Substack Fee Calculator (2026)
Substack keeps 10% of paid subscription revenue. Stripe then charges 2.9% + $0.30 per payment for US cards plus a 0.7% recurring-billing fee. Free publications pay nothing.
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Substack fees at a glance
| Fee | Rate | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Substack fee | 10% | subscription payment. 10% of subscription revenue on every paid subscription payment. |
| Stripe card processing | 2.9% + $0.30 | subscription payment. 2.9% + $0.30 per payment for US cards, charged by Stripe. |
| Stripe recurring billing fee | 0.7% | subscription payment. 0.7% of each recurring subscription payment (Stripe Billing, as of July 2024). |
Worked example
An $8 monthly subscription pays Substack 10% ($0.80). Stripe takes 2.9% of $8 ($0.232) plus $0.30, which rounds to $0.53, and a 0.7% billing fee of $0.056, which rounds to $0.06. Total fees are $1.39, so you keep $6.61 per subscriber per month; with no cost, profit is $6.61.
How Substack fees work
Substack is a newsletter and publishing platform. Writers, podcasters, and video creators post for free or behind a paywall, and readers pay a monthly or annual subscription through Stripe. Publishing is free at any subscriber count; Substack only earns when you do.
When you turn on paid subscriptions, Substack keeps 10% of subscription revenue. On top of that, Stripe, the payment processor Substack uses, charges 2.9% + $0.30 per payment for US cards and a 0.7% fee on recurring payments (the rate Substack cites as of July 2024). Together that is roughly 13.6% + $0.30 of every charge.
On an $8 monthly subscription, that works out to $0.80 for Substack and about $0.59 for Stripe, leaving $6.61. On an $80 annual subscription the fixed 30 cents is paid once instead of twelve times, so you keep about $68.82.
Two details matter for pricing. First, readers who subscribe inside the iOS app pay through Apple; Substack's 10% is still based on your web price, and you choose whether in-app prices go up to cover Apple's fees. Second, Stripe's fees depend on the country of your Stripe account and the payment method, so non-card methods and foreign cards can cost more.
- Substack platform fee: 10% of subscription revenue, taken from every paid subscription payment, monthly or annual. Free subscribers cost nothing, and there is no fee to publish.
- Stripe card processing: 2.9% + $0.30 per payment for US cards. This is Stripe's charge, not Substack's, and is deducted from each payment before it reaches your Stripe balance.
- Stripe recurring billing fee: 0.7% of each recurring payment, the rate Substack cites as of July 2024. Substack subscriptions bill automatically, so this applies to subscription charges.
- Non-card payment methods: Stripe's rates vary by method and by the country of your Stripe account. Substack's examples for US accounts include iDEAL at 80 cents, Bancontact at 1.4% + 30 cents, and SEPA Direct Debit at 0.8% + 30 cents capped at $6.00.
- Currency conversion: Stripe charges a 1% to 2% fee when a payment is converted into your payout currency.
- iOS in-app purchases: Substack's 10% is based on your web price. You can choose "Adjust prices for in-app purchases" so that in-app prices rise to cover Apple's fees, or keep prices the same and absorb them.
- Custom domain: an optional one-time $50 charge, separate from the per-payment fees.
Ways to keep more of each Substack sale
- Push annual plans. A $50 annual subscription pays the $0.30 Stripe fixed fee once; twelve $5 monthly payments pay it twelve times ($3.60), so annual billing nets more per year at the same price.
- Avoid very low monthly prices. On a $3 monthly subscription the fixed 30 cents alone is 10% of the price, so total fees run about 23.6%; at $8 they run about 17.4%.
- Turn on "Adjust prices for in-app purchases" if many readers subscribe on iPhone, so Apple's cut is added to the in-app price instead of coming out of your payout.
- Keep your Stripe account in the US. Stripe's rates for non-card methods and cross-border payments depend on where the account is registered, and US card rates are the ones Substack quotes.
- Use the free tier as your funnel. Free subscribers cost nothing, so a large free list only costs you when readers convert.
Substack fee FAQ
How much does Substack take from a $5 subscription?
Substack keeps $0.50 (10%). Stripe takes about $0.45 (2.9% + $0.30) plus $0.04 (0.7% billing fee), so you keep roughly $4.01 of a $5 monthly payment.
Does Substack charge a monthly fee?
No. Publishing is free no matter how many subscribers you have. Substack only takes 10% of paid subscription revenue, and Stripe charges per payment.
Does Substack's 10% include Stripe fees?
No. Stripe's processing fees (2.9% + $0.30 per payment for US cards plus a 0.7% recurring billing fee) are charged on top of Substack's 10%.
What percentage does Substack take in total?
About 13.6% + $0.30 per payment: 10% to Substack, 2.9% + $0.30 to Stripe for the card, and 0.7% to Stripe for recurring billing. The exact share depends on the price because of the fixed 30 cents.
Does Substack take a fee on free subscribers?
No. Fees only apply to paid subscription payments. A publication with 10,000 free subscribers and no paid tier costs nothing.
How are fees handled for iPhone app subscriptions?
Readers who subscribe through the iOS app pay via Apple. Substack's 10% is based on your web price, and you can choose to raise in-app prices to cover Apple's fees or keep them the same.
Is there a fee for a custom domain on Substack?
Yes, a one-time $50 charge. It is optional and separate from the per-payment fees.
Good to know
Recent fee changes
- 2024-07-01Substack's cost article cites Stripe's recurring billing fee at 0.7% as of July 2024 (previously listed as 0.5%).
Sources
- Substack Help: How much does Substack cost? (accessed Sep 29, 2026)
- Substack Help: How can readers pay for a subscription on my Substack publication? (accessed Sep 29, 2026)
Rates are read from the pages above and re-checked on a schedule. If you find a rate that has changed, tell us and we'll fix it.