The 6 Best Beehiiv Alternatives in 2026 (Newsletter Tools I'd Pick)
Dušan Jovović
Founder of Tolodora. I build and ship software for a living, so I only recommend tools after using them on real work — and I tell you what I actually like and don't.
Beehiiv has become a favorite for newsletters thanks to its growth and monetization tools, and I get the hype. But depending on whether you're a writer, a business, or just want the cheapest reliable option, a different platform can serve you better. I've sent newsletters on several of these, so here's my honest rundown of the six best Beehiiv alternatives — what I like, the trade-offs, and who each one fits.
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Substack
- Pricing
- 8.8/10
- Functionality
- 8.2/10
- Ease of use
- 9.5/10
- Support
- 8.0/10
What I like
Zero setup, built-in discovery and subscriptions — you can literally start writing and get paid in minutes.
Best for
Writers who want the simplest path to publish and monetize.
Substack makes starting a paid newsletter effortless, with built-in network discovery and subscriptions. My pick for writers who want to focus on writing, not tooling.
Kit
- Pricing
- 8.2/10
- Functionality
- 9.0/10
- Ease of use
- 8.4/10
- Support
- 8.6/10
What I like
It's built for creators — tagging, visual automations and selling products are first-class, not afterthoughts.
Best for
Creators building a business around their list.
Kit (formerly ConvertKit) is designed for creators who want powerful automation and to sell products and subscriptions. The best Beehiiv alternative when your newsletter is a business.
MailerLite
- Pricing
- 9.4/10
- Functionality
- 8.6/10
- Ease of use
- 9.2/10
- Support
- 8.6/10
What I like
A clean editor, solid automation and a genuinely generous free plan — superb value with no fuss.
Best for
Best overall value for small lists and businesses.
MailerLite offers a beautiful editor, good automation and excellent pricing. My value pick when I want capable email marketing without paying premium-platform prices.
Ghost
- Pricing
- 8.0/10
- Functionality
- 8.8/10
- Ease of use
- 7.8/10
- Support
- 8.0/10
What I like
It's a full publication — website, newsletter and memberships in one, and it's open source.
Best for
Owning a full site plus newsletter and memberships.
Ghost is an open-source publishing platform combining a website, newsletter and paid memberships. I'd choose it when I want to own a real publication, not just an email list.
Buttondown
- Pricing
- 9.0/10
- Functionality
- 8.0/10
- Ease of use
- 9.0/10
- Support
- 8.4/10
What I like
Minimal, fast, privacy-respecting and Markdown-friendly — it gets out of the way and just sends.
Best for
Writers who want simple, privacy-friendly sending.
Buttondown is a clean, minimal newsletter tool with Markdown support and a privacy-friendly ethos. The pick when you want simplicity over a big feature suite.
Brevo
- Pricing
- 9.0/10
- Functionality
- 9.0/10
- Ease of use
- 8.0/10
- Support
- 8.4/10
What I like
Email plus SMS and CRM, priced by sends not subscribers — great as a list gets big.
Best for
Businesses wanting email, SMS and CRM together.
Brevo combines email, SMS and CRM and charges by emails sent rather than list size, which scales well. A strong choice when your newsletter is part of a broader marketing setup.
How I'd choose: want the simplest path to writing and getting paid? Substack. Building a creator business with automation and selling? Kit. Best value with a clean editor? MailerLite. Want to own a full website and membership too? Ghost. Love simplicity and privacy? Buttondown. Pick based on whether you're a writer, a creator-business, or a value-hunter — they're all good, just for different people.
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