Major Changes in 2025
Mailchimp Free Tier Continued Shrinking
The free tier that once supported 2,000 contacts is now 250 contacts with 500 sends/month. Essentials starts at $13/month. Standard starts at $20/month. The Intuit-owned platform continued its pattern of reducing free tier generosity while raising paid tier prices.
Kit Rebrand from ConvertKit
ConvertKit rebranded to Kit in 2024, with the transition completing in 2025. Newsletter free tier expanded to 10,000 subscribers. Creator at $39/month and Creator Pro at $79/month pricing held steady. The rebrand caused some confusion but the product improved.
beehiiv Became the Creator Default
beehiiv Scale held at $49/month with unlimited subscribers. Launch remained free at 2,500 subscribers. Max launched at $109/month with API access and advanced analytics. The ad network (Boosts) matured into a real revenue channel for creators.
Ghost Restructured Pricing
Ghost(Pro) Starter doubled from $9/month to $18/month for 1,000 members. Publisher went from $25/month to $35/month. The open-source self-hosted option remained free. A significant price increase for the managed service.
Brevo Held Steady
Brevo maintained its send-based pricing model: Starter at $9/month, Standard at $18/month. Unlimited contacts remained a key differentiator. The most stable pricing in the category.
Current Pricing Snapshot (March 2026)
| Platform | Free Tier | Entry Paid | Mid Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mailchimp | 250 contacts | Essentials $13/mo | Standard $20/mo |
| Kit | 10K subscribers | Creator $39/mo | Creator Pro $79/mo |
| beehiiv | 2,500 subscribers | Scale $49/mo | Max $109/mo |
| ActiveCampaign | No free tier | Starter $15/mo | Plus $49/mo |
| Brevo | 300 emails/day | Starter $9/mo | Standard $18/mo |
Predictions for 2026
- Mailchimp will likely raise prices again or further restrict the free tier
- beehiiv will continue growing market share among newsletter creators
- AI-powered email features will become table stakes across all platforms
- Send-based pricing (Brevo model) may gain traction vs contact-based pricing
- Ghost self-hosted will benefit from Ghost(Pro) price increases