Cheapest Way to Run a Paid Newsletter

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The cheapest way to run a paid newsletter is a tool that charges no monthly fee and takes no percentage of subscriptions, and systeme.io is the only one on this list that does both: at 100 readers paying $8 a month, it keeps $0 of the $800 while Substack keeps $80, Kit about $58, beehiiv $43 and Ghost $29. The trade is discovery and polish, and the table below is honest about both.

The shortlist

1. 1Our pick

   systeme.io

   $0, 0% of subscriptions

   Best for: keeping every dollar; a subscription product, a paid tag and a private archive

   The catch: no reader app, no recommendation network, no web archive by default, plain templates

   Try systeme.io free
2. 2

   Ghost(Pro) Publisher

   $29/mo billed yearly, 0%

   Best for: a writer who wants a real publication: site, archive, paid tiers

   The catch: Starter at $18 has no paid subscriptions; 1,000 members on both

3. 3

   beehiiv Scale

   $43/mo, 0% take

   Best for: growth tools, referrals, a network

   The catch: the free Launch tier does not state a 0% take rate

4. 4

   Kit

   Free to 10,000, 3.5% + 30c

   Best for: a list you already have on Kit

   The catch: no automations on free; Creator $33 at 1,000

5. 5

   Substack

   $0, keeps 10%

   Best for: discovery through the network and app

   The catch: the cut grows with you; your sending reputation lives on substack.com

Prices and free-plan limits checked 2026-09-23 on each vendor's pricing page.

What “cheapest” means at 100 paying readers

Every tool passes card fees through, about 2.9% plus 30 cents per charge. The difference is what the platform keeps on top. Substack’s line is “writers keep 90% of their revenue minus credit card fees.” Kit’s fee is 3.5% plus 30 cents, which Kit points out is inclusive of card processing, so its own take is about 0.6%. systeme.io, Ghost Publisher and beehiiv Scale take 0%, and differ on the monthly fee.

The tools compared at $800 a month

Prices from each vendor’s page on 2026-09-23. At 1,000 readers Substack’s cut is $800 a month and the subscription tools have not moved.

The all-in-one option for newsletter writers, and its gaps

systeme.io is not a newsletter product with a paywall; it is a business platform that can run one. The newsletter is a campaign to a tag, the paid tier is a subscription price plan on an order form, and the archive is a members-only course area. What you do not get: a public web archive out of the box, a reader app, recommendations from other writers, RSS, or designed templates. If those are how you grow, that is the case for Ghost or beehiiv.

How to set it up on systeme.io

1. Create a product with a monthly and a yearly subscription plan.
2. Add an automation rule: on purchase, add the “paid” tag and grant access to the archive course.
3. Add the reverse rule for cancellations, which needs the $17 plan (the free plan has one rule).
4. Send the paid issue as a newsletter to the “paid” tag, and the free issue to everyone.
5. Set DKIM and DMARC on your domain before the first send.

When Ghost or beehiiv is the better pick

If the newsletter is the whole business and you want a publication with an archive people can browse, Ghost’s $29 buys that and takes nothing. If referrals and a growth network matter, beehiiv. If you are a coach or creator whose newsletter sits beside a course or a community, the all-in-one wins because the list is already there.

Related: simple email marketing tool for beginners, systeme.io vs ConvertKit, cheapest membership site platform.