |
| Ghost | $9 | $31 | $199 | $299 |
| Kit | Free | $66 | $316 | $566 |
| MailerLite | $10 | $73 | $289 | $489 |
Frequently asked questions
Substack takes 10% of all paid subscription revenue, plus standard Stripe processing fees (~3%). On a $100K/year newsletter that is roughly $13K to platform + payment fees.
Keep reading
Our top pick
beehiiv leads our testing
Tested hands on against every platform in this guide, on real accounts and real campaigns.
Related reading
About the Author
Carlos Gil is the Editor in Chief of BestSends and the author of The End of Marketing. He has spent 15+ years in email marketing with in-house roles at LinkedIn, GetResponse, BMC Software, Winn-Dixie, and Save-A-Lot.
Read more about Carlos