4 newsletter platforms, honestly compared
Which one to pick depends almost entirely on whether you plan to charge for it.
I have run newsletters on three of these and migrated off two. Verdicts are for a solo operator or a small team, not an enterprise.
A dedicated newsletter platform, if writing is the point
Purpose-built tools do the boring parts well: deliverability, unsubscribe handling, archives that are actually readable. Worth paying for once you are past a few hundred subscribers.
Your website builder's built-in email tool
Convenient and almost always worse. Deliverability is usually the weak point, and you find out about it slowly, through declining open rates nobody can explain.
Owning your list in a format you can export
Whatever you choose, check the export works before you need it. Platforms change pricing and features, and a list you cannot move is not a list you own.
Starting with a paid tier on day one
Charging changes what you write and adds obligation before you know whether you will keep going. Earn the audience first.
The platform matters far less than the cadence. A mediocre tool and a consistent Monday beats a perfect tool and three issues a year.