Why do Stripe fees not change the break-even point?

Every platform in this comparison charges paid subscriptions through Stripe at the same standard rate (2.9% + $0.30 per US card charge). Because that cost is identical on Substack and on the alternative, it cancels out. The only differences are Substack's 10% revenue share versus the other platform's plan price and its own percentage fee (0.6% for Kit, 0% for the others).

How is the break-even revenue calculated?

Break-even monthly paid revenue = the other platform's fixed monthly cost (cheapest plan that supports paid subscriptions at your list size, plus any paid add-on) divided by (10% minus that platform's own percentage fee). Above that revenue, the flat-priced platform costs less than Substack's 10%.

Why does Kit show as cheaper from the first dollar?

Kit's pricing page lists a Free plan for up to 10,000 subscribers that includes selling subscriptions, with transaction fees of 3.5% + 30c inclusive of card processing (0.6% for Kit). With a $0 plan and a 0.6% fee, it costs less than a 10% share at any revenue while your list stays within 10,000 subscribers. Above that, Kit's paid Creator plan applies and there is a real break-even point. Feature limits apply on the Free plan; check Kit's page for what it includes.

Substack 10% fee break-even calculator

Substack costs nothing until you earn, then keeps 10% of paid revenue. Flat-priced platforms charge a plan fee whether you earn or not. This calculator finds the monthly paid revenue at which each alternative becomes the cheaper option at your list size. Prices last checked 2026-10-19.

1,000 subscribers · 50 paying at $8.00/mo = $400.00/mo · Substack's 10% = $40.00/mo. Cheaper than Substack at this revenue: Kit, MailerLite, Buttondown, Ghost (Pro).

Disclosure: links to platforms go through /go/ redirects. Some may become affiliate links, which would pay us a commission at no cost to you. That never changes the numbers or the order of results. Full disclosure.

Monthly paid revenue at which each platform becomes cheaper than Substack, lowest first
Platform	Cheapest paid plan	Fixed cost / month	Cheaper than Substack above	Paying readers needed	vs Substack now	Data
Kit	Free (up to 10,000)	$0.00	From the first $1	Any	$37.60 cheaper $451.20/yr	Verified Details & sources All figures in this row were read on the official page. Sources: kit.com, help.kit.com Visit Kit (opens in a new tab)
MailerLite	Comfort (up to 1,000)	$17.10	$171.00/mo $2,052.00/yr	22 2.2% of list	$22.90 cheaper $274.80/yr	Has unverified figures Details & sources Plan price at this list size comes from a third-party source and is not yet confirmed on the official pricing page. Yearly price derived from the month-to-month price minus 10% yearly discount. Platform fee on paid revenue is not explicitly stated on the official site. Sources: emailoctopus.com, emailforbeginners.com Visit MailerLite (opens in a new tab)
Buttondown	Standard (up to 1,000)	$18.00	$180.00/mo $2,160.00/yr	23 2.3% of list	$22.00 cheaper $264.00/yr	Has unverified figures Details & sources Plan price at this list size comes from a third-party source and is not yet confirmed on the official pricing page. No yearly-billing price found; month-to-month price used. Platform fee on paid revenue is not explicitly stated on the official site. Sources: buttondown.com, sequenzy.com Visit Buttondown (opens in a new tab)
Ghost (Pro)	Publisher (up to 1,000)	$29.00	$290.00/mo $3,480.00/yr	37 3.7% of list	$11.00 cheaper $132.00/yr	Verified Details & sources All figures in this row were read on the official page. Sources: ghost.org, ghost.org, luxethemes.com Visit Ghost (Pro) (opens in a new tab)
beehiiv	Lite (up to 1,000)	$49.00	$490.00/mo $5,880.00/yr	62 6.2% of list	$9.00 dearer $108.00/yr	Verified Details & sources All figures in this row were read on the official page. Sources: beehiiv.com, beehiiv.com Visit beehiiv (opens in a new tab)

Sorted by break-even revenue, lowest first, computed only from the numbers. “Fixed cost” is the cheapest plan that supports paid subscriptions at your list size (plus Buttondown's paid add-on); yearly prices are shown per month. Stripe card fees are the same on every platform and cancel out (see below). Feature differences, Substack's discovery network and your time are not priced in. Want the full bill instead? Use the true cost calculator or the revenue calculator.

The formula

On Substack your extra cost is 10% × paid revenue. On a flat-priced platform it is plan price + that platform's % × paid revenue. Card processing (Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 per US charge) is paid on both, at the same rate, so it drops out. Setting the two equal gives:

break-even monthly revenue = fixed monthly cost ÷ (10% − platform %)

Example from the default inputs: Ghost (Pro) Publisher for up to 1,000 members is $29.00/month billed yearly. $29.00 ÷ 10% = $290.00 of paid revenue a month. Above that, Substack's 10% costs more than Ghost's plan.

Break-even revenue at common list sizes

Monthly paid revenue above which each platform is cheaper than Substack, platform billed yearly. * = includes a figure not yet confirmed on the official page. “n/a” = no self-serve plan in our data at that size.

Platform	1,000 subs	2,500 subs	5,000 subs	10,000 subs	25,000 subs	50,000 subs
beehiiv	$490.00	$690.00 *	$950.00 *	$1,190.00 *	$1,690.00 *	$2,490.00 *
Kit	$0 (always)	$0 (always)	$0 (always)	$0 (always)	$1,764.15 *	$4,031.91 *
Ghost (Pro)	$290.00	$630.00 *	$630.00 *	$880.00 *	$1,410.00 *	$2,080.00 *
Buttondown	$180.00 *	$380.00 *	$380.00 *	$880.00 *	n/a	n/a
MailerLite	$171.00 *	$297.00 *	$441.00 *	$801.00 *	$1,611.00 *	$2,871.00 *

Where our data lacks an exact tier for a list size, the next known tier up is used, so the real break-even may be lower. Details per row are in the calculator above.

Questions

Why do Stripe fees not change the break-even point?: Every platform in this comparison charges paid subscriptions through Stripe at the same standard rate (2.9% + $0.30 per US card charge). Because that cost is identical on Substack and on the alternative, it cancels out. The only differences are Substack's 10% revenue share versus the other platform's plan price and its own percentage fee (0.6% for Kit, 0% for the others).
How is the break-even revenue calculated?: Break-even monthly paid revenue = the other platform's fixed monthly cost (cheapest plan that supports paid subscriptions at your list size, plus any paid add-on) divided by (10% minus that platform's own percentage fee). Above that revenue, the flat-priced platform costs less than Substack's 10%.
Why does Kit show as cheaper from the first dollar?: Kit's pricing page lists a Free plan for up to 10,000 subscribers that includes selling subscriptions, with transaction fees of 3.5% + 30c inclusive of card processing (0.6% for Kit). With a $0 plan and a 0.6% fee, it costs less than a 10% share at any revenue while your list stays within 10,000 subscribers. Above that, Kit's paid Creator plan applies and there is a real break-even point. Feature limits apply on the Free plan; check Kit's page for what it includes.

What this does not tell you

Substack has no plan fee, so for a free newsletter it costs $0. The break-even only matters once you charge.
Substack's reader network and app may bring subscribers you would not get elsewhere. That can be worth more than the fee difference; this calculator cannot price it.
Moving platforms takes time, and paid-subscriber transfers depend on Stripe. Read each platform's own migration docs.