Newsletter Platform Comparison
Substack is built around simple publishing, newsletters, and paid subscriptions with no monthly software fee. GetResponse is a broader email marketing platform with automation, funnels, ecommerce tools, webinars, courses, and premium newsletters.
Last reviewed: August 2026
Choose Substack if you want the simplest way to launch a newsletter without paying a monthly platform fee. Publishing is free even as your audience grows, making Substack especially attractive for beginners and free publications.
Choose GetResponse if you need advanced email marketing, automation, funnels, ecommerce workflows, webinars, courses, or if your paid newsletter generates enough revenue that Substack's percentage-based fee becomes expensive.
| Feature | Substack | GetResponse |
|---|---|---|
| Publishing cost | $0 regardless of subscriber count | Starter from $15.58/mo billed annually |
| Paid newsletters | Yes | Yes, with Creator |
| Platform fee on paid subscriptions | 10% + Stripe processing and Billing fees | 0% + payment processor fees |
| Advanced automation | Limited compared with dedicated email platforms | Strong automation on Marketer and Creator |
| Setup simplicity | Very simple for publishing | More features and configuration |
| Courses and webinars | Not the main focus | Included with Creator |
| Best for | Simple publishing and audience-supported newsletters | Marketing-heavy and creator businesses |
Pricing and fees shown reflect publicly available information reviewed in August 2026. Payment processing fees can vary by country and payment method.
Substack does not charge a monthly software subscription to publish a newsletter. You can publish for free regardless of how many subscribers you have.
When you enable paid subscriptions, Substack takes 10% of each transaction. Stripe also charges its payment processing and recurring Billing fees.
Using standard U.S. card pricing as a reference, NewsletterFit models approximately 13.6% of subscription revenue plus $0.30 per paid transaction.
For up to 1,000 contacts, GetResponse currently starts at $15.58 per month when Starter is billed annually.
Creator is the relevant plan for paid Premium Newsletters. GetResponse does not add a percentage-based transaction fee, although the connected payment processor still charges its normal fees.
Substack is difficult to beat on cost for a straightforward free publication because there is no monthly publishing fee as the subscriber count grows.
GetResponse makes more sense when you are willing to pay for a broader marketing toolkit. Starter includes unlimited monthly email sends, landing pages, signup forms, and basic automation.
If your main objective is simply writing and publishing, Substack's simplicity is a major advantage. If email is part of a larger marketing funnel, GetResponse offers considerably more control.
This is where the economics of the two platforms become very different.
Substack has almost no upfront software cost, but its 10% platform commission means the amount paid to Substack increases directly with your subscription revenue.
GetResponse Creator requires a fixed monthly subscription but does not add its own percentage transaction fee to Premium Newsletter payments. Normal payment processor fees still apply.
For a new paid newsletter with only a small amount of revenue, Substack can initially be cheaper because there is no Creator plan to pay for. As paid revenue grows, the 10% Substack commission can eventually make the fixed-price GetResponse model more attractive.
GetResponse has the clear advantage if automation is important to your business.
Marketer and Creator include unlimited automation workflows, advanced audience segmentation, sales funnels, ecommerce features, abandoned cart recovery, and tools for building more complex customer journeys.
Substack intentionally keeps the publishing workflow simpler. That can be an advantage for writers who do not need sophisticated marketing infrastructure, but it provides less flexibility for advanced lifecycle marketing.
Substack is generally easier to start with because the product is centered around writing, publishing, collecting subscribers, and optionally turning on paid subscriptions.
GetResponse has a larger feature set, so there are more tools, settings, and workflows to configure. That additional complexity is useful when you actually need marketing automation, funnels, ecommerce, courses, or webinars.
There is no single answer because the result depends on your list size, number of paying subscribers, subscription price, growth, and payment processing costs.
Substack's percentage fee is inexpensive when revenue is low, but grows with every additional dollar earned. GetResponse Creator's software cost is mostly fixed within each contact tier, so increasing paid revenue does not create an additional GetResponse percentage fee.
Use NewsletterFit's calculator to model both options using your own subscriber and revenue numbers.
For someone who wants to start publishing immediately with the least cost and complexity, Substack is our preferred starting point.
Choose GetResponse when the newsletter is part of a larger business and you need advanced automation, funnels, ecommerce features, courses, webinars, or when a percentage-based fee becomes expensive as your paid newsletter revenue grows.
NewsletterFit provides estimates based on the information you enter. Always confirm current platform pricing, fees, and payment processing terms before subscribing.