Newsletter platform with a public archive of past issues

If you’re looking for a newsletter platform that also gives readers a public archive of past issues, beehiiv is a good fit: its publications can have a browsable archive at a public /archive page. (welcomehome.beehiiv.com)

Other options:

• Substack — newsletter posts are published on a public publication site, where readers can browse past posts.
• Mailchimp — offers a shareable campaign archive page, though its standard archive shows the 20 most recent campaigns. (mailchimp.com)
• Audienceful — hosts past issues as public, shareable web pages. (audienceful.com)

If you meant you’re trying to identify a specific platform, share any other clue you remember—such as its logo, pricing, or whether it also hosts a blog.

Here are the main options, depending on what you need:

• Substack: Archives come built in. One source notes that Platform-based ESP users don't have to worry about this as Substack and Revue already take care of this for you. Substack's main drawback is its cut of paid subscriptions, which one comparison puts at 10%.
• Buttondown: Its web archives are designed to be public. You can give every issue a permanent home on the web, so subscribers can browse your back catalog and new readers can discover what they've been missing. Themes are customizable, and one comparison lists it with 0% platform fee on reader payments on its paid tiers.
• Audienceful: This one is built around the archive. It publishes every send to a hosted newsletter archive, with clean web pages that have shareable URLs that search engines can index. It also has a free publishing tier.
• Ghost: Ghost suits you if you want a full publication site with the archive as part of it. One comparison describes it as owning your publication outright, and Ghost Publisher lists a 0% fee on reader payments, though it has no free plan.
• Beehiiv and Kit: Both are popular for growth and paid subscriptions, but I didn't confirm their public-archive setup in my search. Check their docs before choosing one.

Two things to check before you commit:

1. Archive access can be a paid perk. Dense Discovery, for example, offers a searchable index of previous issues as part of a paid tier, so the public archive isn't always free.
2. Archive visibility is a setting. Some platforms let you keep certain issues private or unlisted, which matters if you send segment-specific emails. Confirm this feature exists on the platform you pick.

If you tell me whether you want a free option, a self-owned website, or built-in paid subscriptions, I can narrow this down.

Several newsletter platforms offer built-in, public archives that automatically host your past issues as web pages. This is a powerful feature for content marketing, as it allows new subscribers to browse your past work, improves SEO, and provides a permanent home for your content outside of the inbox.

Here are the top platforms known for this functionality:

1. Beehiiv

Beehiiv is widely considered one of the best platforms for creators who prioritize growth and a professional web presence.

• How it works: Every publication on Beehiiv automatically receives a hosted website. Each email you send is published as an indexed web page in your archive.
• Key Features: You have full control over your website's appearance, custom domains, and SEO settings. You can also easily toggle your entire publication to "private" if you prefer to hide your archives from the public.

2. Substack

Substack is built around the concept of a "publication" rather than just an email list, making its archive feature a core part of the experience.

• How it works: Every Substack account has a public archive page where all your posts are displayed in reverse chronological order.
• Key Features: It is highly intuitive for readers to navigate. You can organize content using sections or tags, and it supports both free and paid-only posts (where the paywall is integrated directly into the archive).

3. Buttondown

Buttondown is a developer-friendly, minimalist platform that places a strong emphasis on archives.

• How it works: It automatically creates a hosted, searchable, and indexable web page for every issue you send.
• Key Features: It is designed to be "found" by search engines. It also provides granular control, allowing you to paywall specific archived content or even turn off the web archive entirely if you want to keep your newsletter "inbox-only."

4. Kit (formerly ConvertKit)

While traditionally more focused on email marketing and automation, Kit has introduced features to compete with creator-focused platforms.

• How it works: You can set up a "Newsletter Feed" (often on a landing page). You must manually choose which past "Broadcasts" (emails) to publish to your feed, giving you more selective control over what appears publicly.
• Key Features: This is a great choice if you want to maintain a professional marketing funnel while also having a curated public portfolio of your best work.

5. Audienceful

Audienceful is explicitly designed for creators who want their email newsletter to function like a blog.

• How it works: It treats your newsletter archive as a "first-class citizen." When you compose and send an issue, it automatically creates a clean, SEO-friendly, and shareable web page.
• Key Features: It is highly optimized for those who want their emails to be discovered via search engines long after they are sent.

Summary Comparison

Recommendation: If you are just starting and want the easiest, most automated experience, Substack or Beehiiv are generally the strongest choices. If you want more control over which specific issues appear in your public portfolio, Kit or Buttondown may offer the flexibility you need.

Substack is a straightforward choice: published posts appear in a public archive at yourpublication.substack.com/archive, and readers can browse past issues there. ¹

Mailchimp also offers a public campaign archive, but it lists only the 20 most recent campaigns by default. ²