Issue Mint vs Curated
Curated is the platform that defined this category. It was built specifically for link roundups, it has been running for years, and a long list of well-known newsletters were put together in it. If you are reading a comparison like this one, Curated is almost certainly the thing you are comparing against.
The short version
Curated and Issue Mint agree on the shape of the problem, and both of them send your email for you with nothing to configure. The differences are elsewhere: sponsors can book dates off a published calendar here rather than starting an email thread, links are tracked under your own name, and when your newsletter grows into a business you can take the sending into your own hands at no extra cost, which is not something any platform on this list offers. If none of those matter to you, Curated is a mature product and there is no shame in staying put.
Feature by feature
| Capability | Issue Mint | Curated |
|---|---|---|
| Built for link roundups | Yes, it is the only format supported | Yes, the category originator |
| Who sends the email | We do, and you can take it over whenever you want | The platform, always |
| Sender reputation | Ours, or yours the moment you ask for it | Shared with other publishers |
| Cost of sending | Included, however often you send | Included in the subscription |
| Browser button for saving links | Yes | Yes |
| Readers can send you links | Yes, into the same library | Yes |
| Sponsorship slot types and prices | Yes, set by you | Yes |
| Sponsors book dates themselves | Yes, from a published calendar | Enquiry based |
| Takes a cut of sponsorship | No, you invoice directly | No |
| Public archive website | Yes, on your own domain | Yes |
| Links tracked under your own name | Yes, once your domain is set up | Platform address |
| Several newsletters on one account | Yes, billed on the combined list | Separate publications |
| What the price is based on | Total active readers | Subscriber tiers |
Compared on capability rather than price, because Curated changes its plans from time to time and a stale figure here would be worse than none. Check their current pricing directly.
When Curated is the better choice
- You want the reassurance of a platform with years of history and a long public list of newsletters built on it.
- You are already on Curated, it works, and nothing about it is costing you a weekly hour you resent.
- You would rather nobody ever hand you the sending, because you have no intention of thinking about it, ever. That is a completely reasonable position and it is what their product is built around.
When Issue Mint is the better choice
- You want sponsors to pick their dates off a calendar instead of opening an email thread you then have to manage.
- You want your links pointing at your own name rather than a platform address, for how it looks and for the clicks it earns.
- The newsletter is a business rather than a side project, and you would rather own the parts of it that are hard to replace, sending included.
- You want reporting that ranks every link by how many people clicked it, not a headline open rate.
Moving from Curated
Export your subscribers from Curated as a spreadsheet, then import them here with the column matching step. Imported readers arrive active, so nobody has to confirm again and nobody gets an unexpected email. Past issues do not come across on their own: if your old archive is bringing in search traffic, leave it online where it is and start the new one from your next issue.
Questions about switching
Is Issue Mint a straight swap for Curated?
For the weekly work, close to it. A library of saved links, sections, dragging to reorder, your commentary on each item, and sending that works from the moment you sign up without connecting anything. Import your list, write an issue, send it.
Can I keep my Curated archive?
Yes, and we would suggest you do. Leave it online at its current address so the links pointing at it and the search rankings you built keep working, and point new issues at your Issue Mint archive.
Will my open and click rates change?
Probably not much, since we do the sending in both cases. If you later move the sending into your own hands, expect a settling-in period: a brand new sending domain has no history, so build up over a few issues rather than mailing everybody on your first attempt.
Try it against your own next issue.
14 days, no card. Import your list, connect your sending, and see whether the workflow fits before you move anything permanently.
Start your trial