The best newsletters, picked by someone who writes one.
83 newsletters across 8 topics, each opened, read and confirmed active this month. Plus plain guides on writing your own, and a free subject line tester.
Find newsletters by topic
Each collection is a short list, not a dump. The number on each stamp is how many made the cut.
AI
Twelve AI newsletters that are still publishing, sorted by what kind of reader each one actually serves.
Tech
Ten technology newsletters we checked are still publishing, from quick daily briefs to deep weekly analysis.
Startups
Ten newsletters for startup and SaaS founders, each checked for a recent issue in September 2026.
Marketing
Ten active marketing newsletters, checked by hand, for news, growth tactics, B2B strategy and email.
SEO
Ten active SEO newsletters, checked by hand, from daily news recaps to in-depth analysis of AI search.
Design
Ten newsletters for UI, UX, product and graphic designers, each checked for a recent issue in September 2026.
Finance
Free and freemium newsletters that explain markets, money and the economy, without selling you stock tips.
Business
Daily briefs and deeper weekly reads on companies, deals and the people running them.
If you only subscribe to a few
The top pick from each collection. Start here, then go deeper in the topics you care about.
| Topic | Newsletter | Why it made the list | Cadence |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI | The Batch | Each issue opens with a letter from Andrew Ng, so you get a practitioner's take along with the news. | Weekly |
| Tech | Stratechery | Ben Thompson's frameworks, like Aggregation Theory, give you a consistent way to reason about why tech companies win or lose. | Free weekly article; three paid Daily Updates a week |
| Startups | Lenny's Newsletter | It turns interviews with experienced operators into specific, reusable advice on product, growth and careers. | Several posts a week (newsletter and podcast) |
| Marketing | Marketing Brew | Reported industry news from a staff newsroom, so you get brand, ad tech and agency stories that go beyond press releases. | Weekdays |
| SEO | SEOFOMO | A well-curated weekly roundup from an experienced SEO consultant, covering news, guides, free tools, events and jobs in one email. | Weekly (Sundays) |
| Design | UX Collective Newsletter | The editors open each issue with a short essay on where the design profession is heading, then back it with a tight set of curated reads. | Weekly |
| Finance | Money Stuff | Levine explains how deals, lawsuits and market structure actually work, and he is funny while doing it. | Daily |
| Business | Morning Brew | It covers the day's main business stories in a conversational tone that makes it easy to read every morning. | Daily |
Test a subject line before you hit send.
Paste a subject line and preview text. See how it truncates on a phone, which words read as spam, and what to fix. It runs in your browser and sends nothing anywhere.
Open the testerWrite a newsletter people open
Practical guides from a working newsletter editor. What to write, where to send it from, and how to stay out of spam.
Newsletter Examples: 20 Real Issues and What to Steal From Each
We opened a recent issue of every newsletter on this page and wrote down exactly how it is built, so you can borrow the structure without guessing.
GuideHow to Start a Newsletter: The Steps I Would Follow Again
Nine steps from the one-sentence promise to your first subscribers, including what I learned moving my own newsletter between platforms.
Guide34 Newsletter Ideas, Each With a Format and a First Issue
Specific newsletter topic ideas for creators, companies and teams, grouped by niche, with what goes in every issue and what to send first.
GuideHow to Write a Newsletter People Actually Read
A working editor's method for writing each edition: the promise, the format, the opening, the body, the ask, and a checklist to run before you hit send.
GuideNewsletter Subject Lines: Formulas, Examples and a Free Tester
How to write a subject line your subscribers open, what the published guidance actually says, and where spam trigger word lists get it wrong.
Check it before you send it
Honest tools that run in your browser. Each one says plainly what it can and cannot test.
Four rules, no exceptions
- Active right nowWe open the archive and confirm a real issue went out recently. Dormant newsletters come off the list.
- Original workWriting, analysis or curation with a point of view. Not a feed of links anyone could scrape.
- Free to startEvery pick is free to read or has a real free tier. We say so when the best parts are paid.
- No paid placementsNobody pays to be listed and there are no affiliate links. We link straight to the newsletter.
Frequently asked
What are the best newsletters to subscribe to?
It depends on what you want from your inbox. For a daily briefing, pick one broad digest. For depth, pick one or two weekly essays in your field. Our shortlist above takes the top pick from each collection, and every newsletter on the site was checked as active this month.
How do you choose which newsletters to list?
Each one has to be active (we confirm a recent issue), original rather than a scraped link feed, and free to read or free to start. Nobody pays to be listed, and we do not use affiliate links.
Can I suggest a newsletter?
Yes. Email hello@newsletters.ltd with the link and a line on why it is good. We check suggestions when we refresh each collection.
How often is this directory updated?
We re-check every listed newsletter at least once a month and remove any that have gone quiet. Each page shows when it was last checked.