Substack alternatives for writers: what each one takes
On Substack, “writers keep 90% of their revenue minus credit card fees” (Substack). Platforms with a monthly fee and 0% take become cheaper once your paid revenue is more than ten times that fee.
Break-even: monthly paid revenue where Substack's 10% costs more
Our arithmetic: monthly plan price × 10. Below this revenue Substack's 10% is cheaper; above it, the flat-fee platform is. Card processing fees apply on every platform and aren't included.
| Platform | 1,000 subscribers | 5,000 subscribers | 10,000 subscribers | Platform fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ghost(Pro) Publisher | $35/mo → break-even $350/mo ≈ £261 of revenue | $75/mo → break-even $750/mo ≈ £560 of revenue | $105/mo → break-even $1,050/mo ≈ £783 of revenue | 0% Ghost transaction fee source |
| beehiiv Lite | $59/mo → break-even $590/mo ≈ £440 of revenue | $109/mo → break-even $1,090/mo ≈ £813 of revenue | $139/mo → break-even $1,390/mo ≈ £1037 of revenue | 0% take rate source |
| Buttondown + paid subscriptions add-on | $18/mo → break-even $180/mo ≈ £134 of revenue | $38/mo → break-even $380/mo ≈ £284 of revenue | $88/mo → break-even $880/mo ≈ £657 of revenue | Plan price plus the +$9/month paid-subscriptions add-on source |
Prices are monthly unless marked. Dollar prices are converted at $1 = £0.74617 (ECB reference rate, 21 Oct 2026) (ECB) and rounded, so treat “≈ £” as approximate; your card may charge a different rate or a foreign-transaction fee. VAT may be added. Prices checked 22 Oct 2026 on each vendor's pricing page.
Example: with 1,000 subscribers on beehiiv Lite at $59 a month, you'd need more than $590 a month in paid subscriptions before beehiiv costs less than Substack's 10%.
Other writer-friendly options
- Kit (formerly ConvertKit): free up to 10,000 subscribers; shows 3.5% + 30c on sales (Kit).
- MailerLite: lists paid newsletters as a feature, from $12 a month at 500 subscribers (MailerLite).
- Paragraph: free plan for newsletters and blogs.
- Ghost self-hosted: MIT-licensed and free if you run your own server.
We use beehiiv for our own newsletter; that doesn't change the facts above.