November 30, 2025
Best Newsletter Service for Small Business in 2025
By Derek Gummersall · Top Tier Emails
The email platform debate consumes a lot of energy that could go toward actually writing emails. The truth is that the right platform for most small businesses comes down to a few real factors: what you need now, how you'll grow, and what you're willing to manage.
Beehiiv: Built for Newsletters
Beehiiv launched in 2021 and has become the default choice for creator-focused newsletters. It's built from the ground up for content-first email, with a clean editor, solid analytics, and built-in monetization through their ad network and paid subscriptions. For creators whose primary output is the newsletter itself, Beehiiv is hard to beat. The free plan is genuinely useful; paid plans start at $42/month.
ConvertKit (Kit): Built for Creators With Products
ConvertKit is the choice when your newsletter is a means to an end — when you're selling courses, coaching, or digital products and need email automations that reflect the customer journey. Tagging, segmentation, and visual automations are ConvertKit's strengths. It costs more than Beehiiv but does more when your list is a sales funnel, not just a publication.
Mailchimp: The Default That Often Isn't Best
Most small businesses default to Mailchimp because it's the most well-known. It's fine. It's not exceptional for any specific use case, and it gets expensive quickly as your list grows. The free plan has significant limitations. If you're starting fresh, you can probably do better with a more focused tool.
Klaviyo: Built for E-Commerce
If you have a Shopify or WooCommerce store, Klaviyo integrates deeply with purchase data and enables sophisticated behavioral automation — abandoned cart sequences, post-purchase flows, win-back campaigns. It's expensive and complex, but for e-commerce businesses doing meaningful revenue, it pays for itself.
The platform that matters most is the one you'll actually use. If you're working with Top Tier Emails, we work with all major platforms and can recommend the right fit based on your specific situation. Apply to work with us.