The Best Newsletter Platform After Mailchimp in 2026

Mailchimp's free plan now caps at 250 contacts and stripped automation in 2025. Here's where solo writers and small publishers actually land — ranked by who-fits and what it costs at your real subscriber count.

By Ivar Berg · Updated May 2026 · How we test

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The verdict: For most writers leaving Mailchimp, MailerLite is the default: 0% revenue cut, top-ranked deliverability, an assisted Mailchimp import, and pricing that stays flat and predictable (~$15/mo at 1k, $39 at 5k, $159 at 25k). If you run paid subscriptions and want to keep 100% of revenue with a generous free tier, Beehiiv is the pick — its free Launch plan covers up to 2,500 subscribers, so just budget for the jump once you pass it. Kit (ConvertKit) fits automation-heavy creators; its free Newsletter plan covers up to 1,000 subscribers, and you pay only when you need full sequences. Substack stays "free" but takes 10% of every paid dollar — which gets expensive fast as revenue grows.

Why writers are leaving Mailchimp in 2026

Two free-tier cuts pushed the exodus. Mailchimp's free plan has shrunk from 2,000 contacts (pre-2022) to 500, and per 2026 reporting it now sits at 250 contacts. Separately, the Classic Automation Builder was removed from the free plan in mid-2025. (source, as of 2026-05-30.)

Paid entry isn't punishing on paper — Essentials runs about $11/mo and Standard about $17/mo at the 500–5,000 contact range (mailchimp.com/pricing) — but a 250-contact free plan with no automation is a non-starter for anyone trying to grow a list. So the question isn't "is Mailchimp bad," it's "what's the better-fit home for a newsletter you actually want to scale."

Disclosure: this page contains affiliate links for MailerLite, Beehiiv and Kit. We earn a commission if you sign up through them, at no cost to you. Substack, Mailchimp and Ghost are linked editorially with no affiliate relationship.

1. MailerLite — the default switch (0% cut, predictable pricing)

MailerLite is the safest landing spot for most Mailchimp refugees. It takes 0% of your revenue, ranks top in independent deliverability testing (EmailTooltester average ~95.2%), and offers an assisted Mailchimp import — account connect, field mapping, and list/group transfer. The catch worth knowing up front: templates, automations and forms must be rebuilt manually after import (source).

Pricing is flat and easy to forecast. The Growing Business plan starts at $10/mo (500 subs, unlimited emails), then roughly $15/mo at 1k, $39/mo at 5k, and $159/mo at 25k subscribers (mailerlite.com/pricing; tier prices at specific sub counts vary on the live slider — verify at your count).

One change to factor in: MailerLite cut its free plan cap from 1,000 to 500 subscribers on 2025-09-23. Over-limit free accounts can no longer send campaigns, run automations, or manually add subscribers until they upgrade (FAQ). So the free plan still exists — just don't plan to live on it past 500.

Best for: writers who want low, predictable cost, strong deliverability, and a guided migration. See MailerLite pricing →

2. Beehiiv — best if you sell paid subscriptions

If revenue share is your pain point, Beehiiv is built for you: it takes 0% of paid subscription revenue (only Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 applies), and the free Launch plan covers up to 2,500 subscribers (beehiiv.com/pricing). That means at 500 and 1,000 subscribers, most writers pay nothing.

The honest caveat is price beyond the free tier. The live vendor page shows Scale starting at $43/mo and Max at $96/mo (monthly billing), but third-party 2026 breakdowns list higher figures at specific sub counts ($89 at 5k, $169 at 25k). The vendor page doesn't cleanly break those tiers out by subscriber count — verify the exact price at your sub count before committing.

Beehiiv also has a steeper learning curve than MailerLite for newsletter beginners. Best for: writers monetizing with paid subscriptions who want to keep 100% of revenue. See Beehiiv pricing →

3. Kit (ConvertKit) — best for automation-heavy creators

Kit's free Newsletter plan covers up to 1,000 subscribers (kit.com/pricing). The trade-off: full automation lives on the paid Creator plan, which starts at $33/mo and scales to $89/mo at 5k and $199/mo at 25k subscribers (kit.com/pricing).

On revenue: Kit doesn't cut your newsletter income. It charges 3.5% + 30c only on digital products and subscriptions sold through Kit Commerce — a transaction fee on commerce, not a tax on your list.

Best for: creators who want sophisticated tagging and automation and can either stay on the free tier (up to 1,000) or justify Creator for sequences. See Kit pricing →

The fee-math: what each costs at your real subscriber count

The pricing table above shows monthly cost at 500, 1k, 5k and 25k subscribers. Two things the headline numbers hide:

Substack looks free but isn't. There's no monthly fee, but it takes 10% of your paid revenue plus Stripe fees (source). If you earn $2,000/mo from paid subscribers, that's $200/mo to Substack — more than MailerLite charges at 25k subscribers. A flat-fee platform wins the moment your paid revenue clears a few hundred dollars a month.
Flat-fee platforms charge on list size, not income. MailerLite, Beehiiv and Kit all take 0% of subscription revenue. Your cost is driven by how many subscribers you have, not how much you earn — so as monetization improves, your margin improves with it.

How to choose in one line

Want predictable, low cost + guided migration? MailerLite.
Sell paid subscriptions and want 0% cut? Beehiiv.
Automation-heavy, or under 1,000 and want to stay free? Kit.
Tiny list, monetization-first, fine paying 10%? Substack — until the cut outgrows a flat fee.

FAQ

Is Mailchimp's free plan still usable in 2026?

Barely, for a growing newsletter. Per 2026 reporting the free plan caps at 250 contacts, and the Classic Automation Builder was removed from the free plan in mid-2025 (source: blog.groupmail.io, as of 2026-05-30). Paid Essentials starts around $11/mo and Standard around $17/mo.

Which platform keeps the most of my revenue?

MailerLite, Beehiiv and Kit all take 0% of your subscription revenue (you pay only normal Stripe processing fees, and Kit charges 3.5%+30c only on Kit Commerce sales). Substack takes 10% of paid revenue. At even modest monthly revenue, the 10% cut typically costs more than a flat-fee platform's monthly price.

Can I import my Mailchimp list to MailerLite?

Yes. MailerLite offers an assisted Mailchimp import that connects your account, maps fields, and transfers lists and groups. Templates, automations and forms have to be rebuilt manually after the import (source: sender.net review of MailerLite, as of 2026-05-30).

Why is Beehiiv free at 1,000 subscribers but MailerLite isn't?

Beehiiv's free Launch plan covers up to 2,500 subscribers, so 500 and 1,000-subscriber writers usually pay nothing (beehiiv.com/pricing). MailerLite cut its free cap from 1,000 to 500 on 2025-09-23, so a 1,000-subscriber list now needs the paid Growing Business plan (~$15/mo).

Is Substack a good Mailchimp alternative?

It can be for monetization-first writers with small lists, since there's no monthly fee. But it takes 10% of paid revenue plus Stripe fees, so as your paid income grows the cut can exceed what a flat-fee platform like MailerLite, Beehiiv or Kit would charge.