I'm currently exploring the online email newsletter industry, as I'm looking to create a project based off of that service.
The thing is, is that I have absolutely zero experience in the entire process. I can't really set up an email server, nor do I want to deal with the hassles of maintaining the email server (and possibly having to deal with spam lists online, or the mail server getting hacked and then being repurposed for spam).
The current two service providres, then, in the newsletter industry, are as follows: MailChimp, and Campaign Monitor.
The thing is, though, they are both really expensive (which is really annoying), and that there is a certain limit on how many emails you can send in a certain time period (month).
Essentially, the bigger you grow, the more expensive it is, which is rather annoying. Makes sense, but it's annoying.
AWeber is another service as well, but it's less well known, and also adheres to the 'list of subscribers is proportional to fees' idea.
No solution for now, but I'll still be on the look out for one.