Substack special offers

Verified: Oct 10, 2026

Software Specs

Free Trial: Free to publish; no paid plan needed

What We Like

No upfront cost: Substack only earns when readers pay you
Built-in discovery through Recommendations, Notes and category leaderboards
Newsletters, podcasts, video, live video, Chat and Notes on one platform
You can export your subscriber list and use your own domain

Considerations

The revenue share grows with your income, unlike a flat monthly fee
Stripe's processing fees come on top of Substack's share
Subscriptions bought in the iOS app may cost readers more, to cover Apple's fees

Expert Verdict

Choose Substack to start a newsletter at no upfront cost and pay only when readers do. Once paid revenue grows, compare flat-fee platforms, since a percentage fee rises with every paying subscriber.

Top Alternative

Beehiiv →

beehiiv charges a monthly plan fee instead of a revenue share, which can cost less once paid revenue grows.

More Alternatives

Kit (ConvertKit) →

Mailchimp →

Substack is a newsletter and publishing platform where writers publish to subscribers and can charge for paid subscriptions. The same platform covers podcasts, video, live video, Notes and Chat, and readers can follow publications through Substack’s iOS and Android apps.

Publishing is free at any size. Substack makes its money by taking a share of paid subscription payments, and Stripe charges processing fees on top. Because the share is a percentage, the cost grows with your paid revenue. Current rates are in the pricing box above.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does Substack cost creators?

Publishing is free, with no monthly fee. On paid subscriptions, Substack takes 10% of each payment, and Stripe charges 2.9% + $0.30 per US card payment plus 0.7% for recurring billing, so a writer keeps about $8.34 of a $10 monthly subscription. A custom domain is an optional one-time $50.

How does Substack compare to beehiiv?

Substack is free to start and takes a share of paid subscription revenue. beehiiv charges a monthly plan fee and takes no revenue share. Substack costs less while paid revenue is small; beehiiv can cost less as it grows.

Do readers pay extra fees on Substack?

Substack adds no fee to web payments. Readers may pay sales tax or VAT, and subscriptions bought in the Substack iOS app may cost more to cover Apple's fees.

Advertiser Disclosure: Pricing checked Oct 10, 2026 on substack.com. Prices change often, so check the official site before you buy.