An email newsletter is a great way to keep your site visitors engaged and informed about new content, sales, and events. If you made your website with WordPress, you can build an email list, create newsletters, and schedule and send them — all you need is the best WordPress newsletter plugin for your specific situation.
There are different types of WordPress newsletter plugins. Some are standalone tools that handle everything for you. Others are designed to integrate with a separate email marketing service or email-sending service to help you more easily integrate your newsletter into WordPress.
In this post, I‘ll cover the 15 best WordPress newsletter plugins for both approaches, making sure to note which approach each plugin uses. I’ll also go over their features, pros and cons, and pricing so you can pick the best plugin for your site.
Best WordPress Newsletter Plugins
- HubSpot WordPress Plugin
- Newsletter
- MailPoet
- Newsletter Glue
- Icegram Express
- AcyMailing
- Mailster
- OptinMonster
- MC4WP
- MailOptin
- Newspack Newsletters
- Newsletters
- Brevo
- weMail
- Creative Mail
1. HubSpot WordPress Plugin
Why I like it: HubSpot offers a full-powered customer relationship manager (CRM), which gives you more insights into your newsletters subscribers than other tools.
With the HubSpot WordPress plugin, you can create clean and responsive newsletter emails in an intuitive drag-and-drop editor.
Thanks to its integration with HubSpot’s CRM, you can also include personalized content and subject lines based on your subscribers’ known contact properties and create segmented lists for your email campaigns.
While HubSpot is technically a standalone SaaS tool, the free HubSpot WordPress plugin lets you do a lot of things without leaving your WordPress dashboard. This can be helpful for people who want to manage everything from one spot, while still having access to the power of a full-service CRM.
Pros
- Most features work inside WordPress thanks to the HubSpot WordPress plugin
- Comes with 20+ pre-designed email templates
- Has its own email-sending service, which means you can be confident that your newsletter emails will make it to your subscribers' inboxes
- Built-in reporting tools
Cons
- If you don't want a CRM, HubSpot might offer more features than you want
Pricing: Free
2. Newsletter
Why I like it: With no limits on the number of newsletter subscribers or emails, Newsletter can offer good value for people who want a plugin that lets them manage everything from WordPress.
True to its name, Newsletter is a popular WordPress newsletter plugin that lets you manage all aspects of your newsletter without leaving your WordPress dashboard.
You can create emails using the drag-and-drop composer, build lists, and schedule and track emails out-of-the-box.
The free version lets you manually send out emails to unlimited subscribers, while the premium version adds support for automations such as sending a digest of your latest blog posts or setting up autoresponders.
However, one downside of Newsletter that I noticed is that it doesn‘t include a built-in email-sending service. Instead, you’ll need to use its integrations to set up a dedicated SMTP sending service like SendGrid or Amazon SES.
It's not too complex, but non-technical users might be happier with a tool that has its own sending service, such as HubSpot or MailPoet (the next option on our list).
Pros
- Lets you manage everything from inside WordPress
- No limits on subscribers or emails sent, even with the free version
- Uses a modular, add-on-based approach that lets you keep things lightweight
- Design newsletter emails using a visual builder
Cons
- Doesn't have its own email-sending service — need to set up a third-party SMTP service
- Need to purchase the premium version to automate your newsletter
- You can‘t edit text directly on the visual preview — you have to use separate settings fields (not a big deal, but it’s not quite as user-friendly as some other plugins)
Pricing: Free version is available. Premium version offers plans for $99 for individuals and $269 for agencies.
3. MailPoet
Why I like it: MailPoet offers all the features that most newsletters need in a package that lets you manage everything without leaving your WordPress dashboard. It also includes its own built-in email-sending service, which means that you don't need to mess around with setting up a third-party SMTP service.
MailPoet is one of the best newsletter plugins for WordPress. You can create and customize emails using the drag-and-drop editor, track their performance, and build and segment lists.
You can manually send your newsletters or automatically send emails whenever you publish a new blog post (or both!).
One of my favorite things about MailPoet is that it also includes its own built-in email-sending service. This means that you can be confident your newsletters will make it to your subscribers without needing to set up a third-party email-sending service.
If you want to go beyond just a basic newsletter, it can also help you set up other types of more complex automations.
Pros
- Manage all aspects of your newsletter without leaving your WordPress dashboard
- Lets you automatically send a digest of your recent blog posts, in addition to manually sending emails
- Has its own built-in email-sending service to ensure reliable sending
- All premium plans let you send unlimited emails per month, which is good value for high-volume newsletters
- Includes special WooCommerce features for online stores
Cons
- Free version includes MailPoet branding in footer (removed on all paid plans)
- Price curve steepens as subscriber list grows
Pricing: Free version that lets you have 1,000 subscribers and send 5,000 emails per month. Premium plans start at $10 for 500 subscribers and go up from there based on the number of subscribers you have. All paid plans support unlimited email sending.
4. Newsletter Glue
Why I like it: It lets you send blog posts directly to email subscribers, much like how Substack works. In my experience, most other WordPress newsletter plugins don't offer this type of functionality.
Image Source
Newsletter Glue is a fairly unique WordPress newsletter plugin that lets you cross-publish your blog posts both on your website and directly to your email subscribers. It's one of the best options out there if you want to turn your WordPress site into more of a Substack-like experience.
Newsletter Glue's approach also means that you can control the content of your newsletter using the native WordPress block editor, which I think some people might find convenient. Newsletter Glue also adds some custom blocks to help you do that more efficiently.
If you don‘t want to publish a certain newsletter on your site, you can also create email-only content via a separate area. Even if you’re creating email-only content, you'll still be able to use the block editor to design your emails.
Pros
- Write your newsletter content using the native WordPress block editor
- Easily cross-publish posts to both your website and your newsletter
- Integrates with 13+ email marketing services for list management and email delivery
- Option to send some emails exclusively to email subscribers
Cons
- No free version and the premium version is a bit expensive after recent pricing changes
- Still need a separate email marketing service like Mailchimp, MailerLite, Campaign Monitor, and so on
Pricing: Newsletter Glue starts at $79 per month with annual billing or $99 per month with monthly billing. This reflects the developer's focus on newsrooms and other high-powered publications.
If that‘s out of your budget but you still like the approach that Newsletter Glue offers, I think that you might be interested in the Newspack Newsletters plugin that I’ll cover later in this list.
5. Icegram Express
Why I like it: Icegram Express offers an easy way to get started for smaller newsletters, thanks to its built-in email-sending service and all-in-one approach.
Icegram Express is a freemium newsletter plugin that lets you manage everything from your WordPress dashboard, including generating new subscribers with opt-in forms, managing your newsletters, and sending one-off or automated emails to your subscribers.
To make sure the emails make it to your newsletter subscribers' inboxes, Icegram launched its own email-sending service in 2023. Or, the plugin also lets you use a separate SMTP sending service like SendGrid or Mailgun.
However, I think that one downside of the built-in email-sending service is that it only lets you send up to 100 emails per day. If your newsletter is larger than that, you'll need to set up a third-party service.
Beyond Icegram Express, the same developer also offers other plugins named Icegram Engage and Icegram Collect. These plugins can help you create forms and popups to grow your newsletter lists.
You can use them with Icegram Express to grow your lists there. Or, both of those plugins also integrate with third-party email marketing tools if you'd rather build your newsletter with a service like MailerLite or Mailchimp.
Pros
- Manage all aspects of your newsletter without leaving your WordPress dashboard
- Includes a free built-in sending service for low-volume sending (up to 100 emails per day)
- Set up automatic post notifications even in the free version
- No Icegram branding in the free version
Cons
- Limited template selection in the free version
- The Icegram email-sending service only lets you send up to 100 emails per day, so many newsletters will still need to use a third-party sending service
Pricing: Free version at WordPress.org, including free usage of the Icegram email-sending service for up to 100 emails per day. Premium versions cost $129 per year for limited premium features or $229 per year for all features.
6. AcyMailing
Why I like it: AcyMailing offers full marketing automation features, which can make it a good option for people who want to go beyond sending basic newsletter emails.
AcyMailing is one of the best newsletter automation tools available at WordPress.org. You can create newsletters using the drag-and-drop editor, A/B test them, and schedule and send them right in your WordPress dashboard.
As I mentioned above, I think that one area where it stands out against other plugins is its ability to set up marketing automation and build more complex email sequences. If you want to use these types of automations, that could make it a good option.
AcyMailing recently launched its own AcyMailing Sending Service that can help you reliably deliver your newsletter emails. Or, you're also still able to set up a custom SMTP sending service if you prefer that approach.
Pros
- Manage all aspects of your newsletter without leaving your WordPress dashboard
- Set up all types of automations, such as emails for new posts or automatic happy birthday messages
- Can purchase the standalone plugin or a bundle with the sending service
Cons
- If you just use the standalone plugin, you'll need to set up your own SMTP sending service
- List segmentation is only available on the pricier Enterprise plan
Pricing: Free version that works for simple newsletters and lets you send 500 emails per month for free. For paid plans, you can purchase just the plugin or a bundle of the plugin plus the sending service.
The standalone plugin starts at €29 per year. The pricing for the bundled sending service will depend on the features that you need and the volume of emails that you send, with plans starting at €2.40 per month for up to 4,000 emails per month.
7. Mailster
Why I like it: Mailster can offer excellent long-term value because it has a lifetime license option. If you're building your newsletter for the long haul, that can make it a great choice.
Mailster is designed to be an effective and powerful solution for your email needs.
You can create newsletters using its drag-and-drop editor and selection of over 400 templates. In general, I found it to have one of the nicer editors out there, especially for more styled emails.
You'll also get lots of other tools to manage your newsletters, including list segmentation, email analytics, and more.
However, you'll need to connect it to a third-party email-sending service to actually deliver your newsletter emails, which might feel a little confusing for non-technical users.
Pros
- Manage all aspects of your newsletter without leaving your WordPress dashboard
- Offers over 400 pre-designed templates
- Works with any email provider
- Advanced tracking and analytics
- Lifetime updates (if you purchase from CodeCanyon)
Cons
- There's no free version
- Must set up a third-party email-sending service to deliver newsletters
Pricing: Can purchase via the developer's website or CodeCanyon. CodeCanyon costs $119 and includes lifetime updates and six months of support, while purchasing directly from the developer costs $79 for one year of support/updates.
8. OptinMonster
Why I like it: OptinMonster offers very advanced targeting and trigger rules to help you build your newsletter lists with personalized popups, inline forms, and more.
OptinMonster is designed to help you grow your email subscriber list through interactive forms, bars, and popups.
With this plugin, you can use targeting and personalization features to ensure you’re showing the right message to the right users at the right time. You can also assign different email campaigns to individual posts, pages, categories, tags, products, custom post types and more.
You can even segment your email subscriber list based on their interests and the unique opt-in form they subscribed through.
However, be aware that OptinMonster cannot actually send the newsletter emails themselves. You'll still need to connect it to an email marketing service like MailerLite or Mailchimp.
Overall, I think that OptinMonster can be one of the best newsletter growth tools if you‘re willing to put in the time to take advantage of its advanced personalization options. But if you’re just planning to create some simple subscribe forms, you'll get better value with a decent tool in my opinion.
Pros
- Create lots of different form types
- Powerful targeting and personalization options
- Email list segmentation
- Integrates with most email marketing services and CRMs
Cons
- Can‘t actually send newsletter emails — it’s only for helping you get more subscribers
- Can be a little expensive, especially for high-traffic sites
Pricing: Plugin is free but OptinMonster plans range from $14 to $80 per month.
9. MC4WP: Mailchimp for WordPress
Why I like it: If you're already using Mailchimp to manage your newsletter, MC4WP offers tons of tools to help you more effectively grow your newsletter lists.
MC4WP is one of the best WordPress plugins for Mailchimp integration. With this plugin, you can collect data to write better newsletters, create email signup forms, and grow your Mailchimp lists.
If you're already managing your newsletter with Mailchimp, MC4WP is a great way to more effectively grow your newsletter subscriber count.
However, I want to make it clear that MC4WP cannot actually send the newsletter emails for you. You'll still need to send your emails from the Mailchimp interface.
If you‘re not using Mailchimp and have no interest in using it, you’ll definitely want to choose a different WordPress newsletter plugin.
Pros
- Lets you create a variety of different opt-in forms that connect to your Mailchimp list
- Can add Mailchimp signups to other areas of your site, such as letting people subscribe as part of leaving a comment or registering for your site
- If you have a WooCommerce store, it lets you send order data to Mailchimp
Cons
- No drag-and-drop editor for forms — you have to use a basic text editor
- Still have to build newsletters in Mailchimp, outside of WordPress dashboard
- Need the premium version to customize the style of your forms without CSS
Pricing: Free version at WordPress.org, and Mailchimp is free for up to 500 subscribers and 1,000 emails per month. The premium version of MC4WP starts at $79.
10. MailOptin
Why I like it: MailOptin lets you send manual or automated newsletters from your WordPress dashboard while also giving you access to advanced opt-in forms and popups to grow your newsletter list.
With MailOptin, you can convert visitors into subscribers and schedule and send one-off or automated newsletters — all inside WordPress.
You also have the options to segment your email list, automatically send emails when you publish new content, and restrict emails according to their category, tag, or custom taxonomy.
In addition to helping you send newsletters, MailOptin also includes very flexible tools to help you create opt-in forms and popups. I think that these features go above and beyond other newsletter plugins in terms of the type of opt-ins that you can create.
However, I think that it's important to note that MailOptin cannot send emails by itself. It still requires you to have a dedicated email service like MailerLite, Mailchimp, Campaign Monitor, and other similar tools.
I also don't find the email content editor to be as nice as other plugins, as you need to work from an interface that resembles the WordPress theme Customizer.
Pros
- Even though it requires a third-party email tool, you can still send newsletters from inside your WordPress dashboard
- It offers above-average tools to build newsletter signup forms and popups
- Options to automate your newsletter, such as sending a digest of your latest posts
Cons
- No drag-and-drop editor — you’ll have to use WordPress Customizer
- Still requires a third-party email marketing service
Pricing: Free version at WordPress.org. Premium plans start at $99 for the Standard license.
11. Newspack Newsletters
Why I like it: It lets you easily design your newsletter content using the native WordPress block editor and also includes features to insert ads.
Newspack Newsletters is a newsletter plugin that comes from Automattic, the same company behind WordPress.com and WooCommerce (and just generally one of the largest companies in the WordPress space). It‘s part of Automattic’s Newspack initiative, which is a suite of tools designed to help large or small publishers engage with their audiences.
It works somewhat similarly to the Newsletter Glue plugin above in that you're able to design your newsletter content using the native WordPress block editor.
It doesn't include the feature to automatically publish a blog post straight to your newsletter — you need to create newsletter content from a separate area. However, it does include a feature to automatically import the full content of a blog post to the newsletter content editor (or an excerpt), so it's still easy to cross-publish between your blog and newsletter.
One area where Newspack Newsletters really excels is its advertising features. You can add custom ads from a dedicated interface and then manually or automatically insert those ads in your newsletter content.
Pros
- Control newsletter content using the native WordPress block editor
- Has a dedicated block to insert post excerpts or full text, which lets you cross-publish blog posts to your newsletter
- Has a dedicated tool to manage/insert ads, which is great for monetized newsletters
- Comes from Automattic, one of the largest WordPress companies
Cons
- Still need a separate email service to manage subscribers and deliver emails
- Can't publish blog posts straight to your newsletter like Newsletter Glue allows (but it does include a feature to easily insert blog posts in the newsletter content)
Pricing: Newspack Newsletters is 100% free. However, you might need to pay for your email-sending service depending on the size of your newsletter list.
12. Newsletters
Why I like it: It offers the ability to charge users a subscription fee to receive your newsletter emails, which can make it a good option if you specifically want to create a paid newsletter.
Not to be confused with the Newsletter (singular) plugin above, Newsletters is another popular newsletter plugin that lets you send newsletters to your subscribers right from WordPress.
It offers a solid all-around feature set, including some unique features such as the ability to charge a paid subscription fee for subscribing to your newsletter.
However, one thing that I don't like about the plugin is that the newsletter content editor/builder in the free plugin feels a little dated (it uses the classic TinyMCE editor). The premium version does add a more user-friendly drag-and-drop email builder, though.
Pros
- Includes an option to publish newsletters as blog posts (or send blog posts as newsletters)
- Supports paid newsletter subscriptions via PayPal or 2Checkout
- Has a functional free version
Cons
- Need to set up a separate SMTP service to make sure newsletter emails get to subscribers — supports SendGrid, Mailgun, Amazon SES, and others
- The content editor feels a bit dated as there's no visual builder (you can access a drag-and-drop builder in the premium version, though)
Pricing: Free version is available at WordPress.org. Premium version starts at $70. The developer also sells newsletter design templates for $9-$14 each, as well as separate integration add-ons for $15 each (such as integrating MemberPress into your newsletters).
13. Brevo
Why I like it: Even though Brevo is a standalone email marketing service, it still includes a native WordPress plugin that lets you send newsletters from your WordPress dashboard.
Brevo, formerly Sendinblue, is a standalone email marketing service. However, it offers a WordPress integration plugin that lets you perform a lot of actions without leaving your WordPress dashboard, which is why I still think it deserves to be on a list of the best WordPress newsletter plugins.
With that being said, if you are looking for a 100% native WordPress newsletter plugin, I think that you might want to choose one of the other plugins on this list.
Pros
- Has a forever-free plan that can work fine for smaller newsletters
- All plans let you have unlimited subscribers and you're only billed based on the number of emails that you send — this can make it good value if you have a large list but don't send that many newsletter emails
- The WordPress integration plugin lets you send emails from your WordPress dashboard
- Design your emails using a visual, drag-and-drop builder and lots of templates
Cons
- Even though it offers a great WordPress integration plugin, it's still a standalone SaaS tool
- Can be expensive if you send a lot of emails to newsletter subscribers
Pricing: Brevo has a free plan that lets you send up to 300 emails per day to unlimited subscribers. Paid plans start at $25 per month.
14. weMail
Why I like it: It offers a native WordPress solution for both newsletters and other types of email marketing. You can also choose between a visual editor and a text-based editor, which is nice for long-form text newsletters.
WeMail is a native WordPress email marketing solution that works great for both simple newsletters as well as more advanced email marketing and automations. That makes it a great option if you want the flexibility to send all different kinds of emails to your subscribers.
In general, weMail lets you do everything from your WordPress dashboard, including designing emails with its own drag-and-drop builder. While the email builder isn‘t fancy, I think it’s quite capable and makes it easy to control the design of your newsletter emails.
If you don't need the design options, it also offers a more stripped-down text editor. This text editor is probably a better option for text-based newsletters, as it makes it easier to manage long-form content.
However, one thing that it doesn‘t offer is its own email-sending service — you’ll need to connect it to an SMTP sending service like Amazon SES, Mailgun, SendGrid, and others, which can make it a little more complicated than other newsletter plugins that have built-in email-sending services.
Pros
- Design your newsletters with a drag-and-drop builder and 100+ premade templates (or you can also choose a writing-focused editor for text-based newsletters)
- Offers more advanced email marketing tools and automations in addition to newsletter functionality
- Integrates with a lot of other WordPress plugins
Cons
- Need to set up a separate SMTP sending service like Amazon SES, Mailgun, SendGrid, etc.
- Even though it's a native WordPress plugin, weMail still bills based on the number of subscribers you have
Pricing: Free for up to 3,000 subscribers. Paid plans start at $3 per month and go up based on the number of subscribers you have.
15. Creative Mail
Why I like it: Offers solid all-around WordPress email functionality with a built-in email-sending service to simplify the setup process.
Creative Mail is another all-in-one WordPress email marketing solution that can work for newsletters, as well as other types of emails and automations. Though Creative Mail is its own brand, it comes from Constant Contact, a well-known email marketing service.
One standout feature in Creative Mail is its visual, drag-and-drop builder, which is more powerful than some of the other plugins on this list. It also has its own email-sending service, which means you can be confident your newsletters will make it to subscribers' inboxes.
While Creative Mail is exclusively for WordPress sites, you‘ll actually design and send your emails from the Creative Mail website, rather than from inside your WordPress dashboard. If you don’t like that approach, I think you might be happier with one of the other plugins that does everything from inside WordPress.
Pros
- Has one of the nicer visual, drag-and-drop email builders
- Has its own built-in email-sending service, which means you don't need to worry about deliverability or setting up a third-party service
- There's a forever-free plan that can work for small newsletters
Cons
- Even though Creative Mail is only for WordPress, you'll still spend a lot of time working on the Creative Mail website instead of inside your WordPress dashboard
- Can be more expensive than some other plugins if you have a lot of subscribers
Pricing: Free plan that supports core features and lets you send up to 5,000 emails per month. Paid plans start at $4.95 per month and are primarily billed based on the number of newsletter contacts you have.
WordPress Newsletter Signup Form Tutorial
Once you’ve installed and activated a newsletter plugin on your site, you’ll want to add signup forms to your website to start converting visitors into subscribers. While the exact steps will depend on the plugin, the process is relatively the same.
Let’s walk through how to add a sign-up form to your website using the HubSpot WordPress plugin.
Go to HubSpot > Forms. Click the Create Form button.
Select the type of sign-up form you want to create. You can customize embedded forms directly from your WordPress site, while you can customize the other form types on the HubSpot site.
For the sake of this demo, I’ll create an embedded form.
Next, you can choose a template as the starting point. For this example, I'll choose the Newsletter sign-up template.
Then, click Create form.
Then, you can easily embed the newsletter signup form on your site using the block or shortcode.
Here‘s what it looks like to add the WordPress newsletter signup form using the HubSpot plugin’s block:
And then here's what the form looks like on the front end of my site:
For more ways to add signup forms to your WordPress website using the HubSpot WordPress plugin, check out this Knowledge Base article.
Try a WordPress newsletter plugin today!
A newsletter can help you engage and inform your audience, and encourage them to return to your site to read new content, make purchases, register for events, and more.
By highlighting the pros and cons of each plugin above, I hope that you‘re now able to choose the best WordPress newsletter plugin for your site’s unique situation.
