Compare email providers
Head-to-heads, alternatives, and what everything actually costs. Real public list prices with the date we checked them, and a fair account of where each tool wins.
LetterDuck, head to head
LetterDuck vs beehiiv
LetterDuck vs beehiiv at verified August 2026 prices: subscriber tiers against a $50 flat domain, growth rails against a team inbox, and who should stay put.
LetterDuck vs Buttondown
LetterDuck vs Buttondown, priced: Buttondown wins on Markdown, API and price under 5,000 subscribers; LetterDuck on the inbox and the flat rate. August 2026.
LetterDuck vs Google Workspace
LetterDuck vs Google Workspace: $7 to $22 per user per month, up about 17% in January 2025, against $50 per domain flat. The seat math, run both ways.
LetterDuck vs Kit
LetterDuck vs Kit, formerly ConvertKit, at August 2026 prices: the Creator tier ladder against a $50 flat domain, and funnels against a threaded team inbox.
LetterDuck vs Mailchimp
LetterDuck vs Mailchimp: Mailchimp bills unsubscribed contacts until you archive them by hand. $50 per domain flat with free suppression, to 10,000 contacts.
LetterDuck vs MailerLite
LetterDuck vs MailerLite, priced at 1k, 5k and 10k subscribers: MailerLite's tier ladder against a $50 flat domain rate. Verified August 2026 numbers.
LetterDuck vs Substack
LetterDuck vs Substack: a 10% revenue cut against a $50 flat fee, with the break-even math. The lines cross at $500 a month of paid revenue. August 2026.
LetterDuck vs Zoho Mail
LetterDuck vs Zoho Mail: Mail Lite is $1 per user per month, the cheapest real mailbox in 2026. Where that beats a $50 flat domain, and where it stops short.
The referee table
beehiiv vs Substack
beehiiv vs Substack, priced: the exact monthly revenue where Substack's 10% cut passes beehiiv's flat tiers, plus what portability costs. August 2026.
Ghost vs Substack
Ghost vs Substack: Substack takes 10% of paid revenue plus fees, Ghost(Pro) is a flat $29 a month at 1,000 members. The exact crossover point, computed.
Workspace vs Microsoft 365
Google Workspace vs Microsoft 365 in 2026: both charge $7, $14 and $22 per user. The real tiebreakers are desktop Office, Teams vs Meet and security depth.
Kit vs Mailchimp
ConvertKit vs Mailchimp at 1,000, 5,000 and 10,000 subscribers, now that ConvertKit is called Kit, with verified August 2026 prices and the billing rules.
Klaviyo vs Mailchimp
Klaviyo vs Mailchimp at 5,000 contacts: both cost $100 a month. Where Klaviyo's ecommerce premium is real, and where you are paying for nothing at all.
Mailchimp vs Constant Contact
Mailchimp vs Constant Contact at 5,000 contacts: Mailchimp Essentials is $75 a month, Constant Contact Lite is $80, or $68 prepaid. The 2026 tier math.
MailerLite vs Mailchimp
MailerLite vs Mailchimp at 5,000 subscribers: $44.10 a month on annual against Mailchimp Essentials at $75. Where the price gap is real.
Alternatives, honestly listed
beehiiv alternatives
Five real beehiiv alternatives with pricing verified August 2026: where the tier jumps bite, what each rival honestly does better, and who should stay.
Constant Contact alternatives
Five Constant Contact alternatives at August 2026 prices, from free tiers to $50 flat. Constant Contact's Lite plan jumps $12 to $30 the month you pass 500.
Google Workspace alternatives
Five Google Workspace alternatives priced for August 2026: Zoho Mail from $1 per user, Microsoft 365, Fastmail, Proton, and a $50 flat per-domain workspace.
Kit alternatives
Five ConvertKit alternatives compared at verified August 2026 prices, now that ConvertKit is called Kit: the nine-step cost ramp and who each rival suits.
Klaviyo alternatives
Five Klaviyo alternatives at checked August 2026 prices: Omnisend, Mailchimp, Brevo, MailerLite, and one $50 flat rate. Plus who should stay on Klaviyo.
Mailchimp alternatives
Six Mailchimp alternatives compared at August 2026 prices: MailerLite, Brevo, Kit, Klaviyo, Buttondown, and one $50 flat rate that includes an inbox.
MailerLite alternatives
Five MailerLite alternatives at verified August 2026 prices, plus the approval friction and plan ceilings that actually push people off the value pick.
Substack alternatives
Five Substack alternatives priced August 2026, from Ghost's 0% cut to beehiiv. Substack takes 10% plus Stripe fees, about 19.6% of a $5 subscription.
The shortlists
Best business email
Email hosting for business compared: Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Zoho Mail, Fastmail, Proton and a $50 flat plan, on seat cost and August 2026 prices.
Best warm-up tools
The best email warm-up tools in 2026, priced from the vendors' own pages: Instantly, Warmy, Warmup Inbox and MailReach, plus when a pod is the wrong fix.
Best newsletter platforms
The best newsletter platforms in 2026: beehiiv, Substack, Kit, Ghost, MailerLite, Buttondown and LetterDuck on ownership, take rate and cost at 1k to 10k.
Pricing, decoded
beehiiv pricing
beehiiv pricing at every subscriber tier: free to 2,500, then $49 a month, then $169 at subscriber 10,001. The Scale and Max ladder and the break-even math.
Brevo pricing
Brevo pricing is billed by emails sent, not contacts stored. Every 2026 plan and add-on, verified against Brevo's own billing API, with the math at 5,000.
Constant Contact pricing
Constant Contact pricing per tier: Lite is $12 a month at 500 contacts and $30 at 501. Every step to 25,000, prepay discounts and overage math.
Google Workspace pricing
Google Workspace pricing in 2026: $7 to $22 per user monthly on annual billing, 20% more on Flexible. Every tier, the 2025 rise, and a 3-year projection.
Kit pricing
Kit pricing by subscriber count, verified August 2026: free to 10,000 subscribers, then Creator tiers from $39 to $139 a month, and where the cliffs land.
Klaviyo pricing
Klaviyo pricing by profile count: $20 a month at 500 active profiles, $150 at 10,000, monthly billing only. The curve, the auto-upgrades and the SMS math.
Mailchimp pricing
Mailchimp pricing at every contact tier: $13 at 500 contacts, $110 at 10,000, and unsubscribed contacts still bill. Cliffs and send caps, August 2026.
MailerLite pricing
MailerLite pricing verified August 2026: the June reprice to Comfort and Power, $10.80 a month at 500 subscribers on annual billing, and the tier cliffs.
SendGrid pricing
SendGrid pricing verified August 2026: no free tier since July 2025, a $19.95/mo Email API entry, the 5,000-contact minimum, and the overage math.
Substack pricing
Substack pricing verified August 2026: free at any size, then 10% plus Stripe fees on paid subscriptions. The real math at $1k, $5k, and $10k a month.
Zoho Mail pricing
Zoho Mail pricing in 2026: Mail Lite is $1 per user per month, annual billing only. Lite vs Premium vs Workplace, real storage limits, and where it stops.
