Newsletter Software Pricing (2026)
What 3 newsletter tools actually charge, taken from their own pricing pages and re-checked as they change. Cheapest first.
Pricing verified Sep 29, 2026
Prices here change. You'll hear about it.
Outmano watches pricing, features, roadmaps and reviews across your market, then sends one weekly brief: what changed, and what it means for you.
Newsletter pricing at a glance
| Product | Entry price | Plans | Free plan | Free trial |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ghost | $18/mo | 4 | No | Yes |
| Beehiiv | $43/mo | 4 | Yes | No |
| Buttondown | Custom | 1 | Yes | No |
Every newsletter tool we track, cheapest first
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Ghost
Open-source publishing and newsletters.
At $18-$29 for the entry tiers, Ghost undercuts Substack's take-rate model and sits below heavier CMS-plus-membership stacks, positioning itself as the affordable, self-hosted-friendly alternative for indie writers and small publishers. The $199 Business tier and uncapped Custom option show they're also chasing larger media operations that outgrow scrappier tools but don't want WordPress-plus-plugins complexity.
Plans: Starter $18/mo · Publisher $29/mo · Business $199/mo · Custom Contact Sales
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Beehiiv
Newsletter platform with built-in growth tools.
Sitting in the sub-$100 range with a genuinely free tier, Beehiiv is positioned as the accessible alternative to pricier email/newsletter platforms — not the cheapest possible option, but priced to feel like a no-brainer for solo creators and small teams. They're clearly chasing the wave of writers leaving Substack or outgrowing basic ESPs, not enterprise marketing departments.
Plans: Launch $0/mo · Scale $43/mo · Max $96/mo · Enterprise Contact Sales
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Buttondown
Minimal newsletter tool for writers.
Buttondown positions itself as the indie-friendly, pay-for-what-you-use option in a market full of bloated all-in-one platforms — it's cheap to start and stays cheap if you keep things simple. They're clearly courting solo writers and small creators who resent subsidizing enterprise features they'll never touch, rather than competing head-on with feature-loaded platforms like ConvertKit or beehiv on raw capability.
Plans: Buttondown $0/mo
Newsletter Software Pricing FAQ
- How much does newsletter software cost?
- Entry prices run from $18/mo (Ghost) to $43/mo (Beehiiv), with a median entry price of $30/mo across the 2 priced products we track.
- What is the cheapest newsletter software?
- Ghost has the lowest entry price of the newsletter software we track, at $18/mo. Beehiiv ($43/mo) is next. Beehiiv and Buttondown are free to start on.
- Is there free newsletter software?
- Yes — Beehiiv, Buttondown offer a free plan.
- How is newsletter software usually priced?
- 2 of the 3 newsletter tools we track use hybrid pricing, against 1 on usage based.