Comparison
Free newsletter platforms, and what the free plan leaves out
By FlockStackPublished
Free plans limit different things. Kit's holds up to 10,000 subscribers, Mailchimp's 250 contacts, Substack's has no cap on size and keeps a share of paid subscriptions instead. Before you build on one, check what it limits, what it leaves out, and what happens when you pass the limit. The table lists the free plans of nine platforms, each from the platform's own pages, read on October 21, 2026.
The nine free plans
The table is alphabetical, and not a ranking.
| Platform | What the free plan holds | What it leaves out or costs |
|---|---|---|
| beehiiv | Up to 2,500 subscribers | No automations and no paid subscriptions |
| Brevo | Up to 300 emails a day | Its contact limit was not read on an official page |
| Buttondown | Up to 100 subscribers | Paid subscriptions and automations are add-ons from $9 a month |
| FlockStack | Up to 2,500 subscribers and 10,000 emails a month | 1 newsletter and 2 automations; a small "Sent with FlockStack" link |
| Ghost | No free hosted plan | Ghost(Pro) Starter is $15 a month billed yearly, for up to 1,000 members, without paid subscriptions |
| Kit | Up to 10,000 subscribers | No automations or sequences; Kit branding stays |
| Mailchimp | 250 contacts, 500 sends a month and 250 a day | Mailchimp branding stays; no scheduling or A/B tests; automations are a preview |
| MailerLite | Up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month | Paid plans lift the limits |
| Substack | Free to publish at any size | 10% of paid subscriptions, before Stripe's fees |
Brevo limits emails a day, not contacts, and its contact limit was not read on an official page, so this post doesn't print one. Ghost doesn't offer a free hosted plan; its Starter plan is the lowest-priced way to host with it, and self-hosting is a different thing, priced by your server.
What to check before you build on one
- What it limits. Subscribers, as on beehiiv and Kit, emails a month, as on MailerLite, or emails a day, as on Brevo. Mailchimp limits contacts, sends a month and sends a day together. FlockStack limits both subscribers and emails a month.
- What it leaves out. Automations are the common gap: beehiiv's, Kit's and, for working flows, Mailchimp's free plans lack them. FlockStack's Free plan has 2. Paid subscriptions are the other gap: beehiiv's Free plan has none.
- Branding. Kit and Mailchimp keep their branding on a free plan. FlockStack's Free plan adds a small "Sent with FlockStack" link.
- What happens at the limit. Mailchimp stops live sends until you upgrade or shrink the list. Kit requires a paid plan to keep sending past its limit. FlockStack refuses a send that would pass 10,000 emails a month, and bills nothing.
- What it costs when you earn. Substack has no plan to pay for and keeps 10% of paid subscriptions. beehiiv takes 0% on its paid plans, FlockStack takes 0%, and Kit charges 3.5% + $0.30 a transaction on every plan, the Free plan included. On all of these except Substack's own, Stripe's fees apply.
- Getting out. A free plan is free to leave if your list leaves with you. FlockStack's account export writes your contacts as a CSV and every issue as Markdown and HTML, on every plan, and the code is open source under the AGPL-3.0.
What this post leaves out
It lists the limits each platform publishes, read on October 21, 2026, and doesn't test any of them. Free plans change, and a platform can move a feature to a paid plan. It doesn't cover editors, templates or deliverability, and it names nine platforms, not all of them. FlockStack is one of the nine; read this as a vendor's page, and use the links in the sources to check each one. To work out what a larger list costs, use the newsletter cost calculator, or see the Mailchimp alternatives page.
Sources
- beehiiv's pricing page: the Free plan's subscriber limit and what it leaves out: www.beehiiv.com, checked
- Brevo's pricing page: the Free plan's daily limit of emails: www.brevo.com, checked
- Buttondown's pricing page: the free subscribers and the add-ons: buttondown.com, checked
- Ghost's pricing page: Ghost(Pro) Starter, with no free hosted plan: ghost.org, checked
- Kit's pricing page and help center: the Free plan's subscribers, what it includes and what needs a paid plan: kit.com, checked
- Mailchimp's help center on pricing plans: the Free plan's contact, send and daily limits, and what it leaves out: mailchimp.com, checked
- MailerLite's pricing page: the Free plan's subscribers and emails a month: www.mailerlite.com, checked
- Substack's help center: free to publish, and the 10% fee on paid subscriptions: support.substack.com, checked
Questions
- Which newsletter platform has the biggest free plan?
- By subscribers, Kit's holds the most of those listed here, at up to 10,000 subscribers, per its pricing page read on October 21, 2026. Its Free plan has no automations or sequences. FlockStack's holds 2,500 subscribers and 10,000 emails a month, with 2 automations.
- Is there a free newsletter platform with no subscriber limit?
- Substack is free to publish at any size, per its help center read on October 21, 2026. It keeps 10% of paid subscriptions instead, with Stripe's fees on top. A platform you host yourself, such as FlockStack's open-source code, has no plan limits, and you pay for your own server and sending.
- What happens when I pass a free plan's limit?
- It differs. Mailchimp's help center says live sends stop until you upgrade or reduce the list. Kit's pricing page says you must upgrade to keep sending past its limit. On FlockStack's Free plan, a send that would pass 10,000 emails a month is refused and nothing is billed.
- Do free plans include paid subscriptions?
- Some do. Per their pricing pages, Kit and FlockStack let you sell paid newsletters on the Free plan, and beehiiv's Free plan doesn't. Substack sells them with no plan to buy.
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