Free Calculator · Updated September 2026
Substack Fee Calculator: See How Much Substack Takes
Calculate Substack's platform fee and estimated Stripe fees based on your paid subscribers and subscription price.
Calculate your Substack fees
Estimate how much Substack and Stripe could take from your paid newsletter revenue.
Estimated annual fees
$1,666
About 17.4% of your gross paid revenue
Gross annual revenue
$9,600
Estimated revenue after fees
$7,934
Estimate uses Substack's standard 10% platform fee and standard U.S. Stripe card pricing. Actual fees can vary by country, payment method, currency and other factors.
Why does this matter?
Substack is free to publish on, but paid newsletters normally pay a percentage of subscription revenue. As your paid newsletter grows, that percentage can become a meaningful expense.
Could another platform cost less?
Potentially. NewsletterFit compares Substack with Beehiiv, Kit and Ghost using your audience size, paid subscribers and expected growth.
Compare My Platforms →This calculator currently uses standard U.S. Stripe card pricing. Fees can differ by country and payment method. Some countries may also have temporary exceptions to Substack's standard application fee.
NewsletterFit is an independent comparison tool and is not affiliated with Substack or Stripe.
How the Substack fee calculation works
Substack currently charges creators 10% of paid subscription transactions. Payment processing is handled separately by Stripe, so your total cost is higher than the 10% platform fee alone.
NewsletterFit uses your number of paid subscribers and subscription price to estimate monthly subscription revenue and fees. Actual payment-processing costs can vary by country, currency and payment method.
Source: Substack official fee documentation.
How much does Substack take?
Substack takes 10% of every paid subscription transaction. Payment processing fees from Stripe are charged separately, so the amount you actually keep is lower than 90% of gross subscription revenue.
The percentage becomes increasingly important as your paid newsletter grows. A creator making $500 per month pays $50 per month to Substack before Stripe fees. At $5,000 per month, the Substack platform fee alone reaches $500 every month.
Substack fee examples
| Example | Monthly revenue | Substack 10% fee | Revenue after Substack fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 paid subscribers × $5 | $500 | $50 | $450 before Stripe |
| 100 paid subscribers × $10 | $1,000 | $100 | $900 before Stripe |
| 500 paid subscribers × $5 | $2,500 | $250 | $2,250 before Stripe |
| 500 paid subscribers × $10 | $5,000 | $500 | $4,500 before Stripe |
| 1,000 paid subscribers × $10 | $10,000 | $1,000 | $9,000 before Stripe |
These examples show Substack's 10% platform fee only. Stripe payment-processing fees are additional and can vary.
What does Substack cost per month?
Publishing a free newsletter on Substack does not require a monthly software subscription. The main cost starts when you enable paid subscriptions: Substack takes 10% of each paid transaction instead of charging creators a fixed monthly platform fee.
That can be inexpensive when paid revenue is very small, but the cost scales directly with your income. At $10,000 in monthly paid subscription revenue, the Substack platform fee alone is $1,000 per month.
Substack fees vs Beehiiv
Substack uses a percentage-based model, while Beehiiv's paid plans use a fixed subscription price and take 0% of paid subscription revenue. This means the cheaper option can change as your newsletter starts generating more money.
See our Beehiiv vs Substack fee and break-even comparison to see where the economics begin to change.
Substack fees FAQ
What percentage does Substack take?
Substack takes 10% of paid subscription transactions. Stripe payment-processing fees are charged separately.
Is Substack free?
Substack is free for creators publishing free newsletters. Fees begin when you monetize through paid subscriptions.
How much does Substack take from $1,000?
Substack's 10% platform fee on $1,000 of paid subscription revenue is $100. Stripe fees are additional.
How much does Substack take from $10,000?
At $10,000 in paid subscription revenue, Substack's 10% platform fee is $1,000 before Stripe processing fees.
Fee information reviewed in September 2026. Platform and payment-processing fees can change.