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Best Free Newsletter Tools in 2026

Data compiled by Toolradar Updated How we rate

The 15 best free newsletter tools we track: 5 completely free and 10 with a free plan alongside paid tiers. Ordered by Toolradar's ranking score (review volume and rating on G2, Capterra, Trustpilot and other sites, plus media mentions), not by vendor pitches; every rating shows its date.

Key Takeaways
  • Mailerlite is our free pick for newsletter tools in 2026. Constant Contact is our overall pick.
  • We screened 20 newsletter tools with a free plan to build this list.
  • 15 tools offer free plans.
Publications that cover the tools tracked here
  • TechCrunch
  • Bloomberg
  • The Information
  • Fortune
  • The Verge
  • 20 free tools screened
  • 5 100% free
  • 10 free plan + paid

Top 5 free newsletter tools at a glance

Top 5 free newsletter tools: free plan type, user rating and best use, as of October 2026
Tool Type Rating Best for
Mailerlite Free plan 4.7 (3,514) as of Sep 2026
Simple, affordable email marketing for growing businesses
Sender Free plan 4.8 (1,724) as of Sep 2026
Create, automate, and send emails that people want to read, without complicated setup or high costs.
EmailOctopus Free plan 4.6 (701) as of Sep 2026
Email marketing made easy with intuitive tools and competitive pricing.
Buttondown Free plan 4.8 (115) as of Sep 2026
Minimalist newsletter platform for simplicity and privacy
beehiiv Free plan 4.5 (56) as of Sep 2026
Newsletter platform for growth

Ratings from G2, Capterra, and other public review sites. Each cell shows the snapshot date so a cited number is never an undated one.

Toolradar data

The newsletter tools market in numbers

Toolradar data: Toolradar tracks 24 newsletter tools as of November 1, 2026. 83% of the newsletter tools on Toolradar are free, freemium or open source. Toolradar re-checked the pricing of 83% of newsletter tools in the last 90 days. Toolradar aggregates 17,720 public user reviews (G2, Capterra, Trustpilot and other review sites) across 11 rated newsletter tools. The most cross-shopped newsletter tool is Mailerlite, listed as an alternative to 29 other tools on Toolradar. The most compared newsletter tool on Toolradar over the last 90 days is Substack, with 125 side-by-side comparisons. Computed from the Toolradar catalog and on-site activity.

  • 24 newsletter tools tracked
  • 83% are free, freemium or open source
  • 83% of prices re-checked in the last 90 days
  • 17,720 public user reviews aggregated across 11 rated tools
Most cross-shopped newsletter tools on Toolradar, as of November 2026 Listed as an alternative to the most other tools on Toolradar
Rank Tool Listed as an alternative to
1 Mailerlite 29 tools
2 Constant Contact 24 tools
3 beehiiv 19 tools
Most compared newsletter tools on Toolradar, last 90 days to November 2026 Side-by-side comparisons by visitors, last 90 days
Rank Tool Comparisons
1 Substack 125
2 beehiiv 98
3 Mailerlite 64

Source and method: live newsletter tools statistics

The 15 best free newsletter tools

Order: Toolradar ranking score, which is the public review volume times the average rating on G2, Capterra, Trustpilot and other review sites, plus media mentions (recent ones count more). Paid placements are labelled and never change the score. How we rank.

Mailerlite logo
1.

Mailerlite

Free plan

Simple, affordable email marketing for growing businesses

4.7/5 across SourceForge, G2 and Capterra · 3,514 ratings, Sep 2026

MailerLite provides email marketing with simplicity and value. Clean interface, solid features, and pricing that works for growing lists. The interface is intuitive. The automation is capable. The pricing is friendly. Growing businesses wanting straightforward email marketing choose MailerLite for accessible email.

Sender logo
2.

Sender

Free plan

Create, automate, and send emails that people want to read, without complicated setup or high costs.

4.8/5 across G2 and Trustpilot · 1,724 ratings, Sep 2026

Sender is an email marketing platform designed to help businesses of all sizes create, automate, and send effective email campaigns. It provides a user-friendly interface with a drag-and-drop newsletter builder, a vast library of mobile-responsive templates, and tools for email automation and personalization. The platform focuses on high email deliverability through continuous monitoring of sender scores and IP reputation, ensuring emails reach inboxes efficiently. The platform is suitable for various industries including e-commerce, small businesses, B2B, events, SaaS, and non-profits. It offers features like A/B testing, an HTML email builder, auto-branded emails, and dynamic content for personalization. Sender also integrates with popular CMS, CRM, and e-commerce platforms like WordPress, WooCommerce, PrestaShop, Zapier, and Shopify, making it easy to incorporate into existing workflows. With 24/7 customer support, onboarding assistance, and a free migration service, Sender aims to provide a hassle-free email marketing solution.

EmailOctopus logo
3.

EmailOctopus

Free plan

Email marketing made easy with intuitive tools and competitive pricing.

4.6/5 across G2 and Capterra · 701 ratings, Sep 2026

EmailOctopus is an email marketing platform designed to simplify the process of creating, sending, and analyzing email campaigns. It focuses exclusively on email marketing, avoiding additional features like SMS to keep the platform streamlined and cost-effective. The tool is suitable for businesses and individuals looking for an easy-to-use solution to connect with their audience through engaging and personalized emails. The platform offers a drag-and-drop editor for quick email creation, powerful automation capabilities, effective forms for subscriber collection, and intuitive reports for performance tracking. Users can integrate EmailOctopus with over 1,000 other applications and benefit from unique, brand-aligned templates. It also includes features for subscriber segmentation, personalization, and scheduled campaigns to optimize engagement and deliverability. EmailOctopus aims to provide a robust email marketing solution without the complexity and high costs often associated with larger, multi-service platforms.

Buttondown logo
4.

Buttondown

Free plan

Minimalist newsletter platform for simplicity and privacy

4.8/5 across G2 and Capterra · 115 ratings, Sep 2026

Buttondown is a minimalist newsletter platform focused on simplicity and privacy, offering rich text editing, custom domains, and modular add-on features.

beehiiv logo
5.

beehiiv

Free plan

Newsletter platform for growth

4.5/5 across G2 and Capterra · 56 ratings, Sep 2026

beehiiv is a newsletter platform built for growth, offering custom websites, monetization tools, recommendation network, and advanced analytics for content creators.

Substack logo
6.

Substack

Free plan

Newsletter platform for writers

2.4/5 across G2 and Trustpilot · 179 ratings, Sep 2026

Substack powers newsletter businesses. Writing platform for paid newsletters-where independent writers build audiences. The platform defined independent newsletters. The discovery helps growth. The business model is clear. Writers building newsletter businesses often start on Substack.

Curated logo
7.

Curated

100% free

Win inbox attention with editorial newsletters, designed for content creators and publishers.

Curated is a specialized platform designed for creating and publishing high-quality editorial newsletters. Unlike typical email platforms, it's built from the ground up to support the unique needs of newsletter creators, publishers, and marketers. It streamlines the entire workflow, from collecting content to delivering polished emails and web versions. The platform allows users to easily capture links and content using a bookmarklet, Chrome extension, or secret email address. They can then effortlessly assemble issues, add commentary, and publish stunning, customizable newsletters that look great across all email clients. Curated also provides an optional publication site with searchable back issues, and robust analytics to help creators understand their audience and improve each issue. It supports various monetization goals, including sponsorships and paid subscriptions, handling the entire sponsorship process and taking 0% commission on paid subscriptions.

HeyNews logo
8.

HeyNews

Free plan

Create and publish your newsletter in minutes, directly from your browser.

HeyNews is a browser-based tool designed to simplify newsletter creation and publishing. It allows users to quickly draft and send newsletters without needing complex software or extensive technical knowledge. The platform focuses on speed and ease of use, enabling individuals and small businesses to maintain regular communication with their audience. It's ideal for content creators, small businesses, bloggers, and anyone looking to share updates, news, or curated content with their subscribers efficiently. The primary benefit is the ability to publish a professional-looking newsletter in a very short amount of time, freeing up users to focus on content rather than technical setup.

Demand Curve logo
9.

Demand Curve

100% free

Connect your brand with a highly engaged audience of startup founders and marketers.

Demand Curve offers sponsorship opportunities for businesses looking to reach a targeted audience of startup founders and marketers. Their primary offering is advertising placements within their popular Growth Newsletter, which boasts over 91,000 active subscribers and a 46% open rate. This platform is ideal for B2B products and services that cater to the startup ecosystem, providing direct access to decision-makers actively seeking growth tools and tactics. Sponsors can choose from different placement types, including a prominent primary slot at the top of the newsletter or a feature in their "News & Links" section. These placements offer significant visibility, with expected website visits ranging from 100 to 500, depending on relevance. Demand Curve carefully vets potential sponsors to ensure alignment with their audience's interests, focusing on businesses that have experience with paid marketing and effective landing pages.

Listmonk logo
10.

Listmonk

100% free

Self-hosted, open-source platform for managing newsletters, mailing lists, and transactional messages.

Listmonk is a free and open-source self-hosted solution for managing newsletters, mailing lists, and transactional emails. It's designed for users who need full control over their email marketing infrastructure, offering high performance and a rich feature set within a single binary application. It caters to individuals and organizations looking for a robust, privacy-focused, and customizable email platform without relying on third-party services. The platform allows users to manage millions of subscribers across single and double opt-in lists, with advanced querying and segmentation capabilities using SQL expressions. It includes built-in analytics for tracking campaign performance, bounces, and top links. Listmonk supports dynamic email templating with Go templating language, offering various editors like drag-and-drop, WYSIWYG, Markdown, and raw HTML. Beyond email, it provides a simple API for sending transactional messages via various mediums like SMS, WhatsApp, or FCM notifications through extensible Messenger interfaces.

Dupple logo
11.

Dupple

100% free

Stay ahead with daily industry news and AI training to future-proof your career.

Dupple offers a suite of daily industry news digests, including Techpresso for tech news, and upcoming digests like Devshot (coding), Cyberpresso (cybersecurity), Finpresso (finance), and Marketingshot (marketing). These newsletters aim to keep professionals and enthusiasts informed about the most important developments in their respective fields. Beyond news, Dupple also provides an AI Academy with over 200 simple, actionable courses designed to help users master AI tools and future-proof their careers. This combination of current industry insights and practical skill development makes Dupple a resource for individuals looking to stay competitive and knowledgeable in fast-evolving sectors. The platform is ideal for tech professionals, developers, cybersecurity experts, finance professionals, marketers, and anyone interested in AI, seeking to quickly consume relevant industry news and acquire new skills.

Sendfox logo
12.

Sendfox

Free plan

Simple and affordable email marketing for content creators to grow their audience.

SendFox is an email marketing platform designed specifically for content creators, offering a straightforward and intuitive way to manage and send newsletters. It aims to simplify the process of email marketing, allowing users to generate and schedule emails automatically from their best content with minimal effort. The platform provides tools to grow email lists, create landing pages, and automate email sequences. Targeted at individuals and small businesses who want to connect with their audience without the complexities or high costs often associated with traditional email marketing services, SendFox emphasizes ease of use and affordability. It's suitable for those who are new to email marketing, don't have a website, or are short on time, providing features like Smart Pages and Smart Campaigns to streamline content delivery. SendFox offers a free plan to get started and a unique lifetime deal option, making it a cost-effective solution for creators looking to build and engage their subscriber base. It also provides a supportive community and customer service to assist users.

Kit logo
13.

Kit

Free plan

Automated email marketing and newsletter platform for creators to grow their audience and income.

Kit, formerly ConvertKit, is an email marketing and automation platform designed specifically for creators, including authors, YouTubers, entrepreneurs, and artists. It helps users streamline their marketing efforts, allowing them to focus on content creation rather than complex technical tasks. The platform offers tools for building and growing an audience through landing pages, forms, and creator recommendations, as well as features for sending personalized emails and managing subscribers. Beyond audience engagement, Kit provides robust automation capabilities with a visual builder to create sophisticated email sequences that respond to subscriber actions. It also facilitates monetization through digital product sales, subscriptions, and Kit Ads, offering multiple income streams within a single platform. Kit integrates with other popular creator tools, aiming to be an "email-first operating system" that supports creators at every stage of their business growth.

God’s Eye View logo
14.

God’s Eye View

Free plan

Deep dives into AI, AR/VR, and robotics

God's Eye View is a newsletter that provides deep dives into the technologies blurring the lines between our physical and digital worlds. It covers topics like AI, AR/VR, and robotics with technical depth and no fluff. The newsletter is written by Bilawal Sidhu, who previously mapped the world at Google, and has over 38,000 subscribers.

SparkLoop logo
15.

SparkLoop

100% free

Grow and monetize your newsletter with paid and free recommendations

SparkLoop is a comprehensive growth and monetization platform designed specifically for newsletter operators. It offers three core growth engines: a paid recommendations network where newsletters get paid to recommend other newsletters to their audience, a free recommendations network for mutual audience growth, and a powerful referral program system. The platform integrates with over 25 email service providers in two clicks, providing features like in-email referral sections, automated reward fulfillment (digital, physical, and coupons via Printful), referral giveaways, anti-fraud protection, and white-label referral hubs. SparkLoop is trusted by thousands of top media brands and has paid out millions to newsletter operators. It's ideal for newsletter creators looking to scale their subscriber base with high-quality, engaged readers while generating additional revenue.

Related

Why choose free newsletter tools?

Free newsletter tools are an excellent way to get started without financial commitment. Whether you're a startup, freelancer, or small business, these tools offer essential features at no cost.

What to look for in free newsletter tools

  • Feature limitations: Understand what's included in the free tier vs paid plans
  • Usage limits: Check for restrictions on users, storage, or API calls
  • Data ownership: Ensure you own your data and can export it
  • Support: Free tiers often have community-only support
  • Upgrade path: Consider future needs if you outgrow the free tier

Free vs Freemium: what's the difference?

100% free 100% free, no payment ever

Completely free with no paid upgrades available. Best for simple, focused workflows that don't require advanced features.

Free plan Free tier + paid upgrades

Generous free tier with optional paid plans that unlock advanced features, higher limits, or team collaboration.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best free newsletter tool in 2026?

Mailerlite is our free newsletter tools pick in 2026. On the full category ranking, Constant Contact is our overall newsletter tools pick. Mailerlite offers a free plan alongside paid plans: Simple, affordable email marketing for growing businesses.

Is Mailerlite really free forever?

Mailerlite uses a freemium model: there is a permanent free tier you can use without a credit card, plus optional paid plans that unlock higher usage limits and advanced features. The free tier itself does not expire.

What does the free tier of newsletter tools typically include?

Free newsletter tools typically include the core workflow features needed to evaluate the product. Paid plans usually unlock higher usage limits, team collaboration, advanced analytics, integrations, and priority support. The specific cap differs per tool.

When should I upgrade from a free newsletter tool?

Upgrade when you hit one of the free tier ceilings: usage quota (output count, storage, contacts, projects), team size, or a paid-only feature your workflow depends on.

Are there newsletter tools that are 100% free, not just freemium?

Yes. We found 5 completely free newsletter tools (no paid upgrade path) and 10 tools with a permanent free tier alongside paid plans. Curated, Demand Curve, Listmonk are 100% free.

Are free newsletter tools good enough for business use?

Yes, for most startups, freelancers, and small teams. Mailerlite and Sender both offer free tiers robust enough for production workflows. Larger teams typically upgrade when they need SSO, audit logs, advanced permissions, or usage past the free quota.

Last updated: October 31, 2026

Some offers on this page may be paid placements or contain affiliate links.