Unlike most SaaS products, Substack doesn't charge a monthly subscription to publishers. Instead, they take a percentage of revenue you earn from paid subscribers.
| Fee Type | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Substack platform fee | 10% | Applies to all paid subscription revenue |
| Stripe payment processing | ~3% | 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction |
| Free publishing | $0 | No fee for free newsletter sending |
Example: At $10/month per subscriber with 100 paid subscribers ($1,000 MRR), Substack keeps $100 and Stripe keeps ~$30, leaving you with ~$870/month.
Fees verified May 2026. Get automatic alerts when Substack changes its fee structure.
At low revenue, Substack's percentage model is cheaper than flat-fee alternatives. The crossover point determines which platform is more cost-effective.
| Your Monthly Revenue | Substack Cost (10%) | Beehiiv Grow ($49/mo) | Ghost Starter ($9/mo) |
|---|---|---|---|
| $100 MRR | $10 | $49 | $9 |
| $490 MRR | $49 | $49 (breakeven) | $9 |
| $1,000 MRR | $100 | $49 | $9 |
| $5,000 MRR | $500 | $99 (Scale) | $25 (Creator) |
| $10,000 MRR | $1,000 | $99 | $49 (Team) |
The pattern: Substack wins for new writers with few paid subscribers. Ghost and Beehiiv become dramatically cheaper once you're earning $1,000+ per month from subscriptions.
If Substack ever raises its 10% fee, you'll want to know immediately — and compare alternatives before your revenue scales. PricePulse alerts you the moment any change goes live.
Get alerts — free See example alertSubstack charges no monthly fee to publish. They take 10% of your paid subscription revenue, plus ~3% for Stripe payment processing. If you only publish free content, Substack costs you nothing.
Substack takes 10% of every paid subscription. On a $10/month subscriber, Substack keeps $1.00 and Stripe keeps ~$0.32, leaving you with ~$8.68. On a $100/year subscriber, Substack keeps $10 and Stripe keeps ~$3, leaving you with ~$87.
Yes, to publish free content. Creating a Substack newsletter and sending it to free subscribers costs nothing. You only pay (via revenue share) when you turn on paid subscriptions and start earning from subscribers.
The math changes around $490–$1,000 MRR. Below $490/month, Substack's 10% is cheaper than Beehiiv's $49/month base plan. Above $1,000/month, you're paying $100+/month in Substack fees — enough to cover multiple months of Beehiiv or Ghost. Most creators migrate when they hit $2,000–$5,000 MRR and realize the fee is costing $200–$500/month.
No. There are no email sending fees, list size fees, or bandwidth fees on Substack. All sending costs are covered by the 10% revenue share. This is different from Mailchimp or Beehiiv, which charge based on subscriber count.
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