Best Email Marketing Tools for Newsletters in 2026

Substack pioneered the modern newsletter renaissance and remains the go-to platform for writers who prioritize simplicity above all else. The writing experience is intentionally minimal, removing barriers between your ideas and your audience. There are no complex dashboards to navigate or features to configure; you simply write, preview, and publish. This stripped-down approach has attracted some of the most influential writers and journalists in the world, creating a network effect that benefits all creators on the platform.

Subscriber growth on Substack benefits enormously from the platform's built-in discovery features. The Substack network recommends newsletters to readers based on their interests, and the Substack app serves as a dedicated reading environment where subscribers can discover new writers. Cross-promotion opportunities with other Substack writers, guest post features, and the ability to be featured in Substack's own promotional emails can accelerate growth significantly for new creators.

The monetization model on Substack is straightforward but comes with a notable cost. The platform is free to use until you enable paid subscriptions, at which point Substack takes 10% of your subscription revenue plus payment processing fees. For successful newsletters generating significant income, this percentage can represent thousands of dollars annually. However, the simplicity of the payment system and the trust that readers have in the Substack brand can increase conversion rates for paid subscriptions.

Design options on Substack are intentionally limited to maintain the clean, reading-focused aesthetic that defines the platform. You can customize colors, add a logo, and choose from a handful of layouts, but the fundamental design remains consistent across all Substack newsletters. This limitation is a feature for some creators who prefer not to think about design, but it can be frustrating for those who want their newsletter to stand out visually.

Beehiiv was built by the team behind Morning Brew, one of the most successful newsletters in history, and that expertise shows in every aspect of the platform. The editor strikes the perfect balance between power and usability, with features like inline commenting, scheduling, and collaboration tools that support professional newsletter operations. The backend infrastructure is designed for scale, handling millions of sends with high deliverability rates that keep your newsletters out of spam folders.

Where Beehiiv truly differentiates itself is in growth tools. The Boosts feature allows newsletter creators to pay to acquire subscribers from other newsletters in the Beehiiv network, creating a marketplace for audience growth. Referral programs can be configured with multiple reward tiers, and the platform's recommendation engine helps newsletters get discovered by new readers. The analytics dashboard provides detailed insights into subscriber acquisition sources, engagement patterns, and growth trends.

Beehiiv offers multiple monetization pathways that can be combined for maximum revenue. The Ad Network connects newsletter creators with advertisers, providing a hands-off way to generate sponsorship income. Paid subscriptions can be offered with flexible pricing, and the premium tiers allow for multiple subscription levels. The platform also supports affiliate link tracking and management, helping creators diversify their income streams beyond traditional subscription models.

The design system in Beehiiv provides more flexibility than Substack while maintaining a polished, professional look. Custom themes, branded landing pages, and a variety of newsletter templates give creators tools to express their brand identity. The mobile preview and testing tools ensure newsletters look great across all devices, while the web publication features create an archive that can drive SEO traffic and new subscriber discovery.

ConvertKit positions itself as the email marketing platform built specifically for creators, and this focus shapes every feature and design decision. The newsletter experience integrates seamlessly with broader email marketing capabilities, making it ideal for creators who need more than just a publishing platform. Visual automation builders, tagging systems, and subscriber scoring help creators build sophisticated marketing funnels while still maintaining the personal feel that newsletter audiences expect.

Subscriber growth on ConvertKit benefits from the platform's comprehensive landing page and form builders. Creators can quickly create beautiful opt-in pages without any design skills, and the forms integrate easily with websites, podcasts, and social media channels. The commerce features allow selling digital products directly, and customers automatically become email subscribers, creating a seamless connection between sales and newsletter growth.

Monetization on ConvertKit extends beyond newsletter subscriptions to encompass a full creator economy toolkit. The platform supports selling digital downloads, courses, coaching sessions, and paid newsletters all from a single dashboard. The Tip Jar feature lets readers support creators with one-time payments, while recurring paid subscriptions provide predictable monthly income. ConvertKit takes a smaller cut than Substack for paid subscriptions, typically around 3.5% plus payment processing.

Design in ConvertKit prioritizes conversion over visual flair. The templates are clean and professional, designed to maximize readability and engagement rather than win design awards. The email editor supports both visual and plain-text approaches, recognizing that different creator niches have different aesthetic expectations. Landing pages can be customized with your brand colors and imagery, creating a cohesive experience from discovery to subscription.

Buttondown represents the antithesis of feature bloat in the newsletter space. Built by a solo developer who wanted a simple, reliable way to send newsletters, the platform has evolved while maintaining its commitment to doing a few things exceptionally well. The markdown-native editor is a dream for technical writers, supporting syntax highlighting, code blocks, and clean formatting without fighting against a WYSIWYG interface. The result is newsletters that are fast to write, reliable to deliver, and easy to maintain.

Growth tools in Buttondown are intentionally minimal, reflecting the platform's philosophy that great content drives sustainable growth. You get the essentials: embeddable signup forms, a public archive for SEO, and RSS import capabilities for repurposing content. What you won't find are gamified referral programs or paid acquisition features. For creators who prefer to grow through word-of-mouth and quality content rather than growth hacks, this simplicity is refreshing.

Paid subscriptions on Buttondown are handled through Stripe integration, giving creators full control over pricing and terms. The platform's cut is minimal compared to Substack, and the straightforward implementation means less confusion for both creators and subscribers. The free tier is generous enough for hobbyist newsletters, while the paid tiers unlock features like custom domains, analytics, and team accounts without breaking the bank.

The design philosophy of Buttondown is "get out of the way." Newsletters sent through the platform look clean and professional by default, with sensible typography and spacing that works across email clients. For creators who want more customization, full CSS control is available on paid plans. The absence of heavy branding or required footers means your newsletter feels like yours, not like a Buttondown product.

Mailerlite has built a reputation for offering enterprise-level email marketing features at prices that work for solo creators and small businesses. The newsletter features benefit from this email marketing heritage, with deliverability rates that rival much more expensive platforms and an interface that manages to be both powerful and approachable. The free tier supports up to 1,000 subscribers with most features included, making it an excellent starting point for new newsletter creators.

Subscriber growth on Mailerlite is supported by a comprehensive set of tools that feel more expensive than they are. The landing page builder rivals dedicated tools like Leadpages, with dozens of templates and a true drag-and-drop editor. Pop-up forms, embedded forms, and promotional banners help capture visitors across your web presence. The automation features allow for sophisticated welcome sequences that convert casual visitors into engaged subscribers.

Mailerlite added paid newsletter capabilities in recent years, allowing creators to monetize their content through paid subscriptions. While not as feature-rich as Substack or Beehiiv for monetization, the implementation is solid and benefits from Mailerlite's excellent deliverability infrastructure. Integration with Stripe handles payments, and creators can offer multiple subscription tiers or one-time purchases.

The design tools in Mailerlite are genuinely impressive for the price point. The drag-and-drop email editor includes hundreds of templates, an image editor, and a built-in photo library. Newsletters can look as simple or sophisticated as you want, with full control over colors, fonts, and layouts. The mobile preview ensures your designs work on all devices, and the spam testing tool helps identify deliverability issues before you hit send.

Ghost takes a fundamentally different approach to newsletter publishing by being an open-source platform that you can self-host or run through their managed service. This architecture means you truly own your content, your subscriber list, and your relationship with your audience. There's no platform risk, no sudden policy changes, and no algorithm deciding who sees your content. For newsletter creators who value independence above convenience, Ghost is the gold standard.

Subscriber growth on Ghost requires more self-direction than platform-native solutions, but the tools are comprehensive. Beautiful, customizable websites serve as your subscriber acquisition hub, with SEO optimization built into the core platform. Integration with services like Mailgun provides reliable email delivery, and the theme system allows for landing pages and signup flows that match your brand perfectly. What you won't get are network effects or paid acquisition features.

Monetization through Ghost memberships puts creators in complete control of their business model. Paid subscriptions can include access to the website, newsletter, or both, with tiered offerings and free trial periods. Ghost takes no cut of your revenue beyond the hosting fee, meaning successful creators keep significantly more of their earnings compared to percentage-based platforms. The native payment processing handles subscriptions, cancellations, and receipts automatically.

Design is where Ghost truly excels. The theme ecosystem includes hundreds of beautiful, professionally designed options that create websites worthy of major publications. Newsletters inherit the design language of your site, creating a cohesive brand experience. For creators with development skills or resources, the full customization potential is unlimited. The result is newsletter publications that look and feel like premium media properties.

Mailchimp is the granddaddy of email marketing platforms, and while it wasn't built specifically for newsletters, its maturity brings advantages that newer platforms can't match. The infrastructure has been battle-tested over two decades, with deliverability optimizations and email client compatibility that come from sending billions of emails. For business newsletters where reliability trumps cutting-edge features, Mailchimp remains a solid choice.

Subscriber growth tools in Mailchimp reflect the platform's marketing automation heritage. Landing pages, pop-up forms, and social media integrations make it easy to capture subscribers across channels. The audience dashboard provides deep insights into subscriber behavior, demographics, and engagement patterns. Advanced segmentation capabilities allow for targeted newsletters that speak to specific subscriber interests, improving open rates and reducing unsubscribes.

Mailchimp doesn't offer native paid subscription features for newsletters, but its extensive integration ecosystem fills the gap. Connections with Patreon, Memberful, and other membership platforms let creators monetize while keeping Mailchimp as their email infrastructure. For business newsletters that monetize through lead generation, product sales, or advertising, Mailchimp's e-commerce integrations and tracking capabilities provide clear ROI measurement.

The design experience in Mailchimp has improved dramatically in recent years. The template library is massive, covering every industry and style imaginable. The Content Studio stores and organizes your brand assets, making it easy to maintain visual consistency across newsletters. The Creative Assistant uses AI to suggest designs based on your brand, though the results can feel generic. Overall, Mailchimp provides enough design flexibility for most newsletters without overwhelming non-designers.

Campaign Monitor occupies a unique position in the newsletter landscape, offering sophisticated features typically found in enterprise platforms at prices accessible to growing businesses. The email builder is particularly refined, producing newsletters that look consistently professional across the notoriously fragmented landscape of email clients. For brands that consider their newsletter a core marketing channel deserving of polish, Campaign Monitor delivers the tools to execute at a high level.

Subscriber growth capabilities in Campaign Monitor extend beyond basic forms to include sophisticated journey building and behavioral triggers. New subscribers can be automatically enrolled in welcome sequences tailored to how they joined your list. Signup forms can be A/B tested to optimize conversion rates, and integration with CRMs and e-commerce platforms means subscriber data is enriched with purchase history and engagement scores.

While Campaign Monitor lacks native newsletter monetization, its strength lies in supporting newsletters that drive business outcomes. The analytics go deep, tracking not just opens and clicks but downstream conversions and revenue attribution. For businesses where the newsletter is a marketing channel rather than a product, this focus on business metrics provides clearer ROI than vanity metrics like subscriber counts.

Design quality is a Campaign Monitor hallmark. The template library emphasizes professional, brand-appropriate designs that would fit in at established media companies and B2B businesses. The email builder includes brand guidelines enforcement, ensuring that every team member produces on-brand newsletters. Mobile optimization is excellent, with responsive designs that adapt gracefully to any screen size.

AWeber has been a reliable email marketing platform since 1998, and this longevity translates into a mature, stable product for newsletter creators. The platform may not generate the buzz of newer competitors, but it delivers consistent performance and support that comes from decades of experience. For newsletter creators who prioritize reliability over cutting-edge features, AWeber offers a dependable foundation.

Subscriber growth on AWeber is supported by traditional email marketing tools refined over years of customer feedback. Landing page builders, sign-up forms, and lead magnets can be created without technical skills. The platform integrates with popular CMS platforms, making it easy to capture subscribers from existing websites. While lacking viral growth features, AWeber excels at the fundamentals of list building.

AWeber recently added support for paid newsletters, though the implementation is less polished than purpose-built newsletter platforms. The feature allows creators to gate content behind paid subscriptions, with Stripe handling payments. For creators already invested in the AWeber ecosystem who want to add a monetization layer, it's a viable option. For those starting fresh with monetization as a primary goal, dedicated newsletter platforms offer better experiences.

The design tools in AWeber strike a middle ground between simplicity and flexibility. Hundreds of email templates cover common newsletter formats, from simple text-forward designs to image-rich layouts. The drag-and-drop editor is intuitive without being limiting, and mobile preview ensures your newsletters look good everywhere. A built-in Canva integration makes creating custom graphics quick and easy.

Revue gained attention when Twitter acquired it and integrated newsletter subscription directly into user profiles. The core promise was compelling: convert your Twitter followers into email subscribers with a single click. For creators with significant Twitter audiences, this direct pipeline from social media to inbox represented a powerful growth opportunity. The platform itself is simple and focused, with a clean writing experience and straightforward publishing flow.

Subscriber growth on Revue is uniquely tied to Twitter, now X. The Subscribe button on Twitter profiles creates a frictionless path from follower to subscriber. Your tweets can include newsletter signup prompts, and the platform automatically suggests your newsletter to relevant Twitter users. For creators whose audience lives on Twitter, this integration eliminates the usual friction of moving social media followers to email.

Revue takes a 5% cut of paid subscription revenue, positioning it between Substack's 10% and platforms with flat monthly fees. For small newsletters just starting to monetize, this percentage-based model minimizes upfront costs. As newsletters grow and generate more revenue, the economics shift to favor flat-fee platforms, but Revue remains competitive for creators in the early monetization phase.

Design options on Revue are limited, reflecting its position as a simple, integrated tool rather than a full publishing platform. Newsletters have a clean, professional look by default, but customization options are minimal. For creators who prioritize content over design or who want their newsletter to feel like an extension of their Twitter presence, this simplicity is appropriate. Those wanting strong brand expression will find the constraints frustrating.