A newsletter earns money in three main ways: advertisers pay to reach your readers, readers pay you directly, or you sell something of your own.
The tools here cover the first two. Each row shows the fee, so you can see what you keep.
At a glance
| Free plan | How it charges | |
|---|---|---|
| Paved | Yes. Publishers pay nothing to list a newsletter, and there are no subscription fees. | No subscription fee. Publishers set their own rates, and Paved handles invoices and payouts. A fee percentage is not published. |
| beehiiv Ad Network | No. It is available to anyone on the Lite plan or above who is actively sending on beehiiv. | Publishers are paid per 1,000 unique opens (CPM) or per verified unique click (CPC), at rates the advertiser sets. There is no published revenue share percentage. |
| Passionfroot | Yes. There is one creator tier, Free at $0. | Brands pay a 2% fee on each transaction. When Passionfroot matches a creator with a brand, it takes a 15% fee that includes payment processing. |
| Sponsy | Yes, in effect. Starter is $0 a month, with the first 5 booked slots included. Limits include 3 publications, 2 seats and 1 storefront. | By booked sponsorship slot. Starter costs $5 per booked slot. Pro is a monthly fee by slot band, with $5 for each slot beyond the band. |
| Who Sponsors Stuff | Free tools: ad calculator, subject line generator, poll generator. No free plan for Sales Pro is published. | Prices are not published. Ask the team at hello@whosponsorsstuff.com, which also handles enterprise buyers. |
| Memberful | No free tier. You can try Standard for as long as you like, and charges start when you accept payments. | Flat monthly fee plus a percentage per transaction. Enterprise is custom, volume-based. |
| Patreon | Yes. Patreon is free to start and creators only pay when they start earning. | A 10% fee on income earned on Patreon, in addition to payment processing, currency conversion and payout fees, and applicable taxes. |
| Stripe | No monthly or setup fee on standard pricing. Stripe charges per transaction. | Per successful transaction, depending on payment method. International cards add 1.5% and currency conversion adds 1%. Stripe Billing is 0.7% of Billing volume on pay as you go. |
Prices and plans change. We checked these figures on October 10, 2026, so confirm them before you buy.
What each one is
Paved
Paved is a newsletter ad network where advertisers book sponsorships and publishers list their newsletters to sell ad space. Selling sponsorship slots in a newsletter to advertisers without finding each buyer one by one.
beehiiv Ad Network
A beehiiv marketplace that matches newsletters with advertisers and pays publishers by opens or verified clicks. Earning ad revenue from a newsletter without selling ads directly.
Passionfroot
Passionfroot is a creator-marketing platform where creators, including newsletter writers, get sponsorship deals from brands. Getting paid sponsorships from brands for a newsletter audience.
Sponsy
Sponsy is a sponsorship management platform that helps newsletters organize ad slots, advertisers, creative and reports. Selling, scheduling and reporting on newsletter ad slots.
Who Sponsors Stuff
Who Sponsors Stuff is a database of companies that buy newsletter ads, with contact details for newsletter publishers who sell sponsorships. Finding advertisers to pitch for newsletter sponsorships.
Memberful
Memberful lets writers and publishers sell paid memberships and subscriptions on their own site, using their own Stripe account. Charging readers for a paid newsletter or membership.
Patreon
Patreon lets creators earn money from memberships, subscriptions and one-time payments, and offers email newsletters among its tools. Charging readers for a paid membership that sits alongside a free newsletter.
Stripe
Stripe is a payments service that newsletter operators use to charge for paid subscriptions, one-time products and tips. Charging readers for a paid newsletter, a membership or a one-time product.
Ads or paid subscriptions
Ads work when you have reach, and sponsors usually ask about list size and open rate first. Paid subscriptions work when a smaller group of readers values the newsletter enough to pay for it.
Many newsletters do both. Whichever you choose, compare the fee as a share of what you expect to earn, not just the monthly price.
Does it cost money to list my newsletter on Paved?
No. You pay nothing to list your newsletter and there are no subscription fees.
Who can use the beehiiv Ad Network?
Anyone on the Lite plan or above who is actively sending on beehiiv. It cannot be used with third-party email providers.
Does Passionfroot cost creators anything?
No. The Free tier is $0 and signing up is free. Brands cover a 2% transaction fee.
Does Sponsy charge a monthly fee?
Not on Starter. Starter is $0 a month plus $5 per booked slot, with the first 5 booked slots included. Pro is $49 a month for up to 10 booked slots.
What is Sales Pro?
A tool for newsletter ad sales that helps you find and contact brands advertising in email newsletters.