Is Substack Free? What It Really Costs
Yes, Substack is free. It costs $0 to start, $0 to publish, and there’s no monthly fee no matter how big your list gets. You only pay when readers pay you: Substack keeps 10% of paid subscriptions, and Stripe takes a small card fee. The only other cost is an optional $50 custom domain, and I never bought one.
Substack’s pricing in one sentence
They make money when you make money. Not before.You never pay Substack out of your own pocket. They only take a cut of money your readers send you.
That’s the whole model. No plans, no tiers, no “upgrade to unlock.” Substack’s help center says publishing is free “no matter how many subscribers you have.” Writing posts, sending emails, Notes, podcasts, and video are all included.
Once you turn on paid subscriptions, three fees come out of each payment: Substack’s 10%, Stripe’s card fee of 2.9% plus $0.30, and a 0.7% Stripe billing fee on recurring payments.
Stripe fees can be different for international cards and non-card payment methods. Everything here is before taxes.
How much does Substack cost?
Here’s every cost a writer can run into on Substack, and when you actually pay it.
| What | Cost | When you pay it |
|---|---|---|
| Starting a publication | $0 | Never |
| Publishing posts, Notes, podcasts, video | $0 | Never |
| Sending emails to any size list | $0 | Never |
| Substack platform fee | 10% of paid subscriptions | Only when a reader pays you |
| Stripe card fee | 2.9% + $0.30 per payment | Only when a reader pays you |
| Stripe billing fee | 0.7% of recurring payments | Only on monthly or yearly renewals |
| Custom domain (optional) | $50, one time | Only if you want your own .com |
I never paid for the custom domain. My Substack, The Real Time Creator, still runs at loriballen.substack.com, and it earned Substack’s Bestseller badge four months after my first paid subscriber. Skip the domain until you’re making money.
What you actually keep at each price
Stripe’s flat $0.30 hits every payment, so cheap monthly plans lose the most. Substack’s minimum price is $5 a month or $30 a year.
| Price | Substack (10%) | Stripe fees | You keep | Lost to fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $5 a month | $0.50 | $0.48 | $4.02 | about 20% |
| $10 a month | $1.00 | $0.66 | $8.34 | about 17% |
| $50 a year | $5.00 | $2.10 | $42.90 | about 14% |
| $80 a year | $8.00 | $3.18 | $68.82 | about 14% |
Stripe fees include the 2.9% + $0.30 card fee and the 0.7% billing fee, for a standard U.S. card. The lesson: offer an annual plan, and don’t price a monthly plan much under $8.
Is Substack free for readers, writers, and everyone else?
Tap any card to open it up.
Is Substack free for readers?
Yes. Reading free posts, following writers, and using the Substack app cost nothing. If you want a writer’s paid posts, you pay the price that writer sets, usually monthly or yearly.
Substack’s help center says it won’t charge readers any extra fees on top of that price.
Is Substack free for writers?
Yes. You can build a list of thousands of readers without paying a cent. I had more than 7,500 subscribers on my Substack and never paid a monthly fee.
You only start paying once you turn on paid subscriptions and someone actually subscribes. Then Substack and Stripe take their cut from that payment, and the rest lands in your account.
The costs nobody lists
Your time is the real price. Posts, Notes, and replies add up to hours every week.
Taxes come out of what you keep, since Substack income is self-employment income in the U.S.
Add-on tools like design apps or schedulers are optional. You can run a Substack with nothing but Substack.
Is Substack worth the 10%?
For me, yes. My Substack brings in about $23,000 a year in gross revenue, so Substack’s 10% is about $2,300 a year.
For that I get email sending, a website, payments, an app, and a discovery network. More than 100 of my paid subscribers found me through Substack Notes. I couldn’t buy that reach for $2,300. See the full breakdown in how to make money on Substack: my real numbers.
Is Substack still cheap when you grow?
Substack’s percentage fee is a great deal early and a bigger bill later. Here’s how it plays out.
$0 to a few hundred dollars a month. You pay nothing while you build, and a tiny cut once money shows up. Flat-fee platforms charge you every month whether you earn or not.
If you’re just starting, Substack is the cheapest place to be.
$1,000 to $2,000 a month. Substack’s 10% is $100 to $200 a month. That’s where I am, and I keep paying it because Notes and the Substack app bring me most of my paid readers.
If your readers mostly find you inside Substack, the fee is paying for itself.
$5,000 a month and up. Substack’s 10% is $500 a month or more. This is where some big writers move to flat-fee platforms.
Before you move, ask one question: how many of my paid readers came from Substack itself? I compare the options in the best newsletter platforms for beginners.
How to start a Substack for $0
Check these off as you go. Nothing here costs money.
“Substack doesn’t cost you anything until it pays you.”— Lori Ballen
Frequently asked questions
Is Substack free?
Yes. Substack is free to start and free to publish, with no monthly fee at any list size. Substack only charges a 10% fee on paid subscriptions, plus Stripe’s card fees, when readers pay you.
Is Substack free for readers?
Yes. Reading free posts and using the Substack app are free. Paid posts cost whatever the writer charges, and Substack adds no extra fees for readers.
Does Substack cost money to start?
No. Creating a Substack, publishing posts, and emailing subscribers all cost $0. The only optional upfront cost is a $50 one-time custom domain.
How much does Substack take from paid subscriptions?
Substack takes 10% of each payment. Stripe charges 2.9% plus $0.30 per payment and a 0.7% billing fee on recurring payments. On a $10 monthly subscription, you keep about $8.34.
What’s the minimum price on Substack?
The minimum is $5 a month or $30 a year for U.S.-dollar accounts. You can also offer a founding member plan at any higher price.
Do I need a custom domain?
No. A custom domain costs $50 one time, but it’s optional. My Substack still uses its free substack.com address and became a Bestseller.
Is Substack worth it?
For most new writers, yes, because it costs nothing until you earn. My Substack brings in about $23,000 a year in gross revenue, and Substack’s share is about $2,300 of that.
The 3-Bucket Business Field Notes
The simple way I run a one-person business in three buckets so it keeps working without me chasing every shiny thing. Enter your email and I will send the field notes.
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How to Start a Substack
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My Substack Paywall Strategy
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My honest breakdown after the first four months.
Substack is free. Figuring it out alone doesn’t have to be the hard part.
Inside Substack SKOOL, my community for Substack creators, we build Substacks together: real Notes, real pricing, real numbers.
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