Newsletter
Build an email list you own and send regular updates, so your audience doesn't depend on any algorithm.
The real choice
Growth platform or writer's tool. beehiiv and Kit bring growth and monetization features — referrals, ads, automations. Buttondown and Substack keep things simple for writing and sending; Substack adds a built-in reader network but takes a cut of paid subscriptions.
The contenders
Grouped by the side of the choice they answer, not ranked. Open a row for when to use it, the trade-off and what makers say.
KitserviceCreators who need automations and tagged sequences, like a course launch funnel.
67$0Free
Trade-offPriced by subscriber count; automations add setup work.
Used by Agenda Hero Magic, AgentSea, Chat Thing, Cognota, ColorPenguin and 62 more.
beehiivserviceA newsletter you want to grow and monetize, with referrals, a recommendation network and ads.
14$0Free
Trade-offPricing climbs with subscriber count once you pass the free plan.
Used by Bleverdesign, HeyNews, Persana, SafetyWing, Setter AI and 9 more.
…t="_blank">Airtable Design: Figma and cCanva Productivity: Todoist and Notion Newsletter: Beehiiv Email: Zoho What have been the most influential books, podcasts, or other resources? I li…
SubstackserviceWriters who want discovery from Substack's own reader network and free sending.
16$0Substack
Trade-offTakes a share of paid subscription revenue, and your publication lives inside Substack's brand.
Used by LogoPicture AI, ProgressBar, SmartCue, Needle, Scene and 11 more.
We have also actively fostered a sense of community among our users by creating a Substack newsletter to keep folks updated, a public product roadmap for our customers to influence the produc…
ButtondownserviceDevelopers who write in Markdown and want a small, privacy-friendly tool with an API.No evidence yet$29Buttondown 5k
Trade-offFree tier is small; fewer growth features than the bigger platforms.
No maker's product we track shows it for this yet.
Cost: the cheapest plan that fits subscribers 2.5k subscribers, paid subscription revenue $0, from list prices. Try your own numbers →
Cost as you grow
Each contender's cheapest usable plan as usage rises.
Before you choose
Put a signup form on your site before launch, even if you won't send for weeks. Send on a steady cadence you can keep, and make each issue useful on its own, not just a changelog. Keep the newsletter separate from your app's transactional email, and export your list now and then so you can move later.
Other options
Real choices most makers here won't need to weigh.
GhostDecided alongside
What the 108 makers' products here chose for their other decisions.
SendGrid
Postmark
Resend
Next.js
React
React Router
Cloudflare9
Netlify7
DigitalOcean6
Stripe27
PayPal8
Lemon Squeezy4
Plausible Analytics
Supabase8
PostgreSQL7
Firebase5
OpenAI API15
Claude7
Gemini API5
PostHog
Mixpanel
Amplitude