ChatGPT answers, unedited

For your specific setup, I’d recommend Ghost.

Ghost is unusually well suited to an indie publication because it combines a real publication website, newsletter delivery, memberships/paywalls, and embeddable signup/payment UI without requiring much custom development.

Why Ghost fits

• Paywalls are native. You can mark content as public, members-only, paid-members-only, or restricted to particular paid tiers. The gating happens server-side rather than being a superficial front-end overlay. docs.ghost.org
• Simple embeds. Ghost's Portal membership UI is embeddable/customizable, and you can use links or attributes to trigger signup and checkout. docs.ghost.org
• Good publication website. Unlike newsletter-first products, Ghost gives you a proper CMS/site alongside the email newsletter. It also has a Content API if you eventually want to put content somewhere custom. ghost.org
• You keep the subscription revenue. Ghost's Publisher plan charges 0% transaction fees (Stripe processing still applies). Current Ghost(Pro) Publisher pricing is $29/month when billed annually. ghost.org
• Multiple paid tiers. Useful if you eventually want, say, $8/month for digital access and $15/month for a supporter tier. ghost.org

How I'd rank the alternatives

beehiiv is the one I'd investigate alongside Ghost. Its free Launch tier supports up to 2,500 subscribers, while paid subscriptions and 0% subscription revenue share are on Scale and above. It's particularly strong if audience growth, referrals, advertising and newsletter analytics matter more than having a sophisticated publication website. www.beehiiv.com

For an indie publication with limited dev resources, though, I'd choose Ghost if your website and paywalled journalism are the core product. You can launch with its hosted service rather than taking on the maintenance burden of self-hosting.

Ghost pricing

If you tell me roughly subscriber count + whether you already have a WordPress/custom site + whether the paywall needs to cover the whole site or just certain articles, I can narrow this down to the cheapest/simplest architecture.

For an indie publication with limited development resources, I’d recommend Ghost—specifically Ghost(Pro)—over Substack or beehiiv.

My pick: Ghost

ghost.org is unusually well matched to a publication because it combines CMS + website + newsletter + memberships/paywalls rather than treating the newsletter as a separate product.

• Paywalled content: Native paid memberships, multiple tiers, and content-access controls. Payments run through Stripe, and Ghost takes 0% of subscription revenue. Ghost Ghost
• Simple embeds: Ghost provides embeddable signup forms that you can drop into an existing site without building your own membership UI. Ghost
• Low dev burden: You can use Ghost as the publication site itself, or keep your existing site and use Ghost for publishing/membership.
• Good publication ownership: Ghost is open source and supports custom domains and a Content API, so you're not as locked into a proprietary publishing ecosystem. Ghost Ghost
• Economics: Ghost(Pro) currently starts at $18/month for Starter, while the Publisher plan adds paid subscriptions and custom themes. Ghost

How I'd rank the alternatives

beehiiv is the strongest runner-up. It has native paid subscriptions with paywalls and customizable tiers, plus very straightforward external signup embeds. Beehiiv Beehiiv I'd choose it if your existing website is staying in place and the newsletter itself is the primary product.

Substack is the "do almost nothing technically" choice, but its 10% revenue share becomes increasingly painful as a publication grows. TierGauge

Bottom line: If you're building an independent publication rather than simply a newsletter, I'd go Ghost. It gives you the cleanest combination of paywall + website + newsletter + ownership without requiring a developer to maintain the stack.

If you tell me what your current site is built on (WordPress, Webflow, custom, Squarespace, etc.) and roughly how many subscribers you have, I can narrow this down to the cheapest/easiest setup for your particular situation.

For an indie publication with limited dev resources, I’d recommend Ghost—specifically Ghost(Pro)’s Publisher plan.

My ranking

Why Ghost is my pick: it’s unusually well suited to a publication that wants the newsletter and the website to feel like one product. Ghost has native memberships, paid tiers, newsletters, and server-side content gating, so you aren't stitching together a CMS + membership plugin + payment system. docs.ghost.org

The particularly useful bit for your situation is Portal, Ghost's embeddable membership UI. You can put signup/checkout flows into an existing site, while Ghost also provides a Content API if you eventually want more sophisticated integration. docs.ghost.orgghost.org

Ghost(Pro) Publisher is currently $29/month when billed annually, includes paid subscriptions, custom themes, and 1,000 members; Ghost takes 0% transaction fees beyond Stripe's processing fees. docs.ghost.orgghost.org

When I'd choose the others

Substack is the easiest if you essentially want “launch a paid newsletter tomorrow and don't touch code.” It has very polished paywalling and content-access controls. substack.com The downside for an established publication is that you're more tightly tied to Substack's publication environment, rather than making your own site the center of the operation.

beehiiv is my second choice if audience growth and newsletter business features are more important than having a deeply integrated publication website. Its Scale plan currently includes paid subscriptions with a 0% platform take, website tools, automations, analytics, and growth features. substack.comwww.beehiiv.com

Bottom line

If your requirements are literally:

small dev team + publication website + newsletter + paid content + simple embeds

I'd go Ghost.

If you tell me what your existing site is built on (WordPress, custom, Webflow, etc.) and roughly how many subscribers you have, I can tell you which setup would require the least engineering work and what I'd actually implement.

For an indie publication with limited dev resources, I’d recommend Ghost—specifically Ghost(Pro) if you don’t want to maintain infrastructure.

Ghost

Why Ghost fits your use case

• Real paywalled publishing: You can make individual posts public, members-only, or paid-members-only, with the content protected server-side. docs.ghost.orgwww.beehiiv.comsupport.substack.com
• Newsletter + website in one: You aren't bolting a newsletter system onto your CMS; publishing, email newsletters, memberships, and subscriptions are integrated.
• Good for a publication site: Ghost gives you a proper publication website and custom domain rather than making the newsletter itself the entire product.
• Simple embeds: Ghost has a built-in editor and supports embeds, plus its Portal membership UI is embeddable/customizable. docs.ghost.org
• You keep the subscription revenue: Ghost doesn't take a platform commission; payments run through your Stripe account. ghost.org
• Low developer burden: Ghost(Pro)'s Publisher plan is currently $29/month billed annually and includes paid subscriptions, custom themes, analytics, and integrations. ghost.org

How I'd rank the alternatives

beehiiv is the strongest alternative I'd investigate. It supports metered paywalls and paid-only posts, and its paid plans don't take a percentage of subscription revenue. www.beehiiv.com

Substack wins on simplicity: you can turn on paid subscriptions and connect Stripe with very little technical work. But the ongoing 10% revenue share becomes significant once subscriptions are meaningful. support.substack.com

My recommendation

If your model is “publication website + free newsletter + some articles behind a paywall”, choose Ghost.

If it's “newsletter first, website second, and we want aggressive subscriber growth”, choose beehiiv.

I would not choose Substack for an established indie publication unless its discovery/network effects are particularly valuable to you—the 10% cut is hard to justify once you have substantial recurring subscription revenue. www.sasanova.com

If you tell me roughly your current subscriber count, expected paid conversion, and whether you already have a website/CMS, I can give you a concrete Ghost vs. beehiiv recommendation and estimate the annual cost.

For your specific setup, I’d pick Ghost.

Ghost is unusually well matched to an indie publication because it treats the website, newsletter, membership system, and paywall as one publishing stack, rather than bolting paid subscriptions onto an email tool.

My ranking

Why Ghost gets my vote: it lets you restrict individual posts or sections to members, offer multiple paid tiers, and process subscriptions through Stripe without Ghost taking a transaction cut. ghost.org

The embedding side is particularly attractive for a small dev team: Ghost provides copy/paste embeddable signup forms that can live on any website, including your existing publication site. ghost.org It also has a Content API if you eventually want to build a more customized frontend without abandoning Ghost as the publishing backend. ghost.org

Ghost vs. beehiiv

I'd choose Ghost if your publication already has a website. You can make Ghost the content/membership backend while keeping a relatively simple editorial site around it.

I'd choose beehiiv if the newsletter itself is the primary product. Its paid subscriptions include multiple tiers and paywalls, including metered paywalls, and its Website Builder has native subscription/signup components. www.beehiiv.com

The important distinction is:

• Ghost: publication with a newsletter attached
• beehiiv: newsletter business with a website attached

For an indie publication, I think the former is the better long-term architecture.

One caveat: Ghost's current managed hosting starts at $18/month billed annually, while paid subscriptions are on the Publisher tier at $29/month billed annually. ghost.org That's still pretty inexpensive compared with giving away 10% of subscription revenue indefinitely to a platform like Substack. tiergauge.com

Bottom line: Ghost, unless your publication is overwhelmingly newsletter-first. If you tell me roughly subscriber count, whether you already have a website/CMS, and whether the paywall needs to protect the website articles themselves, I can narrow this down to the cheapest sensible setup.

For an indie publication with limited dev resources, I’d recommend Ghost—specifically Ghost(Pro).

My pick: Ghost

It hits your three requirements unusually well:

• Paywalled content: Built-in memberships, paid tiers, and Stripe payments. Ghost takes no transaction commission; you pay Stripe's processing fees. ghost.orgghost.org
• Simple site embeds: Ghost provides copy/paste embeddable signup forms that can be dropped onto an existing site without custom development. ghost.org
• Actual publication website: Unlike a newsletter-first service, Ghost gives you a proper customizable publication site, with the newsletter and paywall integrated into it.
• Low technical burden: Ghost(Pro) handles hosting and infrastructure for you. The Publisher plan is currently $29/month when billed yearly, and includes paid subscriptions and custom themes. ghost.orgghost.org
• Good long-term economics: If paid subscriptions become meaningful revenue, avoiding a percentage-of-revenue platform fee becomes increasingly valuable.

How I'd rank the alternatives

beehiiv is particularly compelling if your publication is fundamentally a newsletter rather than a website. It now supports paid tiers, metered paywalls, and custom paywalls. www.beehiiv.com

Substack wins on sheer simplicity and has both paid-post paywalls and embeddable posts. support.substack.com But you're more dependent on Substack's ecosystem, and the platform takes a percentage of paid subscription revenue.

Bottom line: If your existing site matters and you want the newsletter/paywall to become part of your publication rather than moving the publication into a newsletter platform, I'd choose Ghost. If you tell me what your current site is built on (WordPress, Webflow, custom, etc.) and roughly how many subscribers you have, I can tell you whether Ghost or beehiiv would be the less painful migration.

For an indie publication with limited dev resources, I’d recommend Ghost first.

My ranking

Why Ghost: it combines a CMS, newsletter, memberships, and paywalls rather than treating the newsletter as a separate product. Its Publisher plan currently includes paid subscriptions, custom themes, analytics and integrations; Ghost also takes 0% of subscription revenue beyond Stripe's processing fees. ghost.org

That's particularly attractive for a publication because you can make your website itself the canonical home for articles, with free/paid access controlled through Ghost. You aren't forced to send readers somewhere else to consume the paid content.

Buttondown is the sleeper pick if you already have a website and don't want to migrate your CMS. It supports paid tiers, paywalled portions of emails, Stripe, and simple HTML/iFrame embeds. docs.buttondown.com It's probably the least painful option for a tiny editorial/dev team.

beehiiv is compelling if audience growth is a major priority. It has native paywalls, multiple subscription tiers, and currently advertises 0% platform fees on paid subscriptions; its Scale plan is $43/month when billed annually. www.beehiiv.com

I'd put Substack fourth for your use case. It's extremely easy and has paid subscriptions plus post embeds, but I'd prefer Ghost or Buttondown for an independent publication that wants more control over its own site and reader relationship. Substack currently supports monthly, yearly and founding-member paid plans and provides embed code for posts. support.substack.com

The decision I'd make

• Starting from scratch / willing to let the platform host the publication: Ghost
• Already have a WordPress/custom site and just need newsletter + paywall: Buttondown
• Newsletter growth, recommendations, ads, and acquisition are central: beehiiv
• “We need this live tomorrow and don't care much about platform dependence”: Substack

For your specific description—indie publication + limited dev + paywall + simple embeds—I'd lean Ghost if you're willing to make it your publishing CMS, Buttondown if your existing site is staying put.

For an indie publication with limited dev resources, I’d recommend Ghost first, with beehiiv as the main alternative.

My pick: Ghost

Ghost is unusually well suited to a publication that wants the website and newsletter to be one product rather than bolting a paywall onto a separate site.

• Built-in paid memberships/paywalls: Ghost supports paid tiers, exclusive content, and recurring subscriptions through Stripe. Ghost takes 0% of subscription revenue (Stripe fees still apply). ghost.orgghost.org
• Easy site embeds: You can create customizable signup forms and embed them anywhere on your existing site, so you don't need much engineering to add newsletter acquisition. ghost.org
• Good publishing CMS: You get a proper publication site, not just a newsletter archive.
• Ownership/control: It's open source, supports custom domains, and gives you a Content API if you eventually want a more custom frontend. ghost.org
• Reasonable managed-hosting cost: Ghost(Pro)'s Publisher plan is currently $29/month billed annually, and includes paid subscriptions, custom themes, integrations, and up to 1,000 members. ghost.org

The big advantage for you is that you don't need developers to maintain the basic publishing/paywall infrastructure.

When I'd choose beehiiv instead

beehiiv is probably the better choice if newsletter growth and monetization are more important than having a sophisticated publication website.

It has native paid subscriptions, full/partial paywalls, metered access, multiple tiers, trials and discounts. www.beehiiv.com It also has customizable website/signup components, including forms that can be used on external sites. www.beehiiv.com

I'd lean beehiiv if you're thinking:

"Our newsletter is the product, and the website is mostly a supporting storefront."

I'd lean Ghost if you're thinking:

"We're a publication with a website, newsletter, archive, and paid membership."

What I'd avoid for your use case

Substack is the easiest to launch, but I'd put it third. Its simplicity and built-in discovery are attractive, but you're more constrained by the platform, and its 10% cut of paid subscription revenue becomes meaningful as a publication grows. www.sasanova.com

Bottom line

For your exact description, I'd choose Ghost. It gives you the strongest combination of paywalled editorial content + newsletter + embeddable signup + independent publication site without requiring a custom development project. ghost.orgghost.org

If you tell me (1) roughly how many subscribers you have, (2) whether you already have a WordPress/custom site, and (3) whether the newsletter or website is the primary product, I can narrow it down to the cheapest/simplest option for your situation.

For an indie publication with limited dev resources, I’d recommend Ghost—specifically Ghost(Pro) rather than self-hosting.

Why Ghost is the best fit

• Paywalls are native. You can make content public, members-only, paid-members-only, or restrict it to specific subscription tiers. The gating happens server-side, rather than relying on a superficial JavaScript paywall. docs.ghost.org
• Newsletter + website are one system. You don't have to stitch together a CMS, email platform, and membership service.
• Simple embeds are genuinely simple. Ghost provides embeddable signup forms that you can drop onto an existing site, including branded or minimal versions. ghost.org
• Payments use your Stripe account, and Ghost says it takes 0% of subscription revenue. ghost.orgsupport.substack.com
• Good ownership story for an indie publication. You can export members and content rather than building your business entirely inside a social/newsletter network. docs.ghost.orgghost.orgbeehiivhelp.zendesk.com

How I'd rank the alternatives

beehiiv is particularly worth considering if your publication is primarily a newsletter and you care more about growth/monetization tooling than making your publication's website the centerpiece. It has paywall controls and embeddable signup forms. beehiivhelp.zendesk.com

I'd put Substack third for your use case. It's by far the easiest way to get a paid newsletter running, but it takes 10% of paid subscription revenue, whereas Ghost doesn't take a transaction cut. ghost.orgsupport.substack.com

Bottom line: If you're building a publication that happens to have a newsletter, choose Ghost. If you're building a newsletter that happens to have a website, choose beehiiv.

If you tell me roughly how many subscribers you have now and whether your existing site is WordPress/custom/etc., I can narrow this down to the cheapest/lowest-maintenance setup.

For an indie publication with limited dev resources, I’d shortlist Ghost, beehiiv, and Buttondown—but my recommendation is Ghost if your website itself is important.

My pick: Ghost

Ghost is the best fit if you want a real publication site + newsletter + paywall without building the membership infrastructure yourself.

• Paid subscriptions: built in, with Stripe handling payments.
• Paywalled content: readers can have different access levels, including multiple paid tiers.
• Simple site: Ghost gives you the publication site, newsletter archives, member accounts, and subscription flows in one system.
• Embeds/integrations: it supports thousands of integrations and has a Content API if you eventually need something more custom.
• No platform transaction fee: you pay Stripe's processing fees, but Ghost doesn't take a percentage of subscription revenue.
• Cost: the Publisher plan is currently $29/month when billed annually, and includes paid subscriptions and custom themes. ghost.orgdocs.buttondown.com

For an indie publication, that's a particularly attractive tradeoff: you're buying a mature publishing CMS rather than having your developers stitch together a newsletter provider, paywall, authentication, and payments.

How I'd rank the alternatives

beehiiv is my #2. Its free Launch tier supports up to 2,500 subscribers, newsletters, a website, custom domains, and unlimited sends; the Scale plan adds paid subscriptions with 0% platform take, currently $43/month when billed annually. www.beehiiv.com Its website builder also has subscription/pricing blocks you can put on site pages. beehiivhelp.zendesk.com I'd choose it over Ghost if audience growth and newsletter monetization are more important than having a highly customizable publication site.

Buttondown is compelling if you really mean limited dev resources and want to keep things extremely simple. Paid subscriptions are Stripe-powered and support free/paid tiers, and Buttondown has paywall/premium-content functionality. docs.buttondown.com Its pricing is modular, though: paid subscriptions are currently a $9/month add-on, on top of the base service. marketing.buttondown.email

Substack wins on absolute ease of launch, but I'd hesitate for an established indie publication. It's free to publish, but Substack takes 10% of every paid transaction, on top of Stripe fees. support.substack.com That can become a meaningful expense once you have a substantial paid readership.

Bottom line:
If you're building a publication that you want to own and make look like your publication, pick Ghost. If you're primarily building a newsletter business with a lightweight web presence, pick beehiiv. If you tell me roughly subscriber count, whether you already have a WordPress/custom site, and whether the paywall needs to cover web articles, email, or both, I can narrow it to one.

For an indie publication with limited dev resources, I’d recommend Ghost.

My pick: Ghost

It’s unusually well matched to your three requirements:

• Paywalls: Native paid memberships, multiple subscription tiers, trials, and premium content. Payments run through your own Stripe account, and Ghost takes 0% transaction fees. ghost.org
• Simple embeds: Ghost provides embeddable signup forms/Portal, so you can put newsletter signup experiences on an existing site without building the membership machinery yourself. ghost.org
• Publication-first: It combines your website, CMS, memberships, paywalled articles, and email newsletter rather than making you stitch together several services. ghost.org
• Good economics as you grow: The current Ghost(Pro) Publisher plan is listed at $29/month when billed yearly, with paid subscriptions included. ghost.org

How I'd rank the alternatives

beehiiv is the strongest alternative. It has paid tiers, full or metered paywalls, and 0% platform fees on paid subscriptions; its Scale plan currently starts at $43/month billed annually. www.beehiiv.com It's particularly attractive if your business is fundamentally a newsletter that happens to have a website.

I'd choose Ghost if you're a publication that happens to have a newsletter. That distinction matters: Ghost gives you much more control over the publication itself, while still handling the newsletter and subscription infrastructure.

Substack wins on sheer ease and ecosystem, and it now supports embedding posts/Notes on external sites. support.substack.com But for an independent publication that wants its own branded web presence and more control over the business, I'd put it third.

Bottom line: Start with Ghost Publisher unless your primary growth strategy is newsletter-native discovery/monetization, in which case I'd seriously consider beehiiv.

If you tell me (1) what your existing site is built on (WordPress, custom, Webflow, etc.), (2) roughly how many subscribers you have, and (3) whether the paywall needs to protect the articles on your existing site, I can narrow this down to the lowest-effort setup.

For an indie publication with limited dev resources, I’d recommend Ghost—specifically Ghost(Pro)—over Substack or beehiiv.

My pick: Ghost

Ghost is the best fit if you already have (or want) a real publication website rather than simply a newsletter landing page.

• Paywalls are native: you can make posts public, members-only, paid-members-only, or restricted to specific tiers. The gating happens server-side, so it isn't just a superficial “blurred text” paywall. docs.ghost.org
• Easy site integration: Ghost has embeddable signup forms and its Portal membership UI can be dropped into a site without building your own subscription flow. docs.ghost.org
• You don't need a separate payments system: Ghost connects directly to Stripe and charges 0% transaction fees itself. docs.ghost.org
• Good for a publication: you get the website, CMS, newsletter sending, memberships and paid content in one system, rather than stitching together a newsletter provider and a separate paywall.
• Reasonable starting point: Ghost(Pro)'s Publisher plan is currently $29/month when billed annually and includes paid subscriptions, custom themes and 1,000 members. ghost.org

How I'd rank the alternatives

Substack is the easiest if you're willing to essentially make Substack your publication site. It has excellent paid subscriptions and a very strong built-in discovery/growth network, but it's less compelling if your priority is embedding the membership experience into an existing branded site. substack.com

beehiiv is worth considering if newsletter growth, referrals, segmentation and marketing tools are more important than having a deeply integrated publication CMS. It supports paywalls and customizable embedded signup forms for external websites. beehiivhelp.zendesk.com

Bottom line: If your architecture is roughly “we have a site and want to add newsletters + registration + paid articles without hiring a developer,” choose Ghost. If it's “we just want to launch a paid newsletter as quickly as possible,” choose Substack.

If you tell me what your current site is built on (WordPress, custom React, Webflow, etc.), I can narrow this down considerably and tell you exactly how much integration work each would require.

For an indie publication with limited dev resources, I’d recommend Ghost—specifically Ghost(Pro)—over Substack or beehiiv.

Why Ghost fits your use case

• Paywalls are native. You can make individual posts free, members-only, paid-members-only, or restricted to particular paid tiers. The protection happens server-side rather than merely hiding content in the browser. docs.ghost.org
• Embeds are straightforward. Ghost has embeddable signup forms, and its membership “Portal” can be dropped into a customized site without building your own authentication/payment UI. docs.ghost.org
• It works as a publication CMS, not just a newsletter tool. You get the website, newsletter, memberships, and paywalled editorial content in one system.
• You keep the economics. Ghost charges 0% platform transaction fees; payments run through Stripe. docs.ghost.orgghost.orgbeehiivhelp.zendesk.com
• You can migrate later. Ghost supports member import/export, so you're not particularly locked in. ghost.org

Ghost(Pro)'s current pricing starts at $18/month billed annually for Starter, while the Publisher plan is $29/month billed annually and adds paid subscriptions, custom themes, multiple staff users, and advanced analytics. ghost.org

How I'd rank the alternatives

beehiiv is particularly compelling if your existing site is already built and you primarily need a newsletter/paywall layer. It supports paywalled posts and customizable embedded signup forms for external websites. beehiivhelp.zendesk.com

I'd choose Substack only if minimizing development and operational overhead matters more than having your own publication infrastructure; its big advantage is the built-in network/discovery ecosystem, while the tradeoff is giving up 10% of paid-subscription revenue. fieldwork.news

Bottom line: If you're building a small publication rather than simply launching a newsletter, Ghost is the one I'd pick. It gives you the closest thing to a lightweight, publication-grade stack without needing a developer to build memberships and paywalls from scratch. docs.ghost.orgghost.orgbeehiivhelp.zendesk.com

Ghost pricing and plans

For an indie publication with limited dev resources, I’d usually recommend Ghost first, with beehiiv as the runner-up. The deciding factor is whether your newsletter is primarily a publication website or an email growth machine. publishinghouse.org

My recommendation: Ghost (especially Ghost(Pro))

Best fit: a magazine-style indie publication that wants:

• paywalled articles
• a simple website
• newsletter publishing
• custom branding
• minimal engineering

Why it fits:

• Built-in memberships and paid tiers
• Articles can be gated by membership level
• Your site and newsletter live together
• Good SEO/control over your publication identity
• No platform revenue cut on paid memberships (you still pay payment processing fees) publishinghouse.org

The main downside: it does not have a strong built-in discovery network. You’ll need to grow through your own audience, SEO, partnerships, and social channels. publishinghouse.org

Strong alternative: beehiiv

Best fit: a newsletter-first business focused on subscriber growth.

Choose it if you care more about:

• referral programs
• growth analytics
• sponsorship/ad monetization
• email acquisition workflows

It is less “digital magazine” and more “newsletter operation.” publishinghouse.org

I would be cautious with Substack for your use case

Substack is excellent if you want to launch quickly and benefit from its reader network. But for an indie publication building a durable brand, the tradeoff is that it is less customizable and takes a percentage of paid subscription revenue. publishinghouse.org

Quick decision table

For your exact description — indie publication + limited dev resources + paywall + simple embeds — I’d start with Ghost(Pro). It gets you closest to a small publisher stack without needing a developer to maintain a CMS/paywall/email system. publishinghouse.org

One question would change the recommendation: do you already have a website (WordPress/custom/etc.) that you need to keep, or are you willing to make the newsletter platform your main site?