Sendy + SES alternatives
Sendy + SES is already the cheapest newsletter platform we track at 10k subs ($4.30/mo). Here's how the other 10 compare. Ranked by price at the size you pick, with free plans, price hikes and how to switch.
Alternatives to Sendy + SES at 10k subs, cheapest first
- Substack: free +10% of paid subs (No plan fee). Free plan: unlimited subscribers.
- MailCheap: $39/mo (Plan for one issue a week (~4.3 emails per subscriber)). Free plan: none.
- Flodesk: $72/mo (Lite plan (Pro above 25k)). Free plan: none. Last price hike: Dec 2025.
- Bento: $79/mo (Marketing Platform). Free plan: none.
- Buttondown: $79/mo (Base plan, no add-ons). Free plan: up to 100 subscribers. Last price hike: Mar 2023.
- MailerLite: $89/mo (Comfort plan). Free plan: 250 subscribers, 2,500 emails/mo. Last price hike: Jun 2026.
- Ghost(Pro): $105/mo (Starter (Publisher above 1k)). Free plan: none. Last price hike: Jul 2025.
- Mailchimp: $110/mo (Essentials (Standard above 50k)). Free plan: 250 contacts, 500 sends/mo. Last price hike: Apr 2026.
- beehiiv: $139/mo (Lite plan). Free plan: up to 2,500 subscribers, 1 publication. Last price hike: Oct 2026.
- Kit: $139/mo (Creator plan). Free plan: up to 10,000 subscribers, no automations. Last price hike: Sep 2025.
Prices at every size
- Sendy + SES: 1k subs $0.43/mo, 5k subs $2.15/mo, 10k subs $4.30/mo, 25k subs $10.75/mo, 50k subs $21.50/mo, 100k subs $43/mo (+$69 license, own server)
- Substack: 1k subs free, 5k subs free, 10k subs free, 25k subs free, 50k subs free, 100k subs free (+10% of paid subs)
- MailCheap: 1k subs $19/mo, 5k subs $39/mo, 10k subs $39/mo, 25k subs $79/mo, 50k subs $149/mo, 100k subs $149/mo
- Flodesk: 1k subs $25/mo, 5k subs $52/mo, 10k subs $72/mo, 25k subs $162/mo, 50k subs $389/mo, 100k subs $689/mo
- Bento: 1k subs $29/mo, 5k subs $29/mo, 10k subs $79/mo, 25k subs $229/mo, 50k subs $479/mo, 100k subs $929/mo
- Buttondown: 1k subs $9/mo, 5k subs $29/mo, 10k subs $79/mo, 25k subs $239/mo, 50k subs $319/mo, 100k subs custom pricing
- MailerLite: 1k subs $19/mo, 5k subs $49/mo, 10k subs $89/mo, 25k subs $179/mo, 50k subs $319/mo, 100k subs $439/mo
- Ghost(Pro): 1k subs $18/mo, 5k subs $75/mo, 10k subs $105/mo, 25k subs $169/mo, 50k subs $249/mo, 100k subs $329/mo
- Mailchimp: 1k subs $26.50/mo, 5k subs $75/mo, 10k subs $110/mo, 25k subs $270/mo, 50k subs $385/mo, 100k subs $800/mo
- beehiiv: 1k subs $59/mo, 5k subs $109/mo, 10k subs $139/mo, 25k subs $199/mo, 50k subs $299/mo, 100k subs $469/mo
- Kit: 1k subs $39/mo, 5k subs $89/mo, 10k subs $139/mo, 25k subs $199/mo, 50k subs $379/mo, 100k subs $679/mo
Cheapest paid plan that can send a weekly newsletter to the whole list, billed monthly. Plans priced by emails sent assume one issue a week, about 4.3 emails per subscriber a month.
How to move from Sendy + SES to Substack
- 1. Export your subscribers from Sendy + SES. Look for Export in Sendy + SES's settings.
- 2. Import them into Substack. Substack imports a subscriber CSV from its dashboard (Settings → Import). Paid subscribers need their Stripe data moved too; Substack's support helps with that.
- 3. Move paid subscriptions. Check how Substack handles existing paid subscribers before you cancel anything.
- 4. Point your domain and authenticate sending. Move your custom domain to Substack and add its SPF, DKIM and DMARC records so the first issue lands in inboxes. Delete Sendy + SES's old DNS records at your DNS host.
- 5. Keep old links working. Add redirects from your old post URLs to the new ones so links and search rankings survive the move.
- 6. Send a test, then a short 'we moved' issue. Send to yourself first. A few unsubscribes after the first send from a new platform is normal.
- 7. Cancel Sendy + SES after one clean send. Keep Sendy + SES until the first issue from Substack has landed, download any invoices you need, then downgrade or cancel.
Built a cheaper newsletter platform?
List it on PriceHiked for free as an alternative to Sendy + SES: Add your product. It's ranked by price at the same size; sponsored listings are labeled and never change the order.
Everything about Sendy + SES's own prices and price hikes: Sendy + SES.