Pricing
Is Substack free? What Substack costs
By FlockStackPublished
| What it costs | |
|---|---|
| Publishing a free newsletter | Free, at any number of subscribers |
| Substack's fee on paid subscriptions | 10% of each subscription payment |
| Stripe card processing | 2.9% + $0.30 on US cards, per payment |
| Stripe Billing, on recurring payments | 0.7% of each payment |
| Other countries' payment methods | Set by Stripe and varying by country |
| A custom domain, which is optional | $50, once |
Substack is free to publish. It charges nothing to start, and nothing to grow, however many subscribers you have. The cost appears when you turn on paid subscriptions: Substack keeps 10% of what readers pay, and you also pay Stripe's processing fees. All of this is on Substack's help page on its cost, which showed an update in late September 2026 when we read it.
The fees, one by one
Substack's help center lists these, and the table at the top of this page repeats them.
- 10% of subscription revenue, kept by Substack. It applies to paid subscriptions, not to free ones.
- Stripe's card processing, 2.9% + $0.30 per payment on US cards, per Stripe's US pricing. Stripe adds 1.5% for international cards and 1% when the currency has to be converted.
- Stripe Billing, 0.7% on recurring payments, which Substack's page lists as a cost to the creator.
- Local payment methods, priced by Stripe and different in each country.
- A custom domain, $50 once, if you want your own web address. Substack's page marks it optional.
Readers pay no fee on Substack's own web payments. Subscriptions bought in Substack's iOS app can cost more, to cover Apple's fees, and Substack's 10% is based on the web price. The calculation below leaves Apple's fees out.
One month, worked out
Take a newsletter with 500 paying readers at $8 a month. These numbers are an example, not an average. They use the US card rate and the fees listed above, and leave out taxes and Apple's fees.
| Per month | |
|---|---|
| What readers pay | $4,000 |
| Substack's 10% | $400 |
| Stripe card processing: 2.9% ($116) plus $0.30 on 500 payments ($150) | $266 |
| Stripe Billing: 0.7% | $28 |
| Total in fees | $694 |
| What is left | $3,306 |
Substack's 10% is $400 a month, or $4,800 a year, in this example, and it grows with your revenue. Stripe's fees are the same on any platform that takes card payments through Stripe. They come out of every platform's column, so they do not decide which one to pick.
Where the 10% matters, and where it does not
A free newsletter pays Substack nothing, so for a writer with no paid readers, Substack's price is hard to beat, and it brings readers with it. The 10% starts to matter once you earn. Most other platforms charge for the plan instead of taking a share, or as well. On a platform that charges a monthly price, the plan costs the same whether your readers pay you $400 or $4,000. On Substack, the cost rises with revenue.
Whether that is a better deal depends on what you earn and what you get for it. FlockStack vs Substack sets out where each is the better pick, and the Substack alternatives page lists more options with dated prices. The newsletter cost calculator works out your own numbers.
What this post leaves out
It covers what Substack's help center lists, read on October 21, 2026. It does not cover Substack's features, its reader network, or how it handles refunds and tax. Substack can change its fees, so check the help page before you decide. FlockStack is not affiliated with Substack.
Sources
- Substack's help center, How much does Substack cost: free to publish, the 10% fee, Stripe's processing and Billing fees, the optional custom domain and the iOS app note: support.substack.com, checked
- Stripe's pricing: 2.9% + $0.30 per successful domestic card payment for standard US accounts, and the extra charges for international cards and currency conversion: stripe.com, checked
Questions
- Is Substack really free?
- Publishing is free, at any number of subscribers, per Substack's help center on October 21, 2026. The cost comes only if you turn on paid subscriptions, when Substack keeps 10% of what readers pay and Stripe charges its processing fees.
- Does Substack take a cut of a free newsletter?
- No fee on free subscribers is listed on Substack's help page on October 21, 2026. The 10% applies to subscription revenue.
- Who pays Stripe's fees on Substack?
- The creator. Substack's help center lists Stripe's card processing, and Stripe Billing on recurring payments, as costs on top of Substack's 10%. Readers who buy through Substack's iOS app can pay more to cover Apple's fees, and Substack's 10% is based on the web price.
- Is there a way to avoid the 10%?
- Substack's 10% applies to paid subscriptions on Substack. Other platforms charge differently. beehiiv lists a 0% take rate on its paid plans, and FlockStack takes 0% of what readers pay. On those, Stripe's fees still apply, and you pay for the platform.
- What does the newsletter cost calculator show for Substack?
- It shows Substack's 10% of the paid revenue you enter, Stripe's fees on top, and what the other platforms charge for the same list. It leaves out taxes and Apple's fees.
Work out your own month
Enter your subscribers, how often you send and how many readers pay you, and compare the estimates.
Open the calculator