beehiiv vs Kit vs systeme.io: free plans compared
Checked 17 October 2026
All three let you start a newsletter for $0. They differ a lot in how many subscribers you get free, whether automations are included, and how you can earn before paying.
Free plans side by side
| Platform | Free subscribers | Email sends | Automations on Free | Earning on Free | First paid tier | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| beehiiv | 2,500 | Unlimited | Not on Free (Lite and up) | Digital products (0% platform fee), free recommendations; paid subscriptions and Ad Network need a paid plan | Lite: $49/mo billed yearly (pricing page default, 1,000-subscriber setting) | [1] [2] [3] |
| Kit | 10,000 | Unlimited broadcasts | Not on Free (visual automations and sequences need Creator) | Digital products & subscriptions, free recommendations; earning from Paid Recommendations needs a paid plan | Creator: $33/mo billed yearly ($390/yr) at 1,000 subscribers | [1] [2] |
| systeme.io | 2,000 contacts | Unlimited | 1 automation rule on Free | Sell products/courses with 0% transaction fees (Stripe/PayPal fees apply); 1 course, 3 funnels, 1 blog | Startup: $17/mo | [1] |
Checked 17 October 2026. Prices in USD as shown on the platforms' pages; they can vary by subscriber count, billing period, location and promotions.
What the numbers mean
- Biggest free list: Kit allows up to 10,000 subscribers free, 4x beehiiv's 2,500 and 5x systeme.io's 2,000 contacts.
- Automations: Kit Free has no visual automations or email sequences, and beehiiv lists automations from Lite. systeme.io includes 1 automation rule free. If a welcome sequence matters on day one, that's a real difference.
- Selling on Free: beehiiv offers digital products on every plan with a 0% platform fee; Kit Free includes digital products and subscriptions; systeme.io charges 0% transaction fees on its own checkout (payment processor fees still apply on all three).
- Paid newsletter: on beehiiv, paid subscriptions are listed from Lite ($49/mo billed yearly at the pricing page's default setting) with a 0% take rate.
- Beyond email: systeme.io bundles funnels, courses and a blog; beehiiv bundles website, podcast and community on every plan.
Quick verdict by situation
- Want the most free subscribers while you grow: Kit.
- Want a newsletter-first platform with a website and a path to ads and paid subscriptions: beehiiv.
- Want to sell a course or product from a funnel with email included: systeme.io.
How this page was made: facts come from each platform's own pricing and help pages, read on 17 October 2026 (sources numbered in every row). We have not yet run a newsletter on each of these platforms, so we make no claims about deliverability or ease of use. We plan to run our own newsletter on a free plan and will report what we actually observe, with dates.
Other details
- beehiiv: 1 publication, 1 seat, 30-day analytics lookback on Free. Website, podcast and community included on every plan. [1] [2] [3]
- Kit: Unlimited forms and landing pages, tagging and segmentation, A/B tests on broadcasts. Free-plan support answered within 24 h. [1] [2]
- systeme.io: All-in-one: funnels, courses, blog, 1 custom domain on Free; 1 email campaign on Free. [1]
NewsletterBench Weekly (coming soon)
A short weekly email logging pricing and free-plan changes at newsletter platforms, with the source for every change. Signup is not open yet.