Best Church Newsletter Platforms

Estimated reading time: 10 minutes

Church newsletters have been a staple of church communications for decades and now you can use church newsletter platforms to make the process easier.

Some platforms just give you creation tools, meaning you can design and then send them however you want. Other platforms are all-in-one, letting you design, send and track open rates in a single place.

Picking the right one depends on the needs and budget of your church. The good news is many platforms offer lower rates for churches and other nonprofits.

Canva

Canva is a well-known graphic design platform that also works well for church newsletters. While it’s not exclusive to newsletters, there are a variety of free church newsletter templates to let you get started quickly.

You’ll want to create a free account to save your work. Some tools are only available to pro users, but don’t worry. Nonprofits can apply to access premium features completely for free.

There aren’t any mailing list or analytics features. This platform is only for designing your newsletters. However, if you already have an email list management platform, want to print out the newsletters or want to upload the newsletter to your church website, you can design on Canva and then use your newsletter however you want.

One great thing about Canva is your church can use it to create social media graphics, videos, presentations and more. It’s a great design tool overall.

Faithlife

If your church already has a Faithlife group for online worship and communications, take advantage of Faithlife newsletters. Recipients don’t have to be a member of Faithlife or your Faithlife group to receive your newsletters.

Faithlife is one of the more popular church newsletter platforms as many churches already use it as a place to socialize online. Churches create groups and communities for their members to gather safely without using standard social media platforms. It’s all free, too.

Once you’ve joined the platform, create newsletters using simple drag and drop tools. These look just as professional as more advanced tools without the massive learning curve.

Plus, it’s easy to add subscribers, both on Faithlife and off. This means you can add subscribers from your church and your online followers too to keep everyone in the loop.

The Newsletter Newsletter

The Newsletter Newsletter is the first premium option on this list. If you’re looking for great content and graphics to add to your newsletters, this could easily be one of the best church newsletter platforms available.

Much like Canva, there isn’t any mailing list management tools. This one is strictly about creating and designing the newsletter.

However, The Newsletter Newsletter is made specifically for churches. In addition to design tools, you get a variety of resources, such as:

• Graphics
• Content ideas
• Design tips
• Current newsletter trends
• Caption editor
• Customizable templates
• Bible-based activities (great for kids and adults)
• Create not just newsletters, but bulletins, announcements and more

While we’ve talked about places to get free and premium church graphics in the past, having a platform that includes the graphics is always nice. It means one less step while creating a newsletter.

Before you worry about the price, it’s quite reasonable at just $69.95 a year for all available resources. Plus, you’re free to cancel at any time.

Adobe Spark

You’ve likely heard of Adobe, especially when it comes to PDFs. However, Adobe is well-known for its graphic and photo editing tools. Adobe Spark is an online design tool that’s perfect for creating church newsletters.

Surprisingly, Adobe Spark is free to use. You also don’t need any design skills. If you’ve ever used other Adobe tools, like Photoshop, you’ll know how complex some of the software can be.

Adobe Spark isn’t just for churches. To make it easy for nonprofits to reach a wider audience, Adobe has provide a variety of templates and design tools for free. All you have to do is choose a template, fill in the blanks and customize a few details, such as colors. Within minutes, you can create a professional church newsletter your members will love.

It’s one of the simpler options available, but if you want quick and easy, this is the perfect place to start.

Mailchimp

Mailchimp is one of the most widely known small business marketing platforms. A large part of that is email marketing using newsletters.

While it’s not just for churches, it’s still one of the best church newsletter platforms that offers a wide range of marketing tools, mailing list management, tracking analytics and design tools. It’s an ideal all-in-one platform.

A limited free plan for up to 2,000 contacts is a good way to get started. Premium plans start at $9.99/month. However, there are a variety of free nonprofit tools available along with discounts on premium plans for eligible nonprofits. Mailchimp outlines all the details and lists how to apply.

If you like using Canva, Mailchimp also uses Canva as one of its design tools.

For small to medium churches, the features are well worth the nominal fees. Smaller churches can even stick with the free version for most of their needs.

My Newsletter Builder

My Newsletter Builder seems like a simple platform at first, but it’s designed specifically to be an ultra-fast newsletter builder. It’s ideal for churches of all sizes with plans that range from up to 50 recipients to over 50,000.

Use templates to get started quickly or design something from scratch. Access a variety of buttons and images or import your own with unlimited storage included. In addition to photo editing, there are also audio and video editing options too.

Much like Mailchimp, you can fully manage your contact list. Send out emails in a series based on when subscribers sign up. You can even create sign up forms to use on your church website and social media. In addition to email, send out newsletters to social media automatically.

A unique feature My Newsletter Builder offers is pre-written content. Short on time? Contact their team to have your newsletter written by them. They’ll even design it for you. Of course, these options cost extra.

Plans start at $10/month. This platform can get pricey quickly, but it’s a powerful option.

AWeber

AWeber is similar to Mailchimp in many ways. It’s an email marketing platform that helps you create campaigns, newsletters, landing pages and more. If you want an all-in-one platform, AWeber is a good option. It’s even ideal for testing what types of newsletters and content your members like best.

What’s surprising is many features are available for free for up to 500 subscribers. For small to medium churches, this is an incredible deal. Plus, you don’t even have to provide a credit card to sign up.

A unique feature is the AI-powered newsletter designer. Start with a few details about your church and get a template that’s perfect for your needs. This saves you valuable time from digging through hundreds of templates.

Of course, you can create more than just newsletters. Need to send out a quick reminder email to volunteers? Segment your email list and send a targeted email to just volunteers. You can do all of this in just minutes.

If you do need more features and subscribers, pricing starts at $16.15/month and increases based on the number of subscribers. However, nonprofits and students get three months free and 25% off after that.

Benchmark Email

A simple, yet powerful drag and drop editor make Benchmark Email one of the top church newsletter platforms. It’s designed for both businesses and nonprofits to make email marketing and creation easier.

Take advantage of Benchmark Email’s email templates or start from scratch. Even if you have zero design skills, you’ll be able to use this platform. If you want to get more technical, there’s an HTML editor in addition to the drag and drop editor. You can even create an RSS email to automatically notify your members of new blog posts.

Thanks to the built-in photo editor, you can easily upload images, edit them and add them to your newsletters. And, then use the A/B testing to see what types of newsletters and content get the most engagement.

You can test out Benchmark Email for free for up to 250 emails per month. Premium plans start at $13/month for up to 500 contacts and increase from there. There is a 25% discount for nonprofits.

Moosend

Moosend provides a variety of professional templates to help you get started with church’s newsletter quickly. You can even design professional fundraising and event emails with ease.

Choose from drag and drop and HTML editors. Plus, you can search for graphics from numerous sources within the platform, making it ideal for creating more visually pleasing newsletters. While many features are geared more toward businesses, churches still benefit from the creation and design features, along with email campaign features.

One thing that sets Moosend apart is you’re able to send unlimited emails to up to 1,000 subscribers every month for free. Or, you can upgrade starting at $8/month, which is cheaper than many competitors. On the other hand, Moosend also offers 25% off for nonprofits, which can help offset costs.

GetResponse

Create stunning emails in minutes without any coding or design knowledge with GetResponse. While the platform has a strong focus on ecommerce, any nonprofit can definitely benefit, including your church.

Start with pre-designed templates based on your needs. Then, customize with the drag and drop editor. Easily edit photos to make sure everything looks just right. You can even customize templates based on how they’ll look on mobile devices versus desktop.

Enjoy access to thousands of stock photos to make your church’s newsletters look even better. You can even use custom fonts.

GetResponse is a full email marketing platform, along lead generation and social media ad tools. While there is a 60-day free trial, there isn’t a free tier. Pricing starts at $15/month with up to 1,000 subscribers. However, they offer the most generous nonprofit discount of 30% or 50% (if you add GetResponse’s logo to your church website).

EmailOctopus

As strange as the name might sound, don’t discount EmailOctopus just yet. It’s a powerful email marketing platform and fits well among other church newsletter platforms.

Easily create newsletters based on a variety of templates or create your own with the drag and drop builder. You can even create sign up forms to add to your church’s website. Automations make it easy to welcome any new subscribers.

As with most similar platforms, you can segment your lists to send out more personalized emails along with newsletters. Analyze open rates and engagement to create better newsletters for your church members.

If you don’t mind having EmailOctopus listed on your emails, you can send up to 10,000 emails a month to up to 2,500 subscribers monthly. That’s a wonderful deal for small to medium churches. Or, upgrade starting at $20/month for 5,000 subscribers. Prices increase from there.

But, EmailOctopus wants nonprofits to succeed and offers a 20% discount on all plans.

MailerLite

MailerLite is one of the more affordable premium church newsletter platforms. However, it doesn’t skimp on features.

Fully manage your entire email list, segment your list, create campaigns and of course, build newsletters. Start with newsletter templates and use the drap and drop or HTML editor to customize as much as you want.

Create custom forms to increase newsletter signups on your church’s website. You can even create surveys and polls to better understand your members and online followers.

A built-in photo editor and file manager make it easy to import and organize your graphics. All of this is included as part of the free plan, which allows you to send up to 12,000 emails monthly to up to 1,000 subscribers.

Unlimited emails start at $10/month and prices increase based on your number of subscribers. However, nonprofits get a 30% discount.

Creating Amazing Church Newsletters

Even with the best church newsletter platforms, you still have to ensure you’re providing the right content for your subscribers. To help you out, we’ve created two great guides. The first teaches you how to create a must-read church newsletter. The second provides tips on designing a better newsletter.

Want to increase church newsletter signups? See how our church website design services help better engage visitors, leading to more signups.

About The Author