How we evaluate newsletter platforms
Email Broadcast Services compares newsletter and creator platforms such as Kit, beehiiv, Substack, Ghost, Buttondown, EmailOctopus, Flodesk, and AWeber. The goal is a useful buying decision for a real publishing workflow, not a generic score.
Where prices come from
Prices come from the vendor pricing page linked on each article. We check the page on the date printed in the facts note and describe whether billing is based on subscribers, active contacts, sends, or paid subscription revenue. If a vendor changes a tier, we update the comparison rather than carrying an old number forward.
We model the list sizes a creator can recognize: a small launch list, a growing publication, and a larger independent newsletter. Arithmetic is shown when a vendor uses a percentage or a per-subscriber formula. Add-ons, transaction fees, and annual billing are called out where they change the decision.
What screenshots mean
Screenshots are captured from a live public pricing page on the date in the caption. They are evidence of what was visible at that time, not a promise that a vendor will keep the same offer. We do not crop, retouch, or combine screenshots, and we skip the figure when a public page cannot be captured reliably.
How we make a recommendation
We start with the publishing job: a paid newsletter, a free editorial list, a creator funnel, a membership site, or a team publication. Then we compare the mechanics that affect that job: editor and template workflow, subscriber import and export, paid subscriptions, referrals, automations, analytics, domain control, and the effort required to move away later.
Each article includes a scenario verdict. A platform can be a good choice for a solo writer and a poor choice for a publication that needs multiple seats or a custom site. We prefer a clear trade-off over a universal ranking.
What we do not do
- We do not claim to have run campaigns, accounts, or deliverability tests that we did not run.
- We do not invent open rates, customer counts, testimonials, or performance lifts.
- We do not accept paid placements in rankings.
- We do not use review stars or aggregate ratings without a verifiable source.
Coverage scope
Developer and SaaS lifecycle products are not ranked on newsletter and creator comparisons; they appear only where a developer or SaaS reader would reasonably encounter them.
Corrections
If you spot an outdated price or a factual error, email hello@emailbroadcastservices.com with the page URL and a source. Clara Whitmore reviews corrections against the vendor's own documentation.