Cost of a newsletter landing page with email signup: yearly totals at 500 and 5,000 subscribers

The two setups and what each line costs

Setup A is a Carrd landing page with a signup form that sends subscribers to a separate email provider. Carrd's signup form requires Pro Standard and supports 20 services, including Kit, Mailchimp, beehiiv and MailerLite; Kit is used here because its free plan lists up to 10,000 subscribers. Setup B is systeme.io, where the page, the list and the email sending live in one account. Prices were read on 30 October 2026. [2][3][4]

Yearly totals at 500 and 5,000 subscribers

These are our calculations from the listed prices, using monthly billing for systeme.io. systeme.io offers 2 months free on annual billing, which on a $17 plan would bring Startup to about $170 for the year; confirm the exact annual price at checkout because the pricing page did not print it. [4]

The break-even point is 2,000 contacts, not a dollar figure

Because Carrd plus Kit Free is a flat $30.08 up to 10,000 subscribers, the comparison turns on systeme.io's contact limits. Up to 2,000 contacts, systeme.io Free is $19 a year cheaper. The moment the list passes 2,000 contacts, systeme.io moves to Startup and costs $204 a year on monthly billing before the domain, so Carrd plus Kit becomes the cheaper setup by a wide margin. [3][4]

Two caveats. systeme.io's Startup plan caps contacts at exactly 5,000, so a list growing past 5,000 needs Webinar at $47 per month, $564 a year on monthly billing. And Kit's paid plans are priced by list size; the pricing page showed Creator at $33 per month or $390 billed yearly for 1,000 subscribers but did not print prices at 5,000, so check the slider if you need paid Kit features. [4][3]

What the cheaper number leaves out

systeme.io's Free plan is more than a list: it also lists 3 sales funnels, 1 course, 1 blog and 1 automation rule. If you plan to sell a product to your readers, that bundle may matter more than the $19 difference. The same FAQ lists lower Free limits elsewhere, including 1 automation rule and 1 email campaign alongside unlimited email sends, so check that a welcome sequence fits before choosing Free. Carrd plus Kit keeps two accounts and two logins, but each can be swapped without rebuilding the other. [4][2]

Carrd signup forms need Pro Standard; the free Carrd plan cannot collect emails into Kit. Carrd's Pro trial lasts 7 days without a card, enough to wire up the form and test a signup before paying. [2][1]

Who fits which setup

• Pick systeme.io Free if you expect fewer than 2,000 contacts in year one and may sell a course or digital product later. [4]
• Pick Carrd plus Kit Free if you expect the list to grow past 2,000 within the year, or you want a newsletter-first tool. Kit Free lists up to 10,000 subscribers. [3]
• Skip both if you need a full publication with archive pages and SEO for each issue; a newsletter platform or CMS fits that better than a single landing page.
• Recheck the decision at 1,800 contacts: on systeme.io, that is the point to choose between upgrading and moving. [4]

Launch checklist for a signup page

• State what subscribers get and how often, in one sentence above the form.
• Connect the form to the list and send yourself a test signup before sharing the link. [2]
• Add a short privacy line saying how the address will be used and how to unsubscribe.
• Point your domain at the page and confirm it loads over HTTPS.
• Export your list once a quarter so you can move providers if prices change.

Sources & verification

Product details and prices can change. Check the linked provider before buying.

1. Carrd Pro plans and pricing Accessed 30 Oct 2026
2. Carrd docs: setting up a signup form Accessed 30 Oct 2026
3. Kit pricing Accessed 30 Oct 2026
4. systeme.io pricing Accessed 30 Oct 2026
5. Porkbun: domain name pricing Accessed 30 Oct 2026
6. Carrd docs: using a custom domain Accessed 30 Oct 2026