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
beehiiv vs LetterDuck, verified August 2026 prices: subscriber tiers vs a $50 flat domain, growth rails vs a team inbox, and who should not switch.
LetterDuck vs Buttondown
The two indie-spirited email tools, compared straight. Buttondown wins on Markdown, API, and price under 5,000 subs; LetterDuck on inbox and flat pricing.
LetterDuck vs Google Workspace
Google Workspace runs $7 to $22 per user per month and rose about 17% in January 2025. LetterDuck is $50 per domain flat. The honest seat math, both ways.
LetterDuck vs Kit
Kit (formerly ConvertKit) vs LetterDuck, August 2026 prices: the Creator tier ladder vs a $50 flat domain, funnels vs a team inbox, honest verdicts.
LetterDuck vs Mailchimp
Mailchimp bills unsubscribed contacts until you archive them by hand. LetterDuck is $50 per domain flat with free suppression. The math to 10,000 contacts.
LetterDuck vs MailerLite
MailerLite is the value pick of the classic ESPs, and we say so. Real tier math at 1k, 5k, and 10k subscribers against a $50 flat rate, verified August 2026.
LetterDuck vs Substack
Substack's 10% revenue cut vs LetterDuck's $50 flat fee, with the break-even math: the lines cross at $500 a month of paid revenue. August 2026 numbers.
LetterDuck vs Zoho Mail
Zoho Mail Lite costs $1 per user per month, the cheapest real mailbox in 2026. Where that beats LetterDuck's $50 flat domain, and where it stops short.
The referee table
beehiiv vs Substack
The creator platform decision, priced: the exact monthly revenue where Substack's 10% cut passes beehiiv's flat tiers, plus portability. August 2026.
Ghost vs Substack
Substack takes 10% of paid revenue plus fees; Ghost(Pro) is a flat $29 a month at 1,000 members. We compute the exact crossover where Ghost gets cheaper.
Workspace vs Microsoft 365
Both suites now charge an identical $7/$14/$22 per user. Real tiebreakers: desktop Office, Teams vs Meet, security depth, and the newsletter neither sends.
Kit vs Mailchimp
Kit (formerly ConvertKit) vs Mailchimp with verified August 2026 prices at 1,000, 5,000, and 10,000 subscribers, and the billing rules that set the real cost.
Klaviyo vs Mailchimp
At 5,000 contacts Klaviyo is $100 a month and Mailchimp Standard is also $100. Where the ecommerce premium is real, and where you are paying for nothing.
Mailchimp vs Constant Contact
Mailchimp Essentials is $75 a month at 5,000 contacts; Constant Contact Lite is $80, or $68 prepaid. The 2026 tier math, refereed.
MailerLite vs Mailchimp
MailerLite is $44.10/mo at 5,000 subscribers on annual billing; Mailchimp Essentials is $75 on monthly. Where the gap is real and where Mailchimp earns it.
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
Constant Contact's Lite plan jumps from $12 to $30 the month you pass 500 contacts. Five alternatives with August 2026 prices, from free tiers to $50 flat.
Google Workspace alternatives
Five real alternatives to Google Workspace priced for August 2026: Zoho Mail from $1 per user, Microsoft 365, Fastmail, Proton, and a $50 flat workspace.
Kit alternatives
Kit, formerly ConvertKit, compared with five alternatives at verified August 2026 prices: the nine-step cost ramp, who each rival suits, and who should stay.
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
MailerLite is the value pick, so why switch? Five alternatives at verified August 2026 prices, plus the approval friction and ceilings that push people out.
Substack alternatives
Substack takes 10% plus Stripe fees, about 19.6% of a $5 subscription. Five alternatives compared at August 2026 prices, from Ghost's 0% cut to beehiiv.
The shortlists
Best business email
Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Zoho Mail, Fastmail, Proton, and LetterDuck compared on seat cost, deliverability, and admin burden. August 2026 prices.
Best warm-up tools
Instantly, Warmy, Warmup Inbox, and MailReach priced from their own pages in August 2026, plus the ramp we enforce in code and when a pod is the wrong fix.
Best newsletter platforms
beehiiv, Substack, Kit, Ghost, MailerLite, Buttondown, and LetterDuck ranked on ownership, monetization take, and cost at 1k, 5k, and 10k subscribers.
Pricing, decoded
beehiiv pricing
beehiiv is free to 2,500 subscribers, then $49 a month, then $169 at subscriber 10,001. The Scale and Max ladder, the tier jumps, and the break-even math.
Brevo pricing
Brevo bills by emails sent, not contacts stored. Every 2026 plan and add-on price, verified against Brevo's own billing API, plus the math at 5,000 contacts.
Constant Contact pricing
Constant Contact Lite is $12 a month at 500 contacts and $30 at 501. Every tier to 25,000, the prepay discounts, and the send-cap overage math, dated August 2026.
Google Workspace pricing
Google Workspace runs $7 to $22 per user monthly on annual billing, 20% more on Flexible. The full tier math, the 2025 price rise, and a 3-year projection.
Kit pricing
Kit (formerly ConvertKit) pricing verified August 2026: the free plan to 10,000 subscribers, Creator tiers from $39 to $139 a month, and the cliff math.
Klaviyo pricing
Klaviyo bills $20 a month at 500 active profiles and $150 at 10,000, monthly only, with no annual discount. The profile curve, auto-upgrades, and SMS math.
Mailchimp pricing
Mailchimp Essentials runs $13 at 500 contacts and $110 at 10,000, and unsubscribed contacts still bill. Tier cliffs, send caps, and traps, priced 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 Lite is $1 per user per month, annual billing only. Lite vs Premium vs Workplace, the real storage limits, and where the cheapness has edges.