Substack fees, and what you'd keep elsewhere
Substack takes 10% of what your paid subscribers pay, and card fees of 2.9% plus 30¢ come off each payment too: 800 subscribers at $7 a month ($5,600) leave you $4,638, the figure Substack's own calculator shows. beehiiv, Kit and Ghost take 0% to 0.6%, though beehiiv and Ghost charge for the plan that allows paid subscriptions: on a list of 10,000, the same subscribers leave you $5,059 on beehiiv Lite, $5,164 on Kit Free and $5,093 on Ghost Publisher.
Of $5,600 a month, Kit leaves you the most: $5,164. Substack leaves the least: $4,638.
What a month of paid subscriptions leaves after each platform's cut, card processing and the cheapest plan that allows paid subscriptions at your list size. Each paid subscriber pays once a month. * Ghost says payment processor fees apply but doesn't state them; we use the 2.9% + 30¢ Stripe rate beehiiv's page states.
How much does Substack take?
10% of each payment. Substack's page says: 90% goes to you. The rest powers the platform that supports your work.
Writers keep 90% of their revenue minus credit card fees.
It doesn't state the card fee, but its own earnings calculator takes 2.9% plus 30¢ off each monthly payment as well. Every state we read reproduces to the dollar:
| Paid subscribers | Price | Substack shows | 10% + 2.9% + 30¢ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 800 | $7/mo | $4,638 | $4,638 |
| 2,000 | $5/mo | $8,110 | $8,110 |
| 50 | $5/mo | $203 | $202.75 |
| 10,000 | $10/mo | $84,100 | $84,100 |
| 400 | $15/mo | $5,106 | $5,106 |
Publishing is free: No platform fees, no tiers, no contracts—Substack is free to start and free to leave
What one paid subscriber leaves you
Each monthly payment after the platform's cut and card fees, before any plan price:
| Price a month | Substack | beehiiv | Kit | Ghost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $5 | $4.06 | $4.56 | $4.53 | $4.56 |
| $7 | $5.80 | $6.50 | $6.46 | $6.50 |
| $10 | $8.41 | $9.41 | $9.35 | $9.41 |
| $15 | $12.77 | $14.27 | $14.18 | $14.27 |
| $30 | $25.83 | $28.83 | $28.65 | $28.83 |
| $75 | $65.03 | $72.53 | $72.08 | $72.53 |
Substack vs beehiiv, Kit and Ghost: when does a plan cost less?
Card fees are the same on all four, so the choice is Substack's 10% against the price of a plan. At 10,000 subscribers, beehiiv Lite costs $139 a month, so Substack leaves you more until paid subscriptions bring in $1,390 a month; against Ghost Publisher the point is $1,050. Kit's free plan, up to 10,000 subscribers, leaves more than Substack from the first payment.
| Subscribers | beehiiv | Kit | Ghost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $590 a month Lite $59/mo | Never (free plan) Free | $400 a month Publisher $40/mo |
| 2,500 | $790 a month Lite $79/mo | Never (free plan) Free | $550 a month Publisher $55/mo |
| 5,000 | $1,090 a month Lite $109/mo | Never (free plan) Free | $750 a month Publisher $75/mo |
| 10,000 | $1,390 a month Lite $139/mo | Never (free plan) Free | $1,050 a month Publisher $105/mo |
| 25,000 | $1,990 a month Lite $199/mo | $2,117 a month Creator $199/mo | $1,680 a month Publisher $168/mo |
| 50,000 | $2,990 a month Lite $299/mo | $4,032 a month Creator $379/mo | $2,470 a month Publisher $247/mo |
| 100,000 | $4,690 a month Lite $469/mo | $7,223 a month Creator $679/mo | $3,280 a month Publisher $328/mo |
Each cell: the paid revenue a month below which Substack leaves you more than that platform, with the plan it needs, billed monthly. Above that revenue the platform leaves more.
What each platform charges
| Platform | Its cut | Card processing | Plan for paid subscriptions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Substack | 10% | 2.9% + 30¢ | None needed |
| beehiiv | 0% | 2.9% + 30¢ | Lite, from $59 a month |
| Kit | 0.6% | 2.9% + 30¢ | Free up to 10,000 subscribers |
| Ghost | 0% | 2.9% + 30¢* | Publisher, from $40 a month |
* Not stated by Ghost; the Stripe rate beehiiv's page states. Kit's fee is one figure, 3.5% + 30¢, of which it keeps 0.6%.
Substack
No platform fees, no tiers, no contracts—Substack is free to start and free to leave
'Free to start'90% goes to you. The rest powers the platform that supports your work.
'Earn money right away'Writers keep 90% of their revenue minus credit card fees.
Under the earnings calculator (also on substack.com/going-paid)
Substack's page says writers keep 90% 'minus credit card fees' without stating the rate. Its own earnings calculator on the same page takes off 10% plus 2.9% and $0.30 of each monthly payment: every state recorded here reproduces to the dollar as subscribers × (price × 0.871 − 0.30). Source: substack.com/about
beehiiv
No. beehiiv takes 0% of your paid subscription and digital product revenue. You keep what you earn, minus Stripe's standard processing fee of 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction.
Pricing FAQ 'Do you take a cut of my paid subscriptions or product sales?' (also in the page's FAQPage markup)Paid subscriptions
Lite plan card, the first item under 'Everything in Free plan, plus:', followed by '0% take rate'; the Free card doesn't list it
Stated on beehiiv's pricing page. Source: beehiiv.com/pricing
Kit
For any digital products or subscription—inclusive of credit card processing fees, so Kit only takes 0.6% of the total fees.
Compare plans table, 'Low transaction fees' row; the Free, Creator and Pro columns each read '3.5% + 30c'Charge subscribers access to a paid newsletter—monthly, quarterly, or annually.
Compare plans table, 'Run paid newsletters' row: a check icon in the Free, Creator and Pro columns (data-tier="free", "creator", "pro")Free—up to 10,000 subscribers
Free plan card, which also lists 'Sell digital products & subscriptions'
Kit states one all-in fee of 3.5% + 30c that includes card processing, of which Kit keeps 0.6%; the rest (2.9% + 30c) is card processing. Source: kit.com/pricing
Ghost
Process payments for your premium subscriptions without any additional transaction fees from Ghost. Payment processor fees still apply.
Feature comparison, 'Transaction fees' row: Starter 'No', Publisher, Business and Custom '0%'Accept payments from members using Stripe integration.
Feature comparison, 'Paid subscriptions' row: Starter 'No', Publisher, Business and Custom 'Yes'Members are any users who have either a free or paid account on your site with which they can subscribe or log-in, using Ghost's memberships & subscriptions feature.
Feature comparison, 'Registered members' tooltip
Ghost says payment processor fees apply and that payments run through Stripe, but doesn't state the rate. Source: ghost.org/pricing
Fees, Ghost's prices and Substack's calculator read from each platform's own pages on 7 October 2026; beehiiv's and Kit's plan prices on 5 October 2026.
What about Patreon?
Patreon's pricing page says: 10% of the income you earn on Patreon Plus payment processing, currency conversion, and payout fees, and applicable taxes.
That's the same 10% as Substack, but the processing rates are on a help page that blocked us, so Patreon isn't in the calculator.
Quick answers
How much does Substack take?
10% of every paid subscription, and card fees come off as well: Substack's own earnings calculator takes 2.9% plus 30¢ of each monthly payment on top. Of a $7 monthly subscription you keep $5.80; of $10, $8.41. There's no plan to pay for: Substack's page says it is free to start.
Is Substack or beehiiv cheaper for a paid newsletter?
beehiiv takes 0% of subscriptions but paid subscriptions need its Lite plan, $139 a month at 10,000 subscribers. Card fees are the same on both, so at that list size Substack leaves you more until paid subscriptions bring in $1,390 a month, and beehiiv leaves more after that.
Does beehiiv take a cut of paid subscriptions?
No. Its pricing page says: “No. beehiiv takes 0% of your paid subscription and digital product revenue. You keep what you earn, minus Stripe's standard processing fee of 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction.” Paid subscriptions start on the Lite plan, $59 a month at 1,000 subscribers.
What does Kit charge on paid newsletters?
3.5% plus 30¢ of each payment, card processing included; Kit keeps 0.6% of it. Paid newsletters are on every plan, including the free one up to 10,000 subscribers.
Does Ghost charge transaction fees?
No: 0% on the Publisher plan and above, the cheapest Ghost(Pro) plan with paid subscriptions. Publisher costs $40 a month at 1,000 members ($29 a month billed yearly). Payment processor fees still apply.
What does Patreon charge compared with Substack?
Patreon's pricing page says: “10% of the income you earn on Patreon Plus payment processing, currency conversion, and payout fees, and applicable taxes.” That's the same 10% cut, but its processing rates are on a help page we couldn't read, so we don't price Patreon.
Running a free newsletter? Price your list on every platform. Compare Kit vs beehiiv, see beehiiv pricing and Kit pricing at every list size, or the beehiiv alternatives.
Prices checked against each platform's own pricing page on .
Plan features checked against each platform's own pages on .