How to add a newsletter to your WordPress website

A newsletter is a great way to stay in touch with your visitors, share updates, and promote content or products. With WordPress, adding a newsletter is easy thanks to plugins that handle subscriptions, email design, and sending. In this guide, we’ll introduce three popular newsletter plugins, Mailchimp for WordPress, MailPoet, and Newsletter, and help you choose the one that best fits your needs.

• Popular newsletter plugins for WordPress
• Which one should you choose?
• Getting started with a newsletter plugin

Popular newsletter plugins for WordPress

In this section, we present three widely popular and frequently used plugins for adding a newsletter.
 

Mailchimp for WordPress

Mailchimp is a well-known email marketing platform. With the Mailchimp for WordPress plugin, you can connect your site to your Mailchimp account and let users subscribe via forms or other plugins.

• Requires a free or paid Mailchimp account
• Good deliverability and email templates
• Best suited for those already using Mailchimp or looking for advanced marketing features
• Mailchimp documentation: https://www.mc4wp.com/kb/ 

MailPoet

MailPoet is built specifically for WordPress. It lets you manage subscribers and send newsletters directly from your WordPress dashboard. You can use your hosting server or MailPoet’s sending service.

• Easy to use, ideal for beginners
• Free plan includes up to 1,000 subscribers
• Optional MailPoet Sending Service improves deliverability
• MailPoet documentation: https://kb.mailpoet.com/ 

Newsletter

Newsletter is a flexible plugin that also works entirely within WordPress. It offers a drag-and-drop editor, subscriber management, and a solid set of free features.

• No external service needed
• Clean interface and good customisation options
• Paid extensions are available for extra features like automation
• Newsletter documentation: https://www.thenewsletterplugin.com/documentation/ 

Which one should you choose?

Note: If you use MailPoet or Newsletter without connecting an external mail service, the emails will be sent through your web hosting mail server — so in this case, through one.com’s mail servers.

• This setup works well for small to medium lists (e.g. a few hundred subscribers).
• We have sending limits on our shared hosting mail servers, which can affect how well your emails are delivered. Please check our guide: How do I send newsletters using one.com's mail service?

• Choose Mailchimp if you already use Mailchimp or want advanced email marketing tools and integrations.
• Choose MailPoet if you want the easiest setup and prefer working entirely inside WordPress.
• Choose Newsletter if you want full control within WordPress and a lightweight, flexible solution.

All three plugins are actively maintained and work well. The right choice depends on how much control, integration, or ease of use you need.

Getting started with a newsletter plugin

No matter which plugin you choose, the first steps are usually similar. Here’s how to get started:

Install the plugin

1. Go to your WordPress dashboard.
2. Navigate to Plugins > Add New.
3. Search for your chosen plugin:
   • Mailchimp for WordPress
   • MailPoet
   • Newsletter
4. Click Install Now, then Activate.

Set up the plugin

Each plugin will add its own menu item in the dashboard. From there, you can:

• Connect to an external account (if needed, e.g. Mailchimp).
• Set up your first subscription form.
• Configure sending options (use your hosting email, SMTP, or a sending service).
  You can check out our guide: Can I send emails from my website?
• Customise your welcome email or first newsletter.

Place the signup form on your website

You can show your newsletter form in different ways:

• Use a widget in your sidebar or footer.
• Add it to a page or post using a shortcode or block.
• Include it in a popup or banner (some plugins support this).

Related articles:

• How do I send newsletters using one.com's mail service?
• What limitations apply to email size and sending?