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Ranked list

Best Newsletter Tools in 2026

Newsletter publishing platforms

Key Takeaways
  • Constant Contact is our overall pick for newsletter tools in 2026. Mailerlite is our free pick. Overall pick: Cheapest paid plan Lite, $12/mo. Rated 4.2/5 across G2 and Capterra (10,413 ratings, Sep 2026). Watch out: Potential for increased costs with additional users on Lite. Free pick: Free plan; cheapest paid plan Comfort, $12/mo. Rated 4.7/5 across SourceForge, G2 and Capterra (3,514 ratings, Sep 2026).
  • We evaluated 24 newsletter tools to create this ranking.
  • 7 of the 10 tools listed here have a free plan.
Publications that cover the tools tracked here
  • TechCrunch
  • Bloomberg
  • The Information
  • Fortune
  • The Verge
  • 24 tools evaluated
  • 10 top picks
  • 7 with a free plan

Newsletter platforms split between creator-monetization-first (Substack, beehiiv, ConvertKit/Kit), audience-building tools (Mailchimp, Sendinblue), and developer-focused tools (Buttondown, Resend Newsletters). The choice depends on whether monetization is the headline.

Top 3 newsletter tools

  1. Constant Contact logo

    Constant Contact

    #1 Top pick

    Established email marketing for small businesses

    Starting price

    From $12 /mo

    Cheapest paid plan, monthly, as of November 2026

    4.2 /5 across G2 and Capterra · 10,413 ratings, Sep 2026

    Our take

    Best overall

  2. Mailerlite logo

    Simple, affordable email marketing for growing businesses

    Starting price

    From $12 /mo

    Cheapest paid plan, monthly, as of November 2026

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

    Our take

    Best free tier

  3. Sender logo

    Sender

    #3

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

    Pricing

    Free plan

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

    Our take

    Highest rated

10 top newsletter tools compared

Newsletter tools compared on our take, starting price (cheapest paid plan, monthly, as of November 2026), average user rating with each review site's own score, and the hidden cost to watch for.
Constant Contact logo
Constant Contact
Best overall Price: $12/mo 4.2 out of 5, from 10,413 ratings across G2 and Capterra G2 4.1 · Capterra 4.3 Watch out: Potential for increased costs with additional users on Lite.
Mailerlite logo
Mailerlite
Best free tier Price: $12/mo 4.7 out of 5, from 3,514 ratings across SourceForge, G2 and Capterra Capterra 4.7 · G2 4.6
Sender logo
Sender
Highest rated Price: Free + paid 4.8 out of 5, from 1,724 ratings across G2 and Trustpilot Trustpilot 4.8 · G2 4.7
EmailOctopus logo
EmailOctopus
Most affordable Price: $9/mo 4.6 out of 5, from 701 ratings across G2 and Capterra Capterra 4.8 · G2 4.2
Aweber logo
Aweber
Price: $15/mo 4.3 out of 5, from 973 ratings across G2 and Capterra G2 4.2 · Capterra 4.4 Watch out: Done For You is an add-on, not core platform.
Buttondown logo
Buttondown
Price: $9/mo 4.8 out of 5, from 115 ratings across G2 and Capterra Capterra 4.8 · G2 4.6 Watch out: Add-ons can significantly increase monthly cost
beehiiv logo
beehiiv
Price: $43/mo 4.5 out of 5, from 56 ratings across G2 and Capterra G2 4.5 · Capterra 4.4
Sendy logo
Sendy
Price: Usage-based 4.3 out of 5, from 42 ratings on G2 G2 4.3
Substack logo
Substack
Price: Free + paid 2.4 out of 5, from 179 ratings across G2 and Trustpilot Trustpilot 1.3 · G2 4.3 Watch out: Stripe payment processing fees (approx. 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction)
Curated logo
Curated
Price: Free Rating: n/a

Newsletter Tools pricing compared

Newsletter Tools pricing, as of November 2026
Constant Contact Cheapest paid plan: Lite, $12/mo Free plan: No Billing: Billed monthly
Mailerlite Cheapest paid plan: Comfort, $12/mo Free plan: Yes Billing: Billed monthly
Sender Cheapest paid plan: Not published Free plan: Yes (Free Forever!) Billing: Not published
EmailOctopus Cheapest paid plan: PRO, $9/mo (billed yearly) Free plan: Yes (STARTER) Billing: Billed yearly
Aweber Cheapest paid plan: Lite, $15/mo Free plan: No Billing: Billed monthly
Buttondown Cheapest paid plan: Basic, $9/mo Free plan: Yes Billing: Billing term not published
beehiiv Cheapest paid plan: Scale, $43/mo Free plan: Yes (Launch) Billing: Billed monthly
Sendy Cheapest paid plan: Not published Free plan: No Billing: Not published
Substack Cheapest paid plan: Not published Free plan: Yes Billing: Not published
Curated Cheapest paid plan: No paid plan Free plan: Yes Billing: Free

Toolradar pricing data, last verified November 2026. Prices are the cheapest paid plan converted to a monthly figure; "Not published" means the vendor publishes no price for a self-serve paid plan. 6 of 10 tools publish a paid price; median cheapest paid plan $12/mo.

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 126 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 126
2 beehiiv 98
3 Mailerlite 66

Source and method: live newsletter tools statistics

Newsletter Tools leaderboards from Toolradar data

Toolradar ranks Newsletter Tools tools on one measure at a time, only where at least 8 tools have data. As of Oct 2026.

CSV download of these Newsletter Tools leaderboards, licensed CC BY 4.0

Lowest entry price, plans with no stated unit

Cheapest standard paid plan per month (annual prices divided by 12), read on vendor pages and compared only with tools priced on the same basis.

Counted among 8 tools with no stated price unit, verified price.

Lowest entry price, plans with no stated unit, Newsletter Tools tools on Toolradar, as of Oct 2026
# Tool Entry plan
1 Keila $8.56/mo, billed monthly
2 Buttondown $9/mo
2 EmailOctopus $9/mo, billed yearly
4 HeyNews $10/mo, billed monthly
5 Constant Contact $12/mo, billed monthly

A position exists only when at least 8 tools have data for that metric. 8 of 23 Newsletter Tools tools have a verified price; the others publish none we could read (often "contact sales"). Advertising and placement fees are not inputs to any position. How we compute this. Cite this: Toolradar, “Newsletter Tools leaderboards”, Oct 2026. Data licensed CC BY 4.0. All Newsletter Tools statistics.

How the top newsletter tools compare

7 of the 10 newsletter tools listed here have a free plan (Mailerlite, Sender, EmailOctopus, Buttondown, beehiiv, Substack, Curated); the other 3 (Constant Contact, Aweber, Sendy) are paid only. Teams on a budget should start with Mailerlite, our free pick.

Rankings are computed from G2/Capterra review volume and rating, and media mentions. Editorial policy

Top 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.

1
Constant Contact logo

Established email marketing for small businesses

4.2 /5 across G2 and Capterra · 10,413 ratings, Sep 2026

Constant Contact has done email marketing for small businesses since before most competitors existed. The platform handles the basics well-email campaigns, automation, contact management-without overwhelming complexity. Templates make creating emails straightforward. The list management is reliable. Deliverability benefits from years of sender reputation. Small businesses wanting established, reliable email marketing without learning curves choose Constant Contact for proven basics.

Used Constant Contact? Rate it
  • Pro: Easy to use
  • Pro: Good for beginners
  • Pro: Event marketing
  • Con: Expensive for features
  • Con: Limited automation
Fair value

Constant Contact's pricing is on the higher side compared to some market alternatives, especially for the Lite tier at $12/month which offers limited features and contacts.

Watch out

Potential for increased costs with additional users on Lite.

2
Mailerlite logo

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.

Used Mailerlite? Rate it
  • Pro: Affordable email marketing
  • Pro: Good free tier
  • Pro: Easy to use
  • Con: Less powerful automation
  • Con: Basic segmentation
Great value

Mailerlite's pricing is very fair and generous, especially with its robust free tier.

3
Sender logo

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.

Used Sender? Rate it
Sender screenshot
  • Pro: Generous Free Forever plan with premium features included
  • Pro: High email deliverability (99.98%) due to continuous monitoring
  • Pro: User-friendly drag-and-drop editor and extensive template library
  • Con: Specific limitations of the free plan (e.g., contact and email limits) might be restrictive for rapidly growing businesses.
  • Con: While integrations are listed, the depth of integration with all platforms isn't fully detailed on the main page.
Good value

Sender offers a very generous 'Free Forever!' tier, providing substantial features for up to 2,500 subscribers and 15,000 emails/month, which is excellent for startups and small businesses.

4
EmailOctopus logo

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.

Used EmailOctopus? Rate it
EmailOctopus screenshot
  • Pro: Very competitive pricing compared to alternatives
  • Pro: Easy to use and intuitive interface
  • Pro: Excellent and responsive customer support, even for free users
  • Con: Focuses solely on email marketing, no SMS or other marketing channels
  • Con: EmailOctopus branding on emails for the free plan
Good value

EmailOctopus offers a very generous free tier for up to 2,500 subscribers, which is excellent for startups and small businesses.

5
Aweber logo

Aweber

Paid

Email marketing for small business

4.3 /5 across G2 and Capterra · 973 ratings, Sep 2026

AWeber provides email marketing tools small businesses can actually use. Build subscriber lists, design emails with templates, and send automated sequences that turn subscribers into customers. The platform has been around long enough that deliverability is solid. Integrations connect to common business tools. The learning curve is gentle for teams new to email marketing. Small businesses wanting to get started with email marketing without enterprise complexity find AWeber does what they need without overwhelming them.

Used Aweber? Rate it
  • Pro: Simple email marketing
  • Pro: Good for beginners
  • Pro: Reliable deliverability
  • Con: Limited automation
  • Con: Dated interface
Fair value

Aweber's pricing is on the expensive side, especially the 'Lite' tier at $15/month for only 500 subscribers and limited features, considering competitors offer more for less or even free.

Watch out

Done For You is an add-on, not core platform.

6
Buttondown logo

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.

Used Buttondown? Rate it
  • Pro: Simple and clean
  • Pro: Markdown native
  • Pro: Affordable
  • Con: Basic features
  • Con: Less automation
Good value

Buttondown's pricing is quite generous, especially for smaller newsletters.

Watch out

Add-ons can significantly increase monthly cost

7
beehiiv logo

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.

Used beehiiv? Rate it
  • Pro: Generous free tier
  • Pro: Great growth features
  • Pro: Built-in monetization
  • Con: Learning curve
  • Con: Some features need higher tiers
Good value

beehiiv's pricing is quite generous, especially with its robust free 'Launch' tier supporting up to 2,500 subscribers.

8
Sendy logo

Sendy

Paid

Send newsletters 100x cheaper via Amazon SES with this self-hosted email application.

4.3 /5 on G2 · 42 ratings, Sep 2026

Sendy is a self-hosted email newsletter application designed to significantly reduce the cost of sending bulk emails. It leverages Amazon Simple Email Service (SES), allowing users to pay only for the emails they send, at a rate of $1 per 10,000 emails, rather than incurring increasing monthly fees based on subscriber count. This model is particularly beneficial for businesses and individuals with growing subscriber bases who want to avoid the escalating costs associated with traditional email marketing platforms. The platform offers a comprehensive suite of features for managing email campaigns, including detailed reporting, autoresponders, list segmentation, and subscriber management. It also supports white-labeled client accounts, enabling agencies or businesses to manage multiple brands and even set their own pricing and sending limits for clients. Sendy aims to provide a cost-effective and feature-rich solution for email marketing, ensuring high deliverability rates through Amazon SES and offering integrations with popular third-party applications via Zapier.

Used Sendy? Rate it
  • Pro: Significantly lower email sending costs compared to traditional platforms.
  • Pro: No monthly fees based on subscriber count.
  • Pro: High deliverability rates through Amazon SES.
  • Con: Requires technical knowledge for self-hosting and setup.
  • Con: One-time purchase fee for the software itself.
Great value

Sendy's one-time purchase of $69 is incredibly fair and generous, especially considering it offers unlimited subscribers and a comprehensive feature set.

9
Substack logo

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.

Used Substack? Rate it
  • Pro: Completely free to start
  • Pro: Built-in payments
  • Pro: Simple to use
  • Con: 10% revenue cut
  • Con: Limited customization
Great value

Substack's pricing is incredibly generous, offering a full-featured free tier and only taking a 10% cut of revenue for paid newsletters.

Watch out

Stripe payment processing fees (approx. 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction)

10
Curated logo

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.

Used Curated? Rate it
  • Pro: Specifically designed for newsletters, not generic email marketing
  • Pro: Streamlined workflow for content curation and publishing
  • Pro: Supports monetization (sponsorships, paid subscriptions) with no commission on subscriptions
  • Con: Pricing scales with subscriber count, which can become costly for very large lists
Good value

Curated's Free tier is generous, offering up to 1,500 subscribers at no cost, which is a strong entry point for new content creators.

Popular newsletter tools comparisons

See how the leading newsletter tools stack up head-to-head.

Compare all 24 newsletter tools side by side

Pricing breakdowns for newsletter tools

Real plans and the hidden costs for each tool.

Browse all newsletter tools

24 tools

In-depth: why these tools made the cut

beehiiv logo

beehiiv is the Substack alternative built specifically for newsletter operators who treat newsletters as a business. The product has ad/sponsor marketplaces, referral programs, premium subscription support, and analytics depth Substack lacks. For serious newsletter publishers, beehiiv is increasingly the right pick.

beehiiv's free tier is generous; paid tiers price reasonably for the feature depth. Substack's network effect (discovery, recommendations) is its main remaining advantage. For pure operations and revenue control, beehiiv wins.

How to choose newsletter tools

  1. Decide on monetization path

    Paid subscriptions (Substack-style): Substack, beehiiv, Ghost Newsletter. Sponsorships in free newsletter: beehiiv (built-in marketplace), or any tool + manual sponsor ops. Lead gen (newsletter as funnel): ConvertKit, Mailchimp. Each tier optimizes for different revenue models.

  2. Audit deliverability + open rates

    Newsletter deliverability is the most-underrated criterion. Substack and beehiiv handle this well at scale; smaller tools vary. Use a deliverability test (Mail-Tester) on the platform's IP reputation before committing.

  3. Plan for platform vs portability

    Substack is platform-first, your subscribers live on Substack and you cross-promote with other Substacks. Self-hosted (Ghost, Buttondown) keeps the list portable. The trade-off is reach vs ownership.

Honorable mentions

Tools that didn't crack the headline list but deserve a look depending on what you optimize for.

  • Loops logo
    Loops Best for transactional + marketing email combined

    Loops is the modern email platform that handles both transactional emails (signup confirmations, password resets) and marketing campaigns. Useful for SaaS where the same user gets both flavors.

Best Newsletter Tools for

How we ranked these newsletter tools

We rank by real-world signal: G2/Capterra review volume and rating, and media mentions (volume and recency). Pricing is re-checked and the ranking refreshed monthly.

Tools evaluated
24
With free plan
78%
18 of the 23 tools we rank
Last updated
November 2026

Toolradar Research

The data behind newsletter tools

First-party analyses built from our full catalog, methodology published.

All Toolradar research

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best newsletter tool in 2026?

Based on our analysis of 24 newsletter tools, Constant Contact is our overall newsletter pick. The next tools on the list are Mailerlite, Sender, EmailOctopus. Rankings use G2/Capterra review volume and rating, and media mentions.

What are the top 3 newsletter tools?

The top 3 newsletter tools in 2026, ranked by Toolradar, are: 1) Constant Contact, Established email marketing for small businesses. 2) Mailerlite, Simple, affordable email marketing for growing businesses. 3) Sender, Create, automate, and send emails that people want to read, without complicated setup or high costs.

Are there free newsletter tools?

Yes. Mailerlite is our free newsletter pick (free plan alongside paid plans). 7 of the 10 tools on this page have a free plan. Among the 23 newsletter tools we rank, 18 have a free plan.

How do I choose the right newsletter tool?

Start by defining your team size, budget, and must-have features. Constant Contact is our overall newsletter pick. Mailerlite is our free newsletter pick. Compare all 24 options side by side on Toolradar.

Cite this page: Toolradar, "Best Newsletter Tools in 2026", updated November 2026, https://toolradar.com/best/newsletter-tools

Newsletter Tools statistics catalog size, ratings and pricing data, updated monthly

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