Substack review

How much does Substack take?

Substack takes 10% of every paid subscription payment. Stripe then charges 2.9% + $0.30 per US card payment and a 0.7% Billing fee on recurring payments, according to Substack's help center. On an $8 monthly subscription, you keep about $6.61.

Publishing costs nothing, no matter how many subscribers you have. The only other charge is an optional one-time $50 for a custom domain. Readers pay the price you set, and Substack adds no fee to web payments.

The cut grows with you. At $1,000 a month in subscriptions, Substack's 10% is $100. At $10,000 a month, it is $1,000, every month. Our fee comparison shows where flat-fee platforms start keeping you more money.

• Substack fee: 10% of each subscription payment
• Stripe card processing: 2.9% + $0.30 per US card payment
• Stripe Billing: 0.7% on recurring payments
• Custom domain: one-time $50
• Minimum price: $5 a month or $30 a year

Is Substack's 10% worth it?

Substack's 10% is worth it while you are small and gets expensive once you are not. beehiiv's cheapest plan that can sell costs $59 a month at 1,000 subscribers and $109 at 5,000. Substack costs 10.7 points more per payment than beehiiv, because its help center lists Stripe's 0.7% Billing fee on top of the 10%. That gap passes those bills at about $551 and $1,019 a month in revenue.

What the 10% buys is distribution. Substack runs a reader app, Notes, recommendations between publications, and Boost, which offers discounts to readers Substack predicts will convert. With Boost on, some readers may get up to 20% off, which lowers what you earn per subscriber.

Our view: start on Substack if you have no audience and no budget. Plan your move once subscriptions clear about $700 a month. At 5,000 subscribers, Ghost costs less from about $701 and beehiiv from about $1,019.

What tools does Substack include?

Substack bundles the basics of a paid newsletter at no monthly cost. You get a website, email delivery, a reader app, Notes, chat, live video, and monthly, annual, and founding member plans.

Growth tools come built in. Subscriber referrals reward readers who bring in free sign-ups, and group subscriptions let companies buy seats for their teams. Before you charge, Pledges let readers commit to a paid plan with no charge until you turn on payments.

Every tool works the Substack way. If you want custom themes, look at Ghost. If you want automated email sequences and tagging, look at Kit.

Do you own your subscriber list on Substack?

You own your list and your paying customers, with gaps. You can export subscribers as a CSV at any time, but Substack's help center says the file cannot include subscriber names.

Paid subscriptions live in your own Stripe account, which helps when you leave. Ghost tells Substack writers to connect the same Stripe account, and beehiiv has an import tool for paid subscribers. Be careful with Substack's Disconnect Stripe button. It refunds and cancels every paid subscription, so ask Substack support for help first if you are moving.

Two limits remain. Readers who subscribed in the iOS app pay Apple, and Apple pays Substack, so those subscriptions are not in your Stripe account. And your newsletters always send from a substack.com address, even with a custom domain.

How do Substack payouts work?

Substack pays you through Stripe. Web payments usually reach your bank account within 48 hours of each transaction, per Substack's help center.

App Store purchases are slower. Apple pays Substack for a month of subscriptions up to 45 days after that month ends, so January's in-app revenue arrives around mid-March. Apple's service fee also comes out, and you choose whether to raise in-app prices to cover it.

Tax handling changes on December 1, 2026. From that date, Substack calculates, collects, and remits sales tax or VAT on paid subscriptions at no added cost. Publishers in Brazil, Mexico, Malaysia, India, and Thailand remain responsible for their own tax.