Free Substack alternatives
Substack is free to publish to any number of subscribers. When you turn on paid subscriptions, its help center (checked Oct 24, 2026) says Substack keeps 10% of each subscription payment, and Stripe adds 2.9% + $0.30 per US card payment plus a 0.7% billing fee; a custom domain is a one-time $50. Each platform below has a free plan with a subscriber limit. The table shows how many subscribers each free plan allows and whether it can charge readers, and on what terms.
7 listings · facts checked on official pages, latest 2026-10-26. Plans change; confirm on the vendor's site.
| Plan | Subscribers on the free plan | Paid newsletters on the free plan |
|---|---|---|
| Substack | No limit | Yes; Substack keeps 10%, plus Stripe fees |
| Kit (ConvertKit) | 10,000 | Yes; 3.5% + $0.30 per payment, card fees included |
| beehiiv | 2,500 | No; from Lite ($49/mo billed yearly for 1,000 subscribers), 0% take rate plus Stripe fees |
| EmailOctopus | 2,500 | Not listed |
| Sender | 2,500 | Not listed |
| Systeme.io | 2,000 | Not listed; sells courses and products at 0% transaction fees |
| MailerLite | 250 | No; from the Comfort plan |
| Buttondown | 100 | Paid add-on, $9/month |
Sorted by the free subscriber limit on each pricing page, largest first (ties alphabetical). Buttons marked "affiliate link" may earn us a commission at no cost to you; they never change the order. See the affiliate disclosure.
Checked on the official pricing pages, 2026-10-24
Substack: "Publishing on Substack is free, no matter how many subscribers you have. If you turn on paid subscriptions, Substack keeps 10% of subscription revenue, and Stripe charges its own payment processing fees." The fee table lists Stripe card processing at 2.9% + $0.30 per payment for US cards, Stripe Billing at 0.7%, and an optional custom domain at a one-time $50. Source: support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/360037607131-How-much-does-Substack-cost, checked 2026-10-24.
Kit: Free: up to 10,000 subscribers. The plan table marks "Run paid newsletters" as included on Free, with transaction fees of 3.5% + 30c on every plan, "inclusive of credit card processing fees". Source: kit.com/pricing, checked 2026-10-24.
beehiiv: Free: up to 2,500 subscribers and unlimited email sends; all plans include a newsletter, website and podcast. "Paid subscriptions" with a "0% take rate" are listed from the Lite plan ($49/mo, yearly billing, priced for 1,000 subscribers). The FAQ says beehiiv takes 0% of paid subscription revenue and you keep it "minus Stripe's standard processing fee of 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction". Source: www.beehiiv.com/pricing, checked 2026-10-24.
MailerLite: The plan table marks "Send paid newsletters" on the Power and Comfort plans, not Free. "Website blog section" is marked on every plan. Source: www.mailerlite.com/pricing, checked 2026-10-24.
Buttondown: "Absolutely nothing for your first 100 subscribers", including hosted newsletter archives and sending from a custom domain. Add-on: "Paid subscriptions +$9/month". Source: buttondown.com/pricing, checked 2026-10-24.
Systeme.io: The free plan supports "up to 2,000 contacts, 3 sales funnels, 1 blog, 1 course"; "Emails sent are unlimited"; transaction fees are 0% on every plan. Source: systeme.io/pricing, checked 2026-10-24.
EmailOctopus: Free (Starter): 2,500 subscribers, 10,000 emails per month, EmailOctopus branding on emails, reports for 30 days, 1 landing page and 1 form. The page lists no paid newsletter feature. Source: emailoctopus.com/pricing, checked 2026-10-24.
Sender: The free plan includes up to 2,500 subscribers and 15,000 emails a month with Sender branding, newsletters, automation, landing pages, forms and popups. The page lists no paid newsletter feature. Source: www.sender.net/pricing/, checked 2026-10-24.
01Kit (ConvertKit)Email
From the official page · checked Oct 26, 2026
Pick this if: You want to charge readers without leaving a free plan: Kit runs paid newsletters for up to 10,000 subscribers at 3.5% + $0.30 per payment, card processing included, against Substack's 10% plus Stripe fees.
Get Kit through our linkaffiliate link
Disclosure: Kit pays us 50% of your first 12 months if you upgrade through our link. It costs you nothing extra.
02beehiivEmail
From the official page · checked Oct 20, 2026
Pick this if: You want a newsletter, website and podcast on one free plan for up to 2,500 subscribers, and can wait to charge: paid subscriptions start on the Lite plan ($49 a month billed yearly for 1,000 subscribers), where beehiiv takes 0% and Stripe charges 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction.
Try beehiivaffiliate link
We may earn a commission if you sign up or upgrade through this link. It costs you nothing extra.
03EmailOctopusEmail
From the official page · checked Oct 22, 2026
Pick this if: You want a plain free newsletter for up to 2,500 subscribers and 10,000 emails a month and do not plan to charge readers; free emails carry EmailOctopus branding.
Get EmailOctopus through our linkaffiliate link
Disclosure: EmailOctopus pays us a commission if you upgrade through our link. It costs you nothing extra.
04SenderEmail
From the official page · checked Oct 20, 2026
Pick this if: You want a drag-and-drop builder, landing pages and popups for up to 2,500 subscribers and 15,000 emails a month, and do not need to charge readers.
05Systeme.ioCommerce
From the official page · checked Oct 24, 2026
Pick this if: You want to sell a course or products next to your newsletter: unlimited emails to 2,000 contacts, a blog, and 0% transaction fees on the free plan.
Try Systeme.ioaffiliate link
We may earn a commission if you sign up or upgrade through this link. It costs you nothing extra.
06MailerLiteEmail
From the official page · checked Oct 26, 2026
Pick this if: You want a website with a blog section and automations for up to 250 subscribers; paid newsletters start on the Comfort plan.
Try MailerLiteaffiliate link
We may earn a commission if you sign up or upgrade through this link. It costs you nothing extra.
07ButtondownEmail
From the official page · checked Oct 20, 2026
Pick this if: You want Markdown, your own sending domain and hosted archives for up to 100 subscribers; paid subscriptions are a $9/month add-on.
Try Buttondownaffiliate link
We may earn a commission if you sign up or upgrade through this link. It costs you nothing extra.
Questions
Is Substack really free?
Publishing is free for any number of subscribers. If you charge for subscriptions, Substack keeps 10% of each payment and Stripe charges its own processing fees (Substack help center, checked 2026-10-24).
Which Substack alternative lets you charge readers on a free plan?
Of the seven platforms here, Kit. Its pricing page marks paid newsletters as included on the Free plan, for up to 10,000 subscribers, with transaction fees of 3.5% + $0.30 per payment including card processing. Buttondown also offers paid subscriptions as a $9/month add-on.
Does beehiiv take a cut of paid subscriptions?
beehiiv says it takes 0% of paid subscription revenue; Stripe still charges 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. Paid subscriptions start on the Lite plan ($49 a month billed yearly for 1,000 subscribers); the free plan does not include them.