E-commerce & Seller Fees
Substack Fees verified 2026-08-06Substack Fee Calculator
Substack's headline is 10%, but Stripe quietly adds 3.6% + $0.30 on every payment — so a $5/month subscriber really costs you ~20%, and even a $10 one ~17%. Annual billing claws some of it back. Enter your price to see your true take rate, monthly vs annual, across your whole subscriber base.
For estimation only — not financial advice. Verify current fees and rates with the official source before making decisions.
The method
How it works
Substack's 10% is the number everyone knows. The one that surprises writers at payout is Stripe's cut on top of it:
- Substack platform fee: 10% — flat, monthly or annual, no tiers, no monthly cost.
- Stripe: 3.6% + $0.30 — 2.9% + $0.30 standard, plus a 0.7% recurring-billing fee Substack doesn't spell out.
So a $10/month subscription loses $1.66, not $1.00 — you keep $8.34. The fixed $0.30 is the sting on small, frequent payments: at $5/month your real take rate is ~20%.
Annual billing is the lever. The percentages are identical, but a monthly plan pays that $0.30 twelve times a year while an annual plan pays it once. On the same $120/year subscriber, annual billing keeps $3.30 more than 12 monthly charges. Toggle annual above, and use the subscriber field to scale it across your list.
Worked example
You have a $10/month paid Substack newsletter.
- Subscription price
- $10.00
- Substack platform fee (10%)
- $1.00
- Stripe processing (2.9% + $0.30 + 0.7% billing)
- $0.66
- Total fees
- $1.66
You keep $8.34 per monthly subscriber
Guide
About the Substack Fee calculator
In one screen:
- 10% is only Substack's cut. Stripe adds 3.6% + $0.30 on every payment — 2.9% + $0.30 standard plus a 0.7% recurring-billing fee.
- Real take: ~14% annual, ~17–20% on small monthly subs. The fixed $0.30 dominates cheap, frequent payments.
- Annual billing wins. Same percentages, but the $0.30 fires once a year instead of 12× — worth $3.30/subscriber on a $120 plan.
- No monthly fee, no tiers. You pay only when a reader pays you.
Why "10%" is really 14–20%.
The 10% you read about is Substack's platform fee. Stripe takes a separate 3.6% + $0.30 to run the card, and that fixed 30 cents is a big slice of a small monthly charge. Here's what you actually keep:
| Subscription | You keep | Effective fee |
|---|---|---|
| $5 / month | $4.02 | ~20% |
| $8 / month | $6.61 | ~17% |
| $10 / month | $8.34 | ~17% |
| $50 / year | $42.90 | ~14% |
| $100 / year | $86.10 | ~14% |
Monthly subscribers priced under $10 are where the gap is widest — plan for ~17–20%, not 10%. The calculator shows the exact figure for your price and subscriber count.
Monthly vs annual: the hidden $0.30 tax.
The percentages are identical monthly or annual — the difference is purely that fixed 30 cents. A monthly subscriber pays it 12 times a year; an annual subscriber pays it once. On the same $120/year subscriber:
| Same $120/year | Fees | You keep | Effective |
|---|---|---|---|
| Billed monthly ($10 × 12) | $19.92 | $100.08 | ~17% |
| Billed annually ($120) | $16.62 | $103.38 | ~14% |
That's $3.30 more per subscriber, per year, for nothing but the billing cadence — and it compounds across your list. It's why most established writers nudge readers toward the annual plan (usually by pricing it at ~10 months' worth).
The 0.7% fee nobody mentions.
In July 2024 Stripe added a 0.7% recurring-billing fee on every subscription charge — the fee Substack's own pricing page glosses over. Accounts created before then kept the old 0.5% rate until 30 June 2025; everyone is on 0.7% now. Combined with base processing, the full Stripe cost is 3.6% + $0.30, and this calculator includes it by default. If a "Substack takes 10%" claim surprised you at payout time, this is usually why.
Substack vs Patreon vs Ghost.
| Platform | Platform fee | Processing | Monthly cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Substack | 10% | + 3.6% + $0.30 | None |
| Patreon Lite | 5% | + ~2.9% + $0.30 | None |
| Patreon Pro | 8% | + processing | None |
| Ghost | 0% | + Stripe (paid to you) | $9+/mo hosting |
| Ko-fi (memberships) | 5% | + Stripe | None |
Substack is rarely the cheapest — Patreon at 5% (Lite) and Ko-fi memberships at 5% both undercut it. What you pay the extra for is the bundle: newsletter delivery, the Substack app, recommendations, and its discovery network. Ghost flips the model — 0% platform fee, but you pay flat monthly hosting, so it only wins once your revenue is high enough that 10% would exceed the hosting bill.
How many subscribers to make $1,000/month?
At $10/month you keep $8.34 after fees, so you need about 120 paid subscribers to net $1,000/month ($1,000 ÷ $8.34 ≈ 120). At $5/month you keep $4.02, so you need about 249. Pricing higher, or converting readers to annual, lowers the count you need. Use the subscriber field above to model your own mix.
Is there a monthly fee?
No. Substack has no writer subscription, setup fee, or tier upgrades. Publishing free posts and growing an audience costs nothing; the 10% (plus Stripe) applies only once you turn on paid subscriptions and a reader pays.
Where these rates come from.
The 10% platform fee is from Substack's own support docs; the Stripe 2.9% + $0.30 base and the 0.7% recurring-billing fee are from Stripe's Billing pricing — all re-checked 2026-08-06. This models USD subscriptions paid on US cards, so international card surcharges and currency conversion aren't in the figure. Check the linked sources before you set a price.
Keep calculating
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Frequently asked questions
Is Substack's fee really 10%?+
10% is Substack's cut, not your total cost — Stripe adds 2.9% + $0.30 plus a 0.7% recurring-billing fee on every payment. Combined that's about 13.6% + $0.30, so a $10/month subscriber nets you $8.34 (~17%), and smaller monthly prices lose even more to the fixed $0.30.
What are Substack fees on a $10/month subscription?+
On a $10/month subscription: Substack takes $1.00 (10%), Stripe charges $0.66 (3.6% + $0.30 including the recurring billing fee), total fees are $1.66, and you keep $8.34. The effective take rate is 16.6% — higher than the headline 10% because of the processing fees.
Does Substack charge fees on annual subscriptions?+
Yes — Substack charges the same 10% on annual payments as monthly ones. Stripe also charges 3.6% + $0.30 on the full annual payment. The financial advantage of annual subscriptions is that the $0.30 fixed Stripe fee fires once per year rather than 12 times for monthly. On a $100 annual subscription, total fees are $13.90 and you keep $86.10.
What is the Stripe recurring billing fee on Substack?+
Stripe added a 0.7% Billing fee in July 2024 for all recurring/subscription charges. Combined with Stripe's standard 2.9% processing fee, the full Stripe component is 3.6% + $0.30 per transaction. This 0.7% billing fee is often missed in Substack fee discussions but is a real cost that the calculator includes.
How does Substack compare to Patreon for fees?+
Substack charges a flat 10% on all paid subscriptions with no monthly fee. Patreon charges 5% (Lite), 8% (Pro), or 12% (Premium) plus payment processing (about 2.9% + $0.30). For most creators, Patreon Lite at 5% + processing is cheaper than Substack's 10% + processing. The trade-off is that Substack provides email/newsletter infrastructure and discoverability that Patreon doesn't. For content-focused writers, Substack's integrated platform may offset the higher fee.
Is there a monthly fee for Substack?+
No — publishing, building a list, and staying on the platform cost writers nothing; the 10% (plus Stripe) applies only when a reader pays. If you want to keep more of what they pay, nudge subscribers toward annual billing — it pays the fixed $0.30 once a year instead of twelve times, worth about $3.30 per subscriber.
How many subscribers do I need to make $1,000/month on Substack?+
At $10/month per subscriber, you keep $8.34 after fees. To net $1,000/month, you need approximately 120 paid subscribers ($1,000 ÷ $8.34 ≈ 119.9). At $5/month, you keep $4.02 per subscriber and need about 249 subscribers. Use the subscriber count field in the calculator above to model any combination of price and subscriber count.
Sources & methodology
- Substack — How much does Substack cost?
- Substack — Going paid
- Stripe — Billing pricing (recurring billing fee)
Written & verified by Deep Kakadiya, Founder & developer, Trilumos. Last updated 2026-08-08.