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PencilBooth alternatives: where to move before it shuts down on December 11
Last verified against official pricing pages · published 4 Nov 2026
Prices change often. Each price was checked on the platform's official pricing page on the date shown; plans, promos and taxes vary. Confirm on the official site before you buy. Not financial advice.
PencilBooth shuts down on December 11, 2026. It isn't taking new users, and it asks everyone to export their data before then (PencilBooth farewell post, November 3). First export your subscriber CSV; then pick a new home. At 1,000 subscribers, Kit, beehiiv, Substack, EmailOctopus and Sender cost $0. Ghost, which PencilBooth's own team moved to, is $18/mo.
PencilBooth facts from its farewell post and help center (checked 2026-11-04). Prices from each platform's official pricing page via our weekly check, monthly billing. We have no deal with PencilBooth; some links below are affiliate links (marked).
Do this before December 11
- Export your subscribers as a CSV file. PencilBooth's help center says the export contains all your current subscribers (PencilBooth help). Keep a copy somewhere safe.
- Ask for your past issues. There's no automatic post export in settings; PencilBooth says it can prepare a JSON export of your posts if you email [email protected]. It's a manual request, so ask early.
- Save your images. PencilBooth was built around images, and its farewell post singles out moving images to a new host as the technical part. Keep your original files: re-uploading them to the new platform is simpler than copying them out of old issues.
- Send a last issue from PencilBooth saying where you're moving and which sender name to look for.
- Don't close the account until you have everything. PencilBooth says deleted accounts are kept 15 days, then removed permanently.
What the alternatives cost
PencilBooth gave everyone 250 free emails a month and charged per email after that. Most alternatives charge by subscribers instead, and many are free for small lists. Monthly cost, sending twice a month:
| Platform | 250 | 500 | 1,000 | 2,500 | 5,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kit | $0 (Free) | $0 (Free) | $0 (Free) | $0 (Free) | $0 (Free) |
| beehiiv | $0 (Free) | $0 (Free) | $0 (Free) | $0 (Free) | $109 (Lite) |
| Ghost | $18 (Starter) | $18 (Starter) | $18 (Starter) | $55 (Publisher) | $75 (Publisher) |
| MailerLite | $0 (Free) | $12 (Comfort) | $19 (Comfort) | $33 (Comfort) | $49 (Comfort) |
| Substack | $0 (Free) | $0 (Free) | $0 (Free) | $0 (Free) | $0 (Free) |
| EmailOctopus | $0 (Free) | $0 (Free) | $0 (Free) | $0 (Free) | $31.50 (Pro) |
| Sender | $0 (Free) | $0 (Free) | $0 (Free) | $0 (Free) | $39 (Standard) |
| Buttondown | $9 (Paid) | $9 (Paid) | $9 (Paid) | $29 (Paid) | $29 (Paid) |
| Flodesk | $25 (Lite) | $25 (Lite) | $25 (Lite) | $32 (Lite) | $52 (Lite) |
Cheapest plan that covers the list and its emails, monthly billing, no paid subscriptions. Substack's $0 assumes a free newsletter; if you charge, it keeps 10% plus card fees (Substack fees). Buttondown is free only up to 100 subscribers. Want a different schedule or list size? Use the calculator.
Which one fits a visual newsletter
- Free and simple, up to 10,000 subscribers: Kit's free plan (no visual automations; Kit branding stays). At 5,000 it's the only one here that's still $0 besides Substack.
- Free with a website: beehiiv's free plan covers 2,500 subscribers and includes a website and unlimited sends.
- Free email tools for small lists: EmailOctopus and Sender are free up to 2,500 subscribers, with monthly email limits (see their pricing pages).
- Discovery and community: Substack is free at any size and has built-in discovery tools: being free and having discovery are the two things PencilBooth's founder said matter most to creatives. You stay on Substack's branding.
- Your own site and design: Ghost(Pro), PencilBooth's own pick, from $18/mo (Starter caps at 1,000 members, no paid subscriptions). Compare it with Substack in Substack vs beehiiv vs Ghost.
- Design-first emails: Flodesk has no free plan; $25/mo at 1,000 on Lite. See Flodesk plans.
The farewell post also points readers to Choreus, the PencilBooth team's new product (code RIPPB for a free month of Pro). We don't track Choreus, so it isn't priced here.
Moving in
- Import the CSV on the new platform's subscriber import. Map the email column; keep anyone who unsubscribed on PencilBooth out of the file.
- Re-create your sign-up link and update it everywhere: link in bio, website, shop.
- Rebuild a welcome email if you had one, then send yourself a test issue with your images to check how they look on a phone.
- Re-post your best old issues from the JSON export or your saved files if you want an archive on the new site.
Related: free newsletter platforms · Kit free plan · beehiiv free plan · is Substack worth it? · cheapest at 1,000 subscribers
Sources
- PencilBooth: A farewell to PencilBooth (November 3, 2026) (checked 2026-11-04)
- PencilBooth Knowledge Base: Deleting your account (last updated September 19, 2025; checked 2026-11-04)
- Prices: Kit, beehiiv, Ghost, MailerLite, Substack, EmailOctopus, Sender, Buttondown, Flodesk (checked 2026-11-03)
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FAQ
When does PencilBooth shut down?
PencilBooth says its last day is December 11, 2026 (announced in its farewell post of November 3, 2026). It is no longer accepting new users and asks everyone to export their information before then.
How do I export my subscribers from PencilBooth?
PencilBooth's help center says you can export all your current subscribers as a CSV file before closing your account. That CSV is what every other platform imports. Do it before December 11, and keep a copy.
Can I export my old PencilBooth issues?
PencilBooth's help center says there is no automatic post export in settings, but the team can prepare a JSON export of your posts if you email [email protected]. The farewell post also links to migration instructions written for Ghost that it says work for other platforms too. Ask early: it is a manual request.
What is the best free PencilBooth alternative?
It depends on list size. At 1,000 subscribers sending twice a month, Kit, beehiiv, Substack, EmailOctopus and Sender cost $0. Kit's free plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers; beehiiv, EmailOctopus and Sender stop being free above 2,500; MailerLite's free plan stops at 250. Substack is free at any size but keeps 10% of paid subscriptions if you charge.
Which platform did PencilBooth recommend?
PencilBooth's team says it moved its own Out of Commission newsletter to Ghost and recommends it. Ghost(Pro) has no free plan: $18/mo at 1,000 members (Starter, which caps at 1,000 members) and $55/mo at 2,500 (Publisher), monthly billing.
Will my subscribers need to sign up again?
No, you import the CSV on the new platform. Do send one last issue from PencilBooth before December 11 saying where the newsletter is moving and from which sender name, so people recognise the first email from the new platform and it is less likely to land in spam.
Related guides: Kit (ConvertKit) Free plan (2026) · beehiiv price increase 2026 · Substack fees (2026) · Kit (ConvertKit) price increase · Newsletter platform refund policies (2026) · Paid newsletter supported countries (2026) · Is beehiiv worth it in 2026? Break-even vs Substack, Kit and MailerLite · beehiiv Free plan (2026) · all guides
Comparisons: beehiiv vs Kit · beehiiv vs Substack · Kit vs MailerLite · beehiiv vs MailerLite · Substack vs Ghost · beehiiv vs Ghost · Kit vs Substack · Kit vs Ghost · Substack vs MailerLite · Ghost vs MailerLite · beehiiv vs Buttondown · Kit vs Flodesk · MailerLite vs Flodesk · beehiiv vs Flodesk · Sender vs MailerLite · Sender vs Kit · Sender vs EmailOctopus · Flodesk vs Substack · MailerLite vs EmailOctopus · EmailOctopus vs Kit · EmailOctopus vs beehiiv · Buttondown vs Substack · Cheapest for 500, 1,000, 2,500, 5,000, 10,000, 25,000 subscribers
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