Substack 10% + Stripe Fee Break-Even Calculator
Substack actually costs ~13.6% + $0.30 per paid renewal once Stripe and Stripe Billing fees are included. Find when beehiiv or Ghost saves thousands.
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beehiiv
Launch (Free) & Scale Plan
$49 /mo
$588/yr bill
Ghost(Pro)
Creator Plan (0% Member Fee)
$95 /mo
$1,140/yr bill
Kit (ConvertKit)
Newsletter (Free) & Creator Plan
$132 /mo
$1,578/yr bill
Substack
10% Paid Revenue Share
$150 /mo
$1,800/yr bill
tier_takeaway.note
The moment your paid newsletter exceeds $490/month in gross subscription revenue (~49 readers at $10/mo), Substack 10% costs more than beehiiv Scale ($49/mo).
Subscriber tier price curve (1,000 to 100,000 contacts)
Monthly base subscription rates as your email list grows—check steep bracket jumps before migrating.
| Platform | 1,000 | 5,000 | 10,000 | 25,000 | 50,000 | 100,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Substack +10% paid rev cut | $0/mo | $0/mo | $0/mo | $0/mo | $0/mo | $0/mo |
| beehiiv | $0/mo | $49/mo | $79/mo | $119/mo | $199/mo | $299/mo |
| Ghost(Pro) | $31/mo | $95/mo | $149/mo | $249/mo | $399/mo | $649/mo |
| Kit (ConvertKit) +3.5% paid rev cut | $29/mo | $79/mo | $119/mo | $199/mo | $319/mo | $579/mo |
Substack billing details
Best for: Writers starting with zero audience who value Substack app network recommendations
Free if you never charge readers, but once you turn on paid subscriptions, Substack takes 10% forever PLUS ~3.6% + $0.30 Stripe + Billing fees.
beehiiv billing details
Best for: Media brands and paid newsletters scaling via ad network, boosts, and 0% subscription cuts
0% cut on paid memberships (only standard Stripe fees apply), making it thousands cheaper than Substack once paid subs grow.
Ghost(Pro) billing details
Best for: Independent publishers combining an SEO blog CMS + paid member paywalls with 0% revenue cut
0% fee on paid memberships, though custom themes above Starter require the Creator tier.
Kit (ConvertKit) billing details
Best for: Course creators, authors, and coaches needing multi-sequence automations and digital product sales
Newsletter plan is $0 up to 10,000 subscribers (limited to 1 basic sequence); multi-step automations require the Creator plan above.
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Common questions
What is the cheapest email platform here at 5,000 subscribers?
At 5,000 contacts (150 paid members at $10/mo), beehiiv costs $49.00/month compared to $150.00/month on Substack—saving $1212/year.
Why do some email tools bill for unsubscribed contacts?
Audience-based tools like Mailchimp and Klaviyo count active or unarchived profiles toward your tier bracket, whereas send-volume tools like Brevo store contacts free and bill only for monthly emails sent.
When does Substack 10% become more expensive than beehiiv or Ghost?
Once gross paid subscription revenue crosses ~$490/month (49 subscribers paying $10/mo), Substack's 10% platform fee exceeds a flat $49/month beehiiv Scale subscription—and the gap widens with every new paid reader.
