Free newsletter plan limits cheat sheet (2026)
Checked 17 October 2026
| Platform | Subscriber cap | Sending | Automations | Branding | Notes | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| beehiiv | 2,500 | Unlimited | Not on Free (Lite and up) | beehiiv branding (removal on Pro) | 1 publication, 1 seat, 30-day analytics lookback on Free. Website, podcast and community included on every plan. | [1] [2] [3] |
| Kit | 10,000 | Unlimited broadcasts | Not on Free (visual automations and sequences need Creator) | Kit branding (removal on Creator) | Unlimited forms and landing pages, tagging and segmentation, A/B tests on broadcasts. Free-plan support answered within 24 h. | [1] [2] |
| systeme.io | 2,000 contacts | Unlimited | 1 automation rule on Free | Not stated in what we read | All-in-one: funnels, courses, blog, 1 custom domain on Free; 1 email campaign on Free. | [1] |
| Substack | Unlimited | Unlimited | Not compared | Substack-hosted | Stripe: 2.9% + $0.30 per US card payment, plus 0.7% Stripe Billing on recurring payments. | [1] |
| MailerLite | 250 | 2,500 emails/month | Up to 3 active automations on Free (per pricing table) | MailerLite logo (removal on paid) | 2 user seats on Free. | [1] |
| Buttondown | 100 | Up to ~1 email/day to the list (pricing assumption) | Add-on $29/mo | Not stated | Custom sending domain included. | [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.
"Not stated" means we did not find it on the pages we read; it does not mean the feature is missing.
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.
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