Curated

Overview

Curated is an email newsletter platform designed for editorial publications that build issues around selected links and commentary. It suits creators and publishers who want collection, sponsorship handling, paid subscriptions, and audience analytics in one service. Its editorial toolkit is a strong fit for link-led newsletters, though the API cannot publish issues and the monthly message allowance scales with subscriber capacity.

Key features

Links can be gathered through a bookmarklet, Chrome extension, or secret email address, then shaped with introductions, summaries, or personal insights. That makes Curated particularly relevant to editors whose newsletter is more than a sequence of announcements: the collected material can be given context before it reaches subscribers.

Curated sends customizable email newsletters and can also create a web edition with searchable archives. Custom top-level domains and subdomains are supported, with HTTPS enabled after DNS setup. Sponsorship tools cover inquiries, bookings, and scheduling, while paid subscriptions let publishers charge readers; Curated says it takes 0% commission. Subscriber-level analytics help track audience growth and identify which content is working.

Zapier support includes four triggers and three actions, and the public API uses token authentication. Its scope has a material editorial limitation: it can collect links, but not text items, and cannot publish issues. Teams expecting to automate the full workflow through API calls will need another publishing step.

The monthly message quota is 31 times the plan's maximum subscriber count, and unused quota does not roll over. That allowance is worth factoring into a high-frequency sending schedule. Curated describes its security procedures as reasonable and commercially acceptable but does not guarantee absolute security. Its EU privacy page says servers are in the UK, with hourly backups kept for one week and daily backups for 30 days. Support is available through a support center and [email protected].

Pricing

Curated is freemium, with monthly subscriber bands rather than a single flat paid tier. The Free plan costs nothing, billed monthly, for 0–1,500 subscribers. It is a useful way to start or run a smaller publication, but growth beyond 1,500 subscribers requires a paid tier.

• 1,501–2,500 subscribers: $39 a month, billed monthly.
• 2,501–5,000 subscribers: $69 a month, billed monthly.
• 5,001–10,000 subscribers: $129 a month, billed monthly.
• 10,001–15,000 subscribers: $189 a month, billed monthly.
• 15,001–25,000 subscribers: $299 a month, billed monthly.
• 25,001–50,000 subscribers: $399 a month, billed monthly.
• More than 50,000 subscribers: custom pricing; contact [email protected].

The next step after the free tier starts at $39 a month, so the pricing jump is tied directly to audience size. Every paid tier is billed monthly; the message allowance is tied to each plan's maximum subscriber count and does not bank unused quota.

Platforms

Curated supports web, browser extension, and API access. The extension and bookmarklet provide ways to collect links, while the API is useful for link collection and integrations rather than end-to-end issue publishing.

Who it's for

Curated is best suited to editorial creators, publishers, and marketers who curate links, add their own perspective, and want sponsorship or paid-subscription options alongside email and web archives. It is less suitable for workflows that depend on publishing issues through the API, or for send volumes that may exceed the plan's non-carryover message quota.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Multiple link-collection methods and space for editorial commentary support a distinctive, curated newsletter format.
• Pro: Sponsorship handling, paid subscriptions with 0% commission, and subscriber-level analytics bring monetization and audience insight into the same platform.
• Pro: Searchable web archives and custom domains extend a newsletter beyond the inbox.
• Con: The API cannot collect text items or publish issues, limiting automation for publishers who want API-driven editorial production.
• Con: Monthly messages are capped at 31 times the plan's subscriber maximum, and unused quota expires at the end of the month.
• Con: The free plan stops at 1,500 subscribers, with paid service beginning at $39 a month.

Alternatives

Compare other options in Newsletter Platforms. Audienceful is another freemium option, with a free tier for 1,000 contacts and one team collaborator. Email Fast may suit send-focused use: its free tier allows 2,500 emails per month and unlimited contacts and subscribers. phpList offers a forever-free tier with 300 messages and unlimited subscribers. LetterBucket has a free tier for up to 1,000 subscribers and unlimited posts. SendFox offers a forever-free tier for 1,000 contacts and 3,000 sends per month. beehiiv may suit a publication that needs room to grow on a free tier, with up to 2,500 subscribers and unlimited email sends. Buttondown starts its free tier at 100 subscribers. Dada Mail is another newsletter option.

Verdict

Choose Curated if your publication depends on selecting links, adding editorial context, and earning through sponsorships or paid subscriptions without surrendering subscription revenue to commission. Its editorial features and analytics make it a focused choice for that format. Look elsewhere if API-based issue publishing is essential, or if a fixed monthly message budget that does not roll over is a poor fit for your sending pattern.