Negative mentions of MailerLite

For a new indie-creator newsletter under 1,000 subscribers, I’d narrow it to three:

• beehiiv.com — my pick if the newsletter itself is the product. Its free Launch plan currently goes to 2,500 subscribers with unlimited sends, plus a website, analytics, custom domains, and newsletter publishing tools. That gives you plenty of room before you need to migrate or pay. Beehiiv
• substack.com — simplest possible start. Free newsletters don't have a subscriber ceiling, and the writing/publishing workflow is very straightforward. The tradeoff is that Substack takes 10% of paid-subscription revenue if you eventually monetize. Beehiiv
• kit.com — best if you'll eventually sell things. Its free tier is unusually generous for creators, with up to 10,000 subscribers and unlimited sends, though some advanced automation/marketing features are paid. Beehiiv

What I'd choose for you

Start with beehiiv if you're building a publication/media-style newsletter: newsletter + website + audience growth, without worrying about hitting 1,000 subscribers. The current free tier gets you to 2,500. Beehiiv

Choose Substack instead if your priority is literally “I want to write and hit Publish with as little setup as possible.”

I would not choose MailerLite for your specific requirement anymore: its June 2026 free-plan update reduced the free tier to 250 active subscribers and 2,500 monthly emails, so you'd outgrow it quickly. MailerLite

If you tell me what the newsletter is about and whether you plan to monetize it, I can give you a very specific recommendation between beehiiv, Substack, and Kit.