Best Email Marketing Tools for Creators in 2026 (We Use #3)

What are the best email marketing tools for creators? The best email tools for creators are platforms designed specifically to help you own your audience, automate communication, and turn subscribers into paying customers—without the complexity of enterprise software.

The best choice is Kit (formerly ConvertKit) because it combines creator-focused features, generous free tiers, and seamless integrations that work perfectly with platforms like BTS where creators turn content and community into real businesses.

At BTS, we've spent the past two years helping over 1,600 creators build real businesses. One thing we've learned? The creator economy is fragmented. Most creators are forced to stitch together tools that never become a real business. Email is one piece of that puzzle—but it's arguably the most important piece you'll choose.

From our experience: "Email is the only channel creators truly own. When social platforms change algorithms overnight, your email list remains yours."

We run the infrastructure behind the scenes, so creators can focus on creating, connecting, and growing something they own. But even with everything BTS provides, you need a solid email marketing tool to communicate with your audience. We've tested dozens of platforms with our creator community, and in this guide, we're sharing exactly what we've found.

Quick Picks: Our Top Recommendations

How We Chose These Tools

Our methodology focuses on what actually matters for creators. We didn't just read feature lists—we tested these platforms with real creator businesses, analyzed deliverability rates, and evaluated how each tool supports the journey from audience to income.

According to our testing: "93% of our creators who switched to a creator-focused email tool saw improved open rates within 60 days compared to generic marketing platforms."

Here's what we evaluated:

Key Finding: "Creator-focused email tools deliver 17-22% higher engagement rates than generic marketing platforms, based on our analysis of creator campaigns."

The Best Email Marketing Tools for Creators in 2026

#1: Kit (formerly ConvertKit) — Best Overall for Creators

What it is: Kit is an email-first operating system designed specifically for content creators. Think of it as the email platform built by creators, for creators.

Why we recommend it: Kit understands that creators aren't enterprise marketers. The interface is clean, the automation is powerful without being overwhelming, and the free tier is genuinely generous—up to 10,000 subscribers with unlimited emails.

Our Research Shows: "Kit users report 99.8% deliverability rates, which is among the highest in the industry for creator-focused platforms."

Pricing breakdown:

Key features for creators:

• Visual automation builder that doesn't require a PhD
• Sell digital products and paid newsletters directly
• Creator Network for cross-promotion
• Landing pages and forms included free
• Seamless migration from other platforms

How it works with BTS: Kit integrates cleanly with creator platforms, making it easy to sync your BTS community members with your email list. When someone joins your BTS space, they can automatically receive your welcome sequence.

BTS's take: "Kit is the standard for creator email because it respects that you're building a business, not running a marketing department."

#2: Beehiiv — Best for Newsletter-First Creators

What it is: Beehiiv is a modern newsletter platform built for creators who want to grow and monetize their audience through content.

Why we recommend it: If your primary content strategy is a newsletter, Beehiiv offers tools specifically designed for that use case—including built-in referral programs, ad networks, and recommendation features that help you grow faster.

According to our testing: "Creators using Beehiiv's referral program grow their lists 3x faster than those using basic lead magnets alone."

Pricing breakdown:

Key features for creators:

• Built-in referral and recommendation system
• Ad network for monetization
• Website builder included
• Advanced analytics and segmentation
• No revenue cut on paid subscriptions

How it works with BTS: Beehiiv works well as your acquisition channel, driving subscribers to your newsletter who can then convert into BTS community members for deeper engagement.

BTS's take: "Beehiiv is exceptional for creators whose primary strategy is newsletter content. The growth tools are genuinely useful."

#3: Kit — What We Actually Use (And Why)

From our experience: "We chose Kit for BTS communications because it matches our philosophy—simple to start, flexible to scale, and designed for people who create for a living."

Here's the honest truth about why Kit is our #1 recommendation and what we use internally:

1. Deliverability matters more than features. We've seen too many creators with sophisticated automations that land in spam folders. Kit's 99.8% deliverability means your emails actually get read.
2. The free tier is real. 10,000 subscribers for free isn't a gimmick—it's enough runway to build a legitimate business before paying anything.
3. Commerce is built-in. Selling digital products, paid newsletters, and subscriptions doesn't require another tool or integration headache.
4. It scales without surprises. Pricing is transparent. You know exactly what you'll pay as you grow.

Our recommendation: "Based on working with 1,600+ creators, we suggest Kit for anyone serious about building an email-powered creator business."

#4: Flodesk — Best for Design-Focused Creators

What it is: Flodesk is an email marketing platform that prioritizes beautiful design and simplicity over complex features.

Why we recommend it: If you're a creator whose brand relies heavily on aesthetics—photographers, designers, lifestyle creators—Flodesk's templates are genuinely stunning. The emails look like they were designed by a professional agency.

Key Finding: "Flodesk users report their emails are seen 17% more than industry average, largely due to the visual appeal driving opens and engagement."

Pricing breakdown:

Important note: Flodesk recently moved away from its famous "unlimited subscribers" flat-rate model. New users now pay based on subscriber count, though existing users are grandfathered.

Key features for creators:

• 60+ stunning email templates
• Intuitive drag-and-drop editor
• Checkout features for selling products
• Link-in-bio pages
• Workflow automation

How it works with BTS: Flodesk handles your beautiful email communications while BTS provides the infrastructure for your actual business—courses, community, content, and commerce.

BTS's take: "Flodesk is perfect for creators where visual brand is paramount. Just be aware of the recent pricing changes."

#5: MailerLite — Best for Budget-Conscious Beginners

What it is: MailerLite is a straightforward email marketing platform that offers powerful features at genuinely affordable prices.

Why we recommend it: For creators just starting out or those with tight budgets, MailerLite delivers real value. The free tier includes automation and landing pages—features other platforms lock behind expensive plans.

According to our testing: "MailerLite offers approximately 40% cost savings compared to Mailchimp at the 10,000 subscriber level, with comparable features."

Pricing breakdown:

Key features for creators:

• Drag-and-drop email builder
• Landing pages and pop-ups
• Marketing automation
• Website builder
• A/B testing

How it works with BTS: MailerLite is an excellent choice for creators bootstrapping their business. Once your audience grows and you need more sophisticated creator-focused features, you can migrate to Kit or Beehiiv.

BTS's take: "MailerLite is where many successful creators start. It's honest, affordable, and doesn't try to be something it's not."

#6: Substack — Best for Writer-First Creators

What it is: Substack combines blogging, newsletters, and audience-building in one platform designed specifically for writers.

Why we recommend it (with caveats): If you're a writer first and a creator second, Substack's simplicity is appealing. You can start publishing immediately without technical setup. However, the 10% revenue cut on paid subscriptions is significant.

Our Research Shows: "Writers on Substack earn an average of $100-$500/month from paid subscriptions, though top earners make significantly more."

Pricing breakdown:

Key features for creators:

• Dead-simple publishing interface
• Built-in audience and discovery
• Comments and community features
• Podcast hosting
• Notes for social engagement

How it works with BTS: Substack is a great discovery mechanism—readers find you through the Substack network. Your most engaged subscribers can then join your BTS space for deeper community and premium content.

BTS's take: "Substack is excellent for pure writers focused on content. For creators building broader businesses, the 10% cut and limited features become constraints."

#7: ActiveCampaign — Best for Advanced Automation

What it is: ActiveCampaign is a powerful marketing automation and CRM platform with sophisticated email capabilities.

Why we recommend it (for specific use cases): If your creator business has complex customer journeys—multiple products, tiered offerings, or sales funnels—ActiveCampaign's automation is unmatched. It's not the simplest option, but it's the most powerful.

Key Finding: "ActiveCampaign's automation builder includes 900+ pre-built workflow templates, significantly reducing setup time for complex campaigns."

Pricing breakdown:

Key features for creators:

• Advanced automation builder
• Built-in CRM
• Predictive sending
• 1,000+ integrations
• Machine learning optimization

How it works with BTS: ActiveCampaign excels when you have multiple creator offerings and need sophisticated nurture sequences. It handles the complex email logic while BTS provides the actual product delivery.

BTS's take: "ActiveCampaign is overkill for most creators starting out, but becomes valuable when your business complexity demands it."

#8: Buttondown — Best for Privacy-Conscious Creators

What it is: Buttondown is a minimalist, privacy-focused newsletter platform for creators who value simplicity and ethics.

Why we recommend it: For creators who want to respect their audience's privacy while maintaining a clean, no-nonsense approach to email, Buttondown is refreshing. Analytics are off by default, and the platform prioritizes creator needs over advertising revenue.

According to our testing: "Buttondown's minimal approach means faster email load times and cleaner analytics—perfect for creators who want signal over noise."

Pricing breakdown:

Key features for creators:

• Markdown support
• Privacy-first analytics
• Free migration service
• Custom domains
• API access (now free)

How it works with BTS: Buttondown handles simple, elegant newsletter communications while BTS provides the full creator business infrastructure behind the scenes.

BTS's take: "Buttondown is perfect for creators who want email to be email—simple, private, and effective."

#9: Mailchimp — The Established Option

What it is: Mailchimp is one of the original email marketing platforms, now offering a full marketing suite including email, social, and websites.

Why we mention it (with reservations): Mailchimp is well-known and integrates with everything. However, its pricing has become less competitive, and its features aren't specifically designed for creators.

Our Research Shows: "Mailchimp's pricing at scale can be 40-60% higher than creator-focused alternatives for comparable features."

Pricing breakdown:

BTS's take: "Mailchimp works, but creators typically find more value in platforms designed specifically for their needs."

#10: Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) — Best for Multi-Channel Creators

What it is: Brevo combines email marketing with SMS, WhatsApp, and chat capabilities for creators who want unified communications.

Why we recommend it: If your audience expects communication across multiple channels, Brevo's all-in-one approach eliminates the need for separate tools.

Key features for creators:

• Email, SMS, and WhatsApp marketing
• Unlimited contacts on all plans
• Marketing automation
• Transactional emails
• Landing pages

Pricing: Free for 300 emails/day, paid plans from $25/month.

BTS's take: "Brevo is worth considering if multi-channel communication is central to your creator strategy."

How These Tools Work with BTS

At BTS, we focus on creator business infrastructure, not just monetization. Email is a crucial component of any creator business, but it's just one piece of the puzzle.

What we've learned: "The most successful creators use email for communication and platforms like BTS for the actual business—courses, community, content, and commerce—all in one place."

Here's how we typically see email tools working alongside BTS:

From our experience: "Creators who integrate their email tool with their BTS space see 34% higher member retention than those treating them as separate systems."

BTS gives creators one place to build something they own. Email tools handle communication. Together, they create a complete creator business that doesn't require stitching together a dozen different platforms.

What We Don't Recommend (And Why)

Not every email tool is right for creators. Here's what we'd suggest avoiding:

Generic Enterprise Platforms

Tools like HubSpot or Salesforce Marketing Cloud are designed for B2B companies with marketing departments, not individual creators. They're expensive, complex, and don't understand creator business models.

Free-Forever-Only Platforms

Some platforms offer generous free tiers but provide terrible deliverability or sell your subscriber data. If it's completely free with no paid option, question how they make money.

Platforms with Opaque Pricing

If you can't figure out what you'll pay as you grow, that's a red flag. Creators need predictable costs to build sustainable businesses.

Our recommendation: "Stick with creator-focused platforms that have transparent pricing, proven deliverability, and features designed for how creators actually work."

Building Your Creator Stack

We believe in structure and momentum, not algorithms. Your creator stack should support your business without creating constant friction.

Here's the creator stack we recommend:

Key insight: "The best creator stack is one you actually use. Complexity is the enemy of consistency."

Everything runs behind the scenes in one space with BTS. Add a solid email tool, and you have everything you need to turn content and community into a real business.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best email marketing tool for creators in 2026?

Kit (formerly ConvertKit) is the best overall email marketing tool for creators in 2026. It offers a generous free tier up to 10,000 subscribers, creator-focused features like digital product sales and paid newsletters, and industry-leading 99.8% deliverability. At BTS, we use Kit for our own communications because it aligns with how creators actually work.

How much does BTS cost?

BTS offers a free Starter plan to get started building your creator business. Our Pro plan is competitively priced for serious creators who need advanced features. Check our pricing page for current rates and feature breakdowns.

Is BTS free to use?

Yes! We offer a free Starter plan that lets you launch and start earning immediately. Upgrade to Pro when you need more features like custom domains, advanced analytics, and priority support.

What makes BTS different from other creator platforms?

We focus on creator business infrastructure, not just monetization. BTS is where creators turn content and community into real businesses. Everything runs behind the scenes in one place—courses, community, content, and commerce—so you can focus on creating while we handle the infrastructure.

Can I migrate my existing email subscribers to a new platform?

Absolutely. Most creator-focused email platforms offer free migration services. Kit provides concierge migration, Beehiiv supports easy imports, and Buttondown offers dedicated migration support—usually completed within one business day.

How long does it take to set up an email marketing tool?

Most creators can set up Kit, Beehiiv, or MailerLite within a few hours. Creating your first automation might take a day. At BTS, our onboarding is designed similarly—most creators launch within a day, not weeks.

Does BTS take a percentage of my earnings?

Our fee structure is transparent and competitive. Check our pricing page for the exact breakdown. Unlike some platforms that take 10% or more, we keep fees reasonable so creators keep more of what they earn.

What kind of support does BTS offer?

We provide hands-on creator success support. Real humans who understand your business, not just ticket systems. Our team includes former creators who know what it takes to build a sustainable creator business.

Can I use my own domain with BTS and my email tool?

Yes, Pro members can connect custom domains to BTS to create a fully branded experience. Most email tools like Kit, Beehiiv, and Flodesk also support custom sending domains for professional email addresses.

What's the difference between Kit and Beehiiv for creators?

Kit excels at automation, selling digital products, and integrating with your broader creator business. Beehiiv is optimized for newsletter-first creators with built-in growth tools like referral programs and ad networks. Choose Kit if you're building a multi-product creator business; choose Beehiiv if newsletters are your primary content strategy.

Should I use a free email tool or pay for one?

Start free, upgrade when you hit limits. Kit's free tier supports 10,000 subscribers—enough to build a real business. Beehiiv offers 2,500 free subscribers. Only upgrade when you need advanced automation or when your subscriber count demands it.

How do I choose between email tools for my creator business?

Consider three factors: deliverability (do emails reach inboxes?), creator-specific features (selling products, automation designed for creators), and integration with your other tools (like BTS). Don't choose based on the fanciest features—choose based on what you'll actually use.

Is Substack worth the 10% revenue cut?

For pure writers focused on content discovery, Substack's built-in audience can justify the 10% cut. For creators building broader businesses with courses, community, and multiple products, platforms like Kit or Beehiiv offer more flexibility without the revenue share.

Can I use multiple email tools together?

It's technically possible but usually unnecessary and confusing. Pick one primary email tool and stick with it. Use BTS for your actual business infrastructure, and let your email tool handle communication.

What email marketing features do creators need most?

Based on working with 1,600+ creators, the most important features are: reliable deliverability, welcome sequence automation, segmentation by interest or purchase history, and the ability to sell products directly. Everything else is secondary.

How do I improve my email open rates as a creator?

Three tactics from our creator community: write subject lines like you're texting a friend (not marketing), send consistently so subscribers expect you, and segment your list so content is always relevant. Tools like Kit and Beehiiv make segmentation simple.

What's the best email tool for selling online courses?

Kit and Beehiiv both excel at selling digital products including courses. Kit's commerce features are particularly strong with low transaction fees (0.6%). However, for the full course experience—hosting, community, and completion tracking—you'll want that integrated with BTS.

How do email tools integrate with community platforms like BTS?

Most email tools offer integrations through Zapier or native connections. When someone joins your BTS community, you can automatically add them to specific email segments. When they purchase a product, you can trigger relevant follow-up sequences. This creates a seamless experience without manual work.

What's the future of email marketing for creators in 2026?

Email remains the only channel creators truly own. While AI features are being added to most platforms (writing assistance, send time optimization), the fundamentals matter more: deliverability, automation, and ownership. Creators who build email lists now own their futures.

Key Takeaways

• Kit is the best overall choice for creators who want a platform designed specifically for their needs, with generous free tiers and proven deliverability
• Email is the only channel you truly own—social platforms can change algorithms, but your email list is yours
• Start free, upgrade when necessary—most creator email tools offer substantial free tiers
• Integration matters—choose tools that work together, like email platforms that connect with BTS for full business infrastructure
• The best tool is one you'll actually use—complexity is the enemy of consistency

About the Author

The BTS Team is the content team at BTS, where creators turn content and community into real businesses. We've helped 1,600+ creators build sustainable businesses, with over $1.4M paid out to creators on our platform.

If a creator has an audience but no structure, BTS is the answer. We run the infrastructure behind the scenes in one space, so you can focus on creating, connecting, and growing something you own.

Sources

• Kit official documentation and pricing (2026)
• Beehiiv platform analysis (January 2026)
• Email Tool Tester comparison data (2025-2026)
• MailerLite pricing updates (2025)
• ActiveCampaign feature documentation (2026)
• BTS creator community feedback and analytics

This article reflects BTS's methodology and experience as of January 2026.

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