MailerLite vs Substack
Side-by-side comparison of MailerLite and Substack.
Affordable email marketing built for growing creators
Newsletter publishing and monetization in one place
What they are
MailerLite
MailerLite is an email marketing platform covering newsletters, automations, landing pages, and sign-up forms. It suits indie creators, small newsletters, and course sellers who want a clean interface without paying enterprise prices. The free plan covers up to 1,000 subscribers, and paid plans start around $9 per month. Deliverability is solid, though the template editor can feel limiting compared to more design-focused competitors.
Substack
Substack is a publishing platform where writers host email newsletters and charge subscribers a recurring fee. Independent journalists, essayists, and niche experts use it to build direct audiences without relying on ad revenue. The platform handles payments, delivery, and a basic website automatically. Substack takes a 10% cut of paid subscription revenue on top of stripe fees, which becomes a real cost as an audience grows.
if you need email marketing. It has a usable free tier to start with.
- +Generous free tier up to 500 subscribers with automation included
- +Clean, low-friction interface that non-technical creators can navigate quickly
- +Built-in landing page and sign-up form builder reduces need for extra tools
if you need hosting and monetization. It has a usable free tier to start with.
- +Free to start with no upfront cost
- +Built-in payment processing removes the need for a separate tool
- +Readers can comment and respond, creating light community features
Which to choose
MailerLite and Substack both cover email marketing, so this is a real either-or for some teams. The right pick depends on which one's wider feature set and pricing fit how you work.
Read the full reviews for MailerLite and Substack.
Pricing checked 8 Jun 2026.