Our take
Pick Brevo if ops / ecommerce teams who will stay on Free at $0 (300 emails/day, 100,000 contacts) while they open a first Email campaigns list, then Starter at $9/month ($97/yr) when they need 5,000 emails/month — not Standard $18 unless they need unlimited-contact automation, and not Professional $499 unless they need WhatsApp / 10 seats. Pick Substack if writers who will stay on free publishing (no Substack seat
Best for
Brevo A campaign table you start at a public $
Substack A posts list you start at a public $
Free plan
Brevo $0 · /month. Help: 300 emails/day (unused days do not roll over), up to 100,000 contacts, 1 marketing seat, drag-and-drop editor, basic reporting, automation up to 2,000 contacts. No card to sign up (pricing FAQ)
Substack $0 · iDEAL 80¢; Bancontact 1.4% + 30¢; Sofort 1.4% + 30¢; SEPA Direct 0.8% + 30¢ capped at $6.00; failed / disputed SEPA $10.00
Lowest paid
Brevo Starter $9/mo
Substack Stripe card processing (US cards) $0.30
Next step up
Brevo Standard $18/mo
Substack Custom domain (optional) $50
Runs where
Brevo Hosted
Substack Hosted
Watch out
Brevo Free is 300 emails/day
Substack There is no public Substack Pro seat $
Last checked
Brevo 2026-10-23 · help.brevo.com/hc/en-us/articles
Substack 2026-10-23 · support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles
ops / ecommerce teams who will stay on Free at $0 (300 emails/day, 100,000 contacts) while they open a first Email campaigns list, then Starter at $9/month ($97/yr) when they need 5,000 emails/month — not Standard $18 unless they need unlimited-contact automation, and not Professional $499 unless they need WhatsApp / 10 seats.
Read the Brevo pagewriters who will stay on free publishing (no Substack seat $) while they open a first Posts list, then turn on paid subscriptions when they accept Substack’s 10% of each payment plus Stripe 2.9% + $0.30 — not a $20 chat seat.
Read the Substack page