Sources checked Sep 22, 2026 – Sep 23, 2026
Calculate the real cost of newsletter software before you choose.
A plan price is rarely the whole bill. Add four lines — subscription, revenue share, payment processing, and the one-time cost of moving — at today’s list size and next year’s.
The four-line worksheet
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| Cost line | Monthly calculation | Where to get it |
|---|---|---|
| Plan subscription | Current tier price | Provider checkout at your list size and billing period |
| Platform revenue share | Paid revenue × platform percentage | Provider fee documentation |
| Payment processing | Transaction fees + recurring billing fees | Your processor and payment mix |
| Migration allowance | One-time switching cost ÷ evaluation months | Hours, outside help, overlap, and disruption |
The same four lines, filled in
A hypothetical paid publication on Substack: 2,500 subscribers, $800 a month in paid subscriptions, weighing a flat-fee plan. Only the plan price comes from our data; the other three lines are yours.
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| Cost line | In this example | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| Plan subscription | beehiiv Scale · 2,500, the smallest documented tier that holds 2,500 subscribers | $69 |
| Platform revenue share | Substack’s documented 10% of $800 in monthly paid revenue | $80 |
| Payment processing | Charged on both sides, at your processor’s rates. Not a saving, so we leave it out | Check |
| Migration allowance | $600 of your time and outside help, spread over 12 months | $50 |
Staying costs $80 a month in fees; the flat plan costs $69. The $11 gap clears the crossover, but repays a $600 move only after about 55 months — so at this revenue the decision is about features, not fees. On one line instead of four, that $11 would have looked like a saving.
1. Find the first limit you will hit
Subscriber count is only one reason to upgrade. Kit’s free plan holds 10,000 subscribers and does not publish an automation limit; MailerLite’s stops at 250 subscribers and 2,500 sends a month. Write down the three things your newsletter cannot run without, then remove every tier that lacks them.
2. Keep the four lines apart
One combined number hides why a platform is expensive. Use the percentage-fee calculator for revenue share and the migration calculator for payback.
3. Price two audience sizes
Enter today’s list and your twelve-month estimate in the plan-cost calculator to see both at once. A cheap starting tier grows expensive: beehiiv Scale is $49 a month at 1,000 subscribers and $109 at 10,000. Where we hold no tier at your size, ask the provider rather than estimating between prices; every tier we do hold is listed for Kit, beehiiv, and MailerLite.
4. Put a price on switching
A subscriber export is only part of a move. Count templates, forms, domains, suppression lists, automations, integrations, paid-subscription status, testing, and the months you pay both platforms. The migration checklist lists that work; the Substack and Mailchimp guides cover those two moves in detail.
5. Write the go/no-go rule first
Decide before you open checkout: “we upgrade when the missing feature is worth more than $X a month,” or “we migrate when first-year net savings beat $Y and payback is under Z months.” Otherwise a feature list decides for you.
Before you choose
Test the editor and a sample send; a price comparison cannot tell you how the platform will feel to use. Confirm the subscriber band, billing period, sending allowance, tax, and total at checkout. We record pricing updates in the changes log.