What are the best business newsletters to subscribe to in 2026?

The top business newsletters in 2026 are: Morning Brew (4M+ subscribers), The Hustle (2.5M+ subscribers), Axios AM/PM, Stratechery, Not Boring, CB Insights, First Round Review, Lenny's Newsletter, Term Sheet, Pro Rata, The Diff, 1440, DealBook, Finimize, and Harvard Business Review. These cover daily briefings, market analysis, strategy insights, and VC deals.

How many business newsletters should I subscribe to?

According to research, 94% of business executives subscribe to email newsletters, with 60% reading them regularly. Most successful professionals subscribe to 5-15 business newsletters covering different angles: daily news (Morning Brew, 1440), strategy (Stratechery, Not Boring), markets (Axios Markets, Bloomberg), and deals (Term Sheet, Pro Rata). With Readless, you can consolidate all of them into one daily digest.

Are business newsletters worth it in 2026?

Absolutely. With 4.89 billion email users expected by 2027, newsletters remain the most stable communication channel. Business newsletters like Morning Brew and The Hustle deliver curated insights in minutes compared to hours of browsing news sites. The challenge is managing multiple subscriptions—which is where AI digest tools like Readless become essential.

How do I read multiple business newsletters without inbox overload?

Use Readless to forward all your business newsletters to one @mail.readless.app address. The AI consolidates them, removes duplicate coverage, and delivers one organized digest on your schedule (6 AM, 7 AM, or whenever works). You go from 2-3 hours of scattered reading to 15-20 focused minutes.

What's the difference between Morning Brew and The Hustle?

Both are daily business newsletters with millions of subscribers. Morning Brew (4M+ subs) offers a more straightforward, professional tone perfect for morning briefings. The Hustle (2.5M+ subs) has a snarkier, more casual voice with edgier takes on business and tech. Many professionals subscribe to both—Readless can merge them into one digest.

Can I get paid newsletters like Stratechery in my digest?

Yes! Readless works with both free and paid newsletters. Add your Readless email as an approved subscriber for premium newsletters like Stratechery ($15/month), Not Boring, or The Diff. They'll flow into your digest alongside free newsletters like Morning Brew and The Hustle.

How long does it take to read 15 business newsletters?

Reading 15 business newsletters manually takes 2-3 hours daily: Morning Brew (10 min), The Hustle (8 min), 1440 (5 min), DealBook (15 min), Term Sheet (10 min), plus long-form content from Not Boring and Stratechery (30+ min each). With Readless AI summaries, you get all insights in 15-20 minutes.

Do business newsletters have good open rates?

Business newsletters typically have higher open rates than marketing emails. Newsletter industry averages show strong engagement, with top newsletters like Morning Brew and The Hustle maintaining multi-million subscriber bases. However, the challenge isn't opening—it's finding time to actually read them all. That's why 94% of executives subscribe but many struggle to keep up.

What business newsletters do VCs and founders read?

VCs and founders typically subscribe to: Term Sheet (Fortune's daily VC deals), Pro Rata (Dan Primack's venture briefing), CB Insights (tech market intelligence), First Round Review (tactical startup advice), Not Boring (Packy McCormick's strategy deep dives), and Lenny's Newsletter (product and growth insights). Combined with Readless, you can track the entire startup ecosystem in one digest.

Are free business newsletters as good as paid ones?

Many free business newsletters are excellent—Morning Brew, The Hustle, 1440, Term Sheet, and CB Insights (free tier) all deliver high-quality content. Paid newsletters like Stratechery, Not Boring Premium, and The Diff offer deeper analysis and exclusive insights. The best approach is a mix of both, consolidated into one Readless digest.

Can I filter which newsletters appear in my digest?

Yes! Readless Pro users can create custom schedules with specific newsletters. For example: daily digest for breaking news (Morning Brew, The Hustle, Axios), weekly digest for strategy content (Stratechery, Not Boring), and a separate weekend digest for long-form reading (HBR, First Round Review).

How do I choose the right business newsletters for my role?

Executives should prioritize: Morning Brew, Axios AM/PM, Not Boring, and Stratechery for macro context and strategy. Investors need: Term Sheet, Pro Rata, CB Insights, and The Diff for deals and market intelligence. Operators benefit from: Lenny's Newsletter, First Round Review, and Morning Brew for tactical advice. Subscribe to all, then use Readless to organize by topic automatically.

The 15 Best Business Newsletters to Read in 2026

Join 4 million+ professionals who rely on curated business newsletters for market insights, strategy, and deals.

From Morning Brew to Stratechery, discover the newsletters that keep executives ahead in business, markets, and strategy. Get them all in one AI-powered digest instead of drowning in 15 separate emails.

Start Free Trial Compare Top Newsletters

4M+ combined readersUpdated for 2026Free & paid optionsOne AI digest

Why Business Newsletters Matter in 2026

4.89 Billion Users

Email users expected by 2027 (Beehiiv, 2025)

94% of Executives

Subscribe to email newsletters (Quartz Survey)

60% Read Regularly

Business professionals check newsletters daily

2-3 Hours Daily

Time spent reading 15 newsletters manually

15-20 Minutes

With AI consolidation via Readless

Top 15 Sources

Most-trusted business newsletters ranked below

Top Business Newsletters at a Glance

Newsletter	Subscribers	Frequency	Focus	Cost
Morning Brew	4M+	Daily (Weekdays)	Business news with personality	Free
The Hustle	2.5M+	Daily	Snarky business & tech	Free
1440	3M+	Daily	Unbiased news in 5 min	Free
Axios AM/PM	1M+	Daily	Smart brevity briefings	Free
Stratechery	100K+	Daily (Premium)	Tech strategy analysis	$15/mo
Not Boring	200K+	2x/week	Business strategy deep dives	Free/$20/mo
CB Insights	500K+	Weekly	Tech market intelligence	Free
Term Sheet	100K+	Daily (Weekdays)	VC deals & funding	Free
Pro Rata	75K+	Daily	Venture capital briefing	Free
Lenny's Newsletter	600K+	2x/week	Product & growth	Free/$15/mo

Subscriber counts as of January 2026. All newsletters work with Readless.

Key Takeaways

Morning Brew leads with 4M+ subscribers – the gold standard for daily business news
94% of executives subscribe to newsletters – email remains the primary channel for business insights
Reading 15 newsletters takes 2-3 hours daily – most professionals can't keep up
Mix free and paid newsletters – combine Morning Brew, The Hustle with premium Stratechery, Not Boring
AI consolidation is essential – Readless merges all 15 into one 15-minute digest
4.89 billion email users by 2027 – newsletters aren't going anywhere

The 15 Best Business Newsletters: Detailed Breakdown

1. Daily Business Briefings

These newsletters deliver curated business news every morning. Perfect for executives who need to stay informed without browsing multiple news sites.

Morning Brew

4M+ subscribers • Daily (Weekdays) • Free

The gold standard for business news. Witty, concise, essential reading for professionals. Covers markets, tech, finance, and breaking news with personality. Morning Brew has grown to over 4 million subscribers through its referral program (which accounts for 30% of total subscribers) and maintains one of the highest open rates in the industry.

The Hustle

2.5M+ subscribers • Daily • Free

Snarky takes on business, tech, and markets. Makes finance fun without dumbing it down. Founded by Sam Parr and acquired by HubSpot, The Hustle hit 1 million subscribers in its third year. With 68% of subscribers in organizations 5 years or younger, it's a favorite among startup professionals and entrepreneurs.

1440

3M+ subscribers • Daily • Free

Unbiased daily news in 5 minutes. No political spin, just facts. Perfect for busy professionals who want comprehensive news coverage without the commentary or partisan angles.

Axios AM & Axios PM

1M+ subscribers • Daily • Free

Smart brevity at its best. Mike Allen's morning and evening briefings deliver the top 10 stories that matter. Axios pioneered the "smart brevity" format—short, bulleted, scannable content that respects your time.

2. Strategy & Analysis

Deep dives on business strategy, tech trends, and competitive analysis. Essential for executives making strategic decisions.

Stratechery

100K+ subscribers • Daily (Premium) • $15/month or $150/year

Ben Thompson's essential tech strategy analysis. Premium tier worth every penny for executives who need deep understanding of how technology is reshaping business models. The daily updates provide unparalleled insights into platform economics, aggregation theory, and competitive moats.

Not Boring

200K+ subscribers • 2x/week • Free tier + $20/month premium

Packy McCormick's deep dives on business strategy, web3, and emerging tech. Each essay is a masterclass in understanding complex industries through storytelling and rigorous analysis. The premium tier includes access to the Nerd Herd community.

Harvard Business Review

Millions of readers • Weekly • Free

Leadership insights from the world's top management thinkers. HBR's newsletter delivers research-backed strategies for executives, covering topics from organizational change to innovation management.

3. Markets & Finance

Track market movements, economic trends, and financial analysis from trusted sources.

CB Insights

500K+ subscribers • Weekly • Free

Data-driven tech market intelligence. Essential for VCs, strategists, and operators who need to understand emerging trends, private company valuations, and industry landscapes. Their research reports are cited across the industry.

The Diff

50K+ subscribers • 5x/week • $20/month

Byrne Hobart's analysis at the intersection of finance and technology. For investors and strategists who want to understand how tech trends affect capital allocation and vice versa.

Finimize

1M+ users • Daily • Free

Finance made simple. Daily market analysis without the jargon. Perfect for professionals who want to understand market movements without a finance degree.

DealBook (NYT)

500K+ subscribers • Daily (Weekdays) • Free

In-depth business analysis from The New York Times. Covers major deals, policy changes, and the intersection of business and politics with authoritative reporting.

4. Venture Capital & Startups

Track funding rounds, startup trends, and VC insights. Essential for founders, investors, and anyone in the startup ecosystem.

Term Sheet (Fortune)

100K+ subscribers • Daily (Weekdays) • Free

Fortune's essential VC and startup deals newsletter. Know who's raising what, which funds are deploying capital, and what valuations look like across sectors. A must-read for anyone in venture capital.

Pro Rata (Axios)

75K+ subscribers • Daily • Free

Dan Primack's venture capital and deals briefing. Smart brevity meets VC news. Covers the same territory as Term Sheet but with Axios's signature concise format.

First Round Review

200K+ subscribers • Weekly • Free

Tactical advice from top founders and VCs. First Round Capital's startup playbook in newsletter form. In-depth interviews and frameworks for building companies from early-stage to scale.

Lenny's Newsletter

600K+ subscribers • 2x/week • Free tier + $15/month premium

Product management and growth insights from Airbnb PM veteran Lenny Rachitsky. With 600,000+ subscribers, it's become the definitive resource for product leaders. The premium tier includes Q&A, deep dives, and access to Lenny's community.

Before Readless vs. With Readless

Reading 15 Newsletters Manually

•6:00 AM – Morning Brew (10 min)
•6:15 AM – The Hustle (8 min)
•6:30 AM – 1440 (5 min)
•7:00 AM – DealBook (15 min)
•7:30 AM – Term Sheet (10 min)
•8:00 AM – Axios AM (5 min)
•Lunch – CB Insights (15 min)
•Evening – Not Boring (30 min)
•Evening – Stratechery (25 min)
•Weekend – Lenny's, First Round, HBR

Total: 2-3 hours daily + weekend catch-up

One Readless Digest

6 AM – One digest with all 15 newsletters
AI removes duplicate stories across sources
Organized by topic: Markets, Strategy, Deals, Tech
Full links when you want to dive deeper
Weekend digest for long-form content (Not Boring, HBR)
Pro: Separate schedules for daily news vs. strategy
Works with free and paid newsletters seamlessly

Total: 15-20 focused minutes

How to Consolidate All 15 Newsletters

Subscribe to Your Favorites

Use your @mail.readless.app address when signing up for Morning Brew, The Hustle, Stratechery, and all others. We support all free and paid business newsletters.

AI Consolidates Everything

Readless removes duplicate coverage (Morning Brew and The Hustle often cover the same stories), extracts key insights, and organizes everything by topic.

Read One Digest Daily

Get your business briefing at 6 AM, 7 AM, or whenever works for you. Stay informed about markets, strategy, and deals in 15-20 minutes instead of hours.

Popular Configurations by Role

Executive Routine

Daily morning digest (6 AM): Morning Brew, The Hustle, 1440, Axios AM for breaking news and market movers
Separate strategy digest (Evening): Stratechery, Not Boring for deep analysis
Friday wrap-up: CB Insights, First Round Review, HBR for strategic thinking

Investor Routine

Daily deals digest (7 AM): Term Sheet, Pro Rata, The Diff for deal flow and market analysis
Weekly market intelligence: CB Insights for trend spotting and competitive landscape
Add sector-specific newsletters based on investment thesis (fintech, climate, etc.)

Operator/PM Routine

Morning news digest: Morning Brew, The Hustle for macro business context
Tuesdays & Fridays: Lenny's Newsletter for product management and growth insights
Weekly tactical advice: First Round Review for startup best practices and frameworks

Founder Routine

Daily essentials: Morning Brew, The Hustle, Pro Rata for news and funding landscape
Strategy reading: Not Boring, Stratechery, Lenny's for competitive insights
Weekend deep dives: First Round Review, CB Insights for long-form learning

Frequently Asked Questions

Best Marketing Newsletters →Best Startup Newsletters →Best Investing Newsletters →Top Finance Newsletters →For Entrepreneurs →How It Works →Pricing →

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