Newsletters and email campaigns.
Email marketing: build, buy or switch?
3 tools compared on 3-year cost, cheaper options and risk. Prices checked October 2026.
| Tool | Verdict | From | Buy, 3 yrs | Build, 3 yrs | Cheapest option |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| beehiiv | BUY | $49/mo | $1,764 | $4,645 | Substack (free) |
| Kit | SWITCH | $33/mo | $1,188 | $3,085 | beehiiv (free) |
| Mailchimp | BUY | $13/mo | $468 | $2,095 | Sender (free) |
3-year costs use each tool’s typical plan and team size and $30/hour for your time. Open a tool to change them.
beehiiv
Email marketing
Buy it, but stay on the free plan until you need paid subscriptions or automations.
- Buy, 3 yrs
- $1,764
- Build, 3 yrs
- $4,645
Kit
Email marketing
Switch to MailerLite. At 1,000 subscribers it costs $17.10 a month against Kit’s $33.
- Buy, 3 yrs
- $1,188
- Build, 3 yrs
- $3,085
Mailchimp
Email marketing
Buy it. Sending email is easy. Getting it into the inbox isn’t.
- Buy, 3 yrs
- $468
- Build, 3 yrs
- $2,095
Paying for more than one of these?
Stack Scan spots tools that do the same job and shows what you’d save by keeping one.
Verdict key: BUILD = Build it · BUY = Buy it · HYBRID = Hybrid · SWITCH = Switch. How we score.