“1. Substack Best for getting started”
“- Very simple publishing experience.”
“- Free newsletters and paid subscriptions.”
“- Built-in recommendations and reader discovery.”
“1. Substack if you want the easiest possible start and built-in reader discovery.”
“- Trade-off: takes 10% of paid subscription revenue, plus payment processing fees.”
“3. Ghost Best for independence”
“- Your own publication website.”
“- Email newsletters and paid memberships.”
“- Custom domain and branding.”
“- No Ghost transaction commission, although hosting and payment processing cost money.”
“2. Ghost if you want to establish an independent publication and retain control.”
“- No Ghost transaction commission, although hosting and payment processing cost money.”
“2. beehiiv Best for newsletter growth”
“- Newsletter publishing and website.”
“- Referral and recommendation tools.”
“- Advertising and monetization features.”
“- Zero platform commission on paid subscriptions on eligible paid plans.”
“3. beehiiv if you want growth tools and expect to build a larger newsletter business.”
“4. Kit Best for automation”
“- Subscriber segmentation.”
“- Automated email sequences.”
“- Creator-focused marketing tools.”
“- Paid newsletter and digital product capabilities.”
“Best if you eventually want to sell courses, ebooks, workshops, or other products alongside your writing.”
“5. Buttondown Best for simplicity”
“- Minimalist writing environment.”
“- Straightforward email publishing.”
“- Paid newsletter functionality.”
“Best if you want to focus almost entirely on writing.”
“- Less emphasis on complex marketing features.”