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Short answer: a $0 creator stack works: Systeme.io for funnels and checkout, beehiiv, Kit or MailerLite for email, and Make for automation. This page compares their free plans and when each paid plan is worth opening.
The $0 starting stack
| Job | Tool | Free plan highlights |
|---|---|---|
| Funnels, checkout, courses | Systeme.io | 2,000 contacts, 3 sales funnels, 1 course, unlimited emails, 0% transaction fees (systeme.io/pricing, checked 2026-10-29) |
| Newsletter | beehiiv | Up to 2,500 subscribers, unlimited sends (beehiiv.com/pricing, checked 2026-10-29) |
| Email marketing for selling | Kit | Up to 10,000 subscribers; visual automations and sequences need a paid plan (kit.com/pricing, checked 2026-10-29) |
| Email with automations, small list | MailerLite | Up to 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month; 3 active automations (5 steps each), 1 website, 1 landing page (mailerlite.com/pricing, checked 2026-10-29) |
| Automation | Make.com | 1,000 credits/mo, 15-minute minimum interval (make.com/pricing, checked 2026-10-29) |
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Try Systeme.ioCheck current plans and limits on the Systeme.io pricing page.
Before you pay, check what the paid plan costs at your list size: beehiiv pricing by list size, or beehiiv vs Ghost at 1k, 5k and 10k subscribers.
When to pay
Upgrade when a tool is worth more than it costs. First paid plans below (prices checked on each product’s pricing page on the dates in the notes).
| Tool | First paid plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Systeme.io | Startup | $17/mo | 5,000 contacts and 10 funnels (systeme.io/pricing, checked 2026-10-29) |
| Kit | Creator | $33/mo billed yearly ($390/yr) | At 1,000 subscribers (kit.com/pricing, checked 2026-10-29) |
| beehiiv | Lite | $49/mo billed yearly | Priced at 1,000 subscribers (beehiiv.com/pricing, checked 2026-10-29) |
| MailerLite | Comfort | $17.10/mo billed yearly or $19/mo monthly | At 1,000 subscribers; emails capped at 10x your subscriber count (mailerlite.com/pricing, checked 2026-10-29) |
| Make.com | Core | $12/mo billed yearly or $16/mo monthly | At 10,000 credits/mo; prices change with the credits slider (make.com/pricing, checked live 2026-10-29) |
Pick one email tool. Choose Kit if you want the biggest free list (up to 10,000) and will pay later for automated sequences.Choose beehiiv if: the newsletter itself is the product.Choose MailerLite if: your list is small and you want automations without paying, or the lowest paid price of the three at 1,000 subscribers. For the choice between those two, see Kit vs MailerLite.
Affiliate link: we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Disclosure
Try beehiivCheck current plans and limits on the beehiiv pricing page.