Creator Beehiiv
Podcast hosting on every plan: 1 episode a month on free Launch, 4 on Scale, unlimited on Max. Premium feeds for paid tiers.
Best newsletter tools for podcasters (2026): host your show and your list in one place
A podcast audience lives inside apps you don't control. An email list is the part you keep. Some newsletter platforms now host the podcast too, and others simply email each new episode from your existing feed. Below are our picks for each kind of podcaster, with free plans, prices, fees and feed options taken from each vendor's own pages.
How we made this page: We worked from each vendor’s public pricing pages, product pages and help centers, checked on September 26, 2026 (sources at the bottom). We have not done hands-on paid testing of these tools, and we don’t claim to. Affiliate status: Our Beehiiv and Buttondown links are partner referral links, so we may earn a commission if you sign up through them, at no extra cost to you. Substack, Kit and MailerLite are not affiliates, and we link to their plain official sites. See the disclosure.
Verdict and top picks
- Best all-in-one for a podcast plus a paid newsletter: Beehiiv. Podcast hosting is included on every plan, alongside the newsletter and website. Paid plans add premium podcast feeds for paying subscribers, a 0% take rate on subscriptions and an ad network for the newsletter.
- Best free start with built-in discovery: Substack. Hosting and distribution are free, paid subscribers get private feeds, and video episodes can publish to YouTube automatically. Substack takes 10% of paid revenue.
- Best if you keep your current podcast host and sell products: Kit. There's no podcast hosting, but the free plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers. RSS campaigns (from Creator) can email new episodes, and Kit's podcaster page suggests building a free landing page for your show.
- Best minimal "new episode" email: Buttondown. Free for your first 100 subscribers. Its RSS-to-email add-on is built for this job, and Buttondown's docs mention podcast episodes by name.
- Best budget email with RSS automation: MailerLite. RSS campaigns are on its Comfort plan, which starts at $12 a month.
Substack
Free podcast hosting with RSS distribution, private feeds for paid subscribers, video posts and a reader app.
Kit
Free up to 10,000 subscribers. RSS campaigns and unlimited automations from Creator, plus commerce for bonus content and products.
Buttondown
Free for 100 subscribers. RSS-to-email and paid subscriptions are +$9/month add-ons each.
Podcast features, free plans and fees compared
All figures come from each vendor's official pricing page, product page or help center, checked September 26, 2026, in USD. "Paid starts at" is the lowest published price for the smallest paid list-size tier, and every paid plan here costs more as your list grows.
| Tool | Podcast hosting built in | Free plan | Paid starts at | Paid-subscription fees | RSS-to-email | Audio / private feeds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beehiiv | Yes, every plan. Episodes a month: 1 (Launch), 4 (Scale), unlimited (Max) | Launch: up to 2,500 subscribers | Scale $49/mo monthly, or $43/mo billed annually | 0% on Scale and Max; Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 applies | RSS to Send on Max; new-episode emails via automations (Scale and up) | Premium podcasts with a private RSS feed per paying subscriber (needs a paid tier); audio newsletters on Max |
| Substack | Yes, free | Free at any list size | No plan fee | 10% of each paid transaction, plus Stripe fees | Not needed: episodes are posts, sent by email and to the app | Private RSS feed unique to each subscriber; paid episodes appear for paying subscribers |
| Kit | No | Up to 10,000 subscribers | Creator $33/mo billed yearly | 3.5% + 30¢ per transaction, card processing included, on all plans | RSS campaigns on Creator and Pro | Not listed |
| Buttondown | No | First 100 subscribers | Priced by list size on its slider; add-ons from +$9/mo | Paid subscriptions add-on +$9/mo; no cut beyond card fees | RSS-to-email add-on +$9/mo | Not listed |
| MailerLite | No | Up to 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails/month | Comfort "starting $12/month" | Through Stripe; we didn't find a MailerLite platform fee on its paid-newsletter page | RSS campaigns on Comfort and Power | Not listed |
On Substack, Stripe's Billing fee for recurring payments appears as 0.5% in one Substack help article and 0.7% (as of July 2024) in another, on top of 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. The 0.7% article says creators who enabled payments before July 10, 2024 kept the 0.5% rate until June 30, 2025.
Hosting built in vs "email the feed". Beehiiv and Substack can replace your podcast host, since both publish an RSS feed you submit to Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other apps. Kit, Buttondown and MailerLite don't host audio. Instead, they read the RSS feed from the host you already use and turn each new episode into an email. If you're happy with your host, that second route changes nothing about your show.
Just starting a podcast
Substack costs nothing to start, and its podcast page says hosting is free. Each episode goes to subscribers by email and RSS and appears in the Substack app, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube. Substack's Recording Studio records in the browser, so you don't need editing software. Substack says more than half of its new subscribers come from inside the platform. That's a platform-wide figure it reports, not a promise for any one show.
Beehiiv Launch is also free, up to 2,500 subscribers, and includes the newsletter, website and podcast together. Once your beehiiv website is published, every episode gets its own page there, with a transcript where available. The limit that matters is one episode a month on Launch. Scale allows 4 a month, which covers a weekly show except in months with five release days. Anything more needs Max (unlimited). Beehiiv says there's no download-based pricing and no storage caps.
Already hosted elsewhere? Start a free list on Kit (up to 10,000 subscribers). Kit's podcaster page suggests a free landing page that links to your show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube. Or use Buttondown (free for 100 subscribers) and add RSS-to-email once you want episode emails to send themselves.
Monetizing with paid subscribers or premium feeds
Both hosting platforms can gate episodes behind a paid subscription and deliver them through private feeds that work in regular podcast apps:
- Substack gives each subscriber a private podcast RSS feed that's unique to them. Paying subscribers' feeds include paid episodes. You can upload a separate free preview for free listeners, or send an ad-free episode to paying subscribers and a sponsored version to everyone else. Paying subscribers can also link their accounts to hear paid episodes on Spotify.
- Beehiiv premium podcasts need a paid plan and at least one paid subscription tier. You choose which tiers get access, and each qualifying subscriber gets a private RSS URL by email. Beehiiv is a Spotify Open Access partner, so premium episodes can also unlock in Spotify. You can bundle the show with your newsletter, community and digital products.
The difference is mostly the fee model. Substack takes 10% of paid revenue with no plan fee. Beehiiv takes 0% but needs Scale, which starts at $49 a month on monthly billing for up to 1,000 subscribers. Substack's cut matches Beehiiv's plan fee once your monthly paid revenue reaches about ten times that fee. Our Beehiiv vs Substack comparison has the full break-even table.
If you want to sell bonus episodes or products without switching hosts, Kit's podcaster page suggests selling memberships, bonus episodes and digital products through Kit Commerce. Kit charges 3.5% + 30¢ per transaction, card processing included, on every plan. Buttondown's paid subscriptions add-on (+$9/month) takes no cut beyond card fees.
Sponsor-driven podcasts
If sponsors pay the bills, the newsletter becomes a second ad slot you can sell:
- Beehiiv has an Ad Network and programmatic ads for the newsletter on Scale and up (not in all regions), and a sponsorship storefront on Max. For the audio itself, Beehiiv says you can bake ads into your episodes, and it lists dynamic ad insertion as "coming soon."
- Substack pitches paid subscriptions as a layer on top of ads and sponsorships, saying your existing monetization "still has a place." You can send a sponsored version of an episode to everyone and an ad-free version to paying subscribers, or gate bonus content and extended cuts.
- Kit lists newsletter sponsorships (brand matching you approve) on its paid plans. Its podcaster page suggests putting your sponsorship rates on your landing page and selling ad slots through Kit Commerce.
- Buttondown offers a Sponsorships add-on for +$9/month.
Video podcasters
Substack is the stronger fit for video today. Video posts can send their audio to your podcast RSS feed, get automatic transcripts, and offer paid exclusives with free previews. Substack's podcast page says video can publish to YouTube automatically and be added to Spotify for Creators. The same page says "Video for Apple is coming soon."
Beehiiv hosts the audio feed only. Its help center says beehiiv is still working toward native video distribution. For now, you can upload video versions of episodes yourself in Spotify for Creators, and beehiiv says video distribution to Apple Podcasts is on its roadmap. If video is central to your show, check where each platform stands before you commit.
If you just want an email for every new episode
You don't need to move your show to get automatic episode emails. Buttondown's RSS-to-email checks your feed every thirty minutes. It can send immediately or create a draft for you to edit, or bundle new items weekly or monthly. Kit RSS campaigns (Creator and up) and MailerLite RSS campaigns (Comfort and Power) do the same from any RSS feed, including your podcast host's. On Beehiiv, RSS to Send is a Max feature, but if Beehiiv hosts the show, its automations (Scale and up) can email subscribers when a new episode drops. See our MailerLite guide for its plans.
FAQ
Does Substack host podcasts?
Yes. Substack's podcast page says hosting is free, with no monthly hosting fees. Every episode gets an RSS feed you can submit to Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other apps. If you charge, Substack takes 10% plus Stripe fees.
Is Beehiiv podcast hosting free?
Yes, on the free Launch plan (up to 2,500 subscribers), with one show and one episode a month. Scale allows 4 episodes a month and Max is unlimited. Premium, paid-only podcasts need a paid plan. Our Beehiiv guide covers every plan.
How do I create a private podcast feed for paying listeners?
Use a platform that issues private feeds per subscriber. Substack gives every subscriber a unique private RSS feed, and paid episodes appear in paying subscribers' feeds. On Beehiiv, you set up a premium podcast on a paid plan with at least one paid tier, and each qualifying subscriber gets a private RSS URL. Beehiiv's help center warns not to share private feed URLs publicly.
What's the best email marketing for podcasters?
If you'll host with it: Beehiiv or Substack. If you're keeping your host: Kit for the biggest free list and product sales, Buttondown for simple automatic episode emails, or MailerLite on a budget. The table above has the specifics.
Where can I start a podcast for free?
Substack hosts podcasts free at any list size. Beehiiv's free Launch plan also hosts a podcast, limited to one episode a month.
How do I monetize a video podcast?
Among the tools here, Substack supports paid video exclusives with free previews and auto-publishing to YouTube. Beehiiv monetizes the audio feed (premium feeds, newsletter ads), while video goes to Spotify through a manual upload.
See beehiiv's plans Substack for podcasts
Related
- Beehiiv vs Substack: fees, discovery and which to pick
- Beehiiv for creators: pricing, free plan limits and setup
- Kit vs Beehiiv
- Beehiiv vs MailerLite
- MailerLite for newsletter creators
- Best newsletter tools for creators
- How to choose a newsletter tool
- All guides · All comparisons
Sources (checked September 26, 2026)
- https://www.beehiiv.com/pricing and https://www.beehiiv.com/pricing.md: Beehiiv plans, prices, podcast episode limits, RSS to Send, audio newsletters, ad network
- https://www.beehiiv.com/features/podcasts: premium podcasts, distribution, dynamic ads "coming soon"
- https://product.beehiiv.com/p/podcasts: podcasts on every plan, no download-based pricing
- https://www.beehiiv.com/support/article/39459323549591-creating-a-podcast-on-beehiiv: show and episode limits, episode pages
- https://www.beehiiv.com/support/article/42678894045079: gated premium podcasts and private RSS URLs
- https://www.beehiiv.com/support/article/40916852168855-how-to-sync-your-premium-podcast-feeds-with-spotify: Spotify Open Access
- https://www.beehiiv.com/support/article/41155221993367: video episodes via Spotify for Creators; Apple video on roadmap
- https://substack.com/podcasts: free hosting, distribution, Recording Studio, video to YouTube, Apple video "coming soon"
- https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/360041722272-Will-my-Podcast-RSS-feed-show-paid-only-content: private RSS feeds
- https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/8772155158164-How-do-I-create-a-free-version-of-a-paid-podcast-episode-for-free-listeners: free previews and sponsored free versions
- https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/25303480158228-How-do-I-listen-to-paid-episodes-on-Spotify: paid episodes on Spotify
- https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/21093671091220-Guide-to-video-posts-on-Substack: video posts and podcast RSS audio
- https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/360037607131-How-much-does-Substack-cost: 10% fee; Stripe Billing 0.7% (as of July 2024)
- https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/18687769631252-How-can-readers-pay-for-a-subscription-on-my-Substack-publication: 10% fee; Stripe Billing 0.5%
- https://kit.com/pricing: Kit plans, RSS campaigns, transaction fees, newsletter sponsorships
- https://kit.com/use-cases/podcasters: Kit for podcasters
- https://buttondown.com/pricing, https://docs.buttondown.com/rss-to-email and https://buttondown.com/features/paid-subscriptions: Buttondown pricing, add-ons, RSS-to-email, paid subscriptions
- https://www.mailerlite.com/pricing, https://www.mailerlite.com/help/how-to-create-an-rss-campaign and https://www.mailerlite.com/features/paid-newsletter-subscriptions: MailerLite plans, RSS campaigns, paid newsletters
Product names are trademarks of their respective owners. We run Creator Mail Stack independently, and none of these vendors endorse it. Found something out of date? Tell us.