Substack for memberships
A free publishing platform with paid subscriptions, a large built-in reader network, and a 10% cut of everything you earn.
What Substack is
Substack is a free publishing platform that takes 10% of paid subscription revenue. In exchange you get sending infrastructure, a payments setup, an app, and a recommendation network that actively finds you readers.
Who it’s best for
Writers without an audience yet. The discovery network is a real advantage, and 10% of nothing is nothing.
- Writers starting from a small or non-existent audience
- Anyone who values discovery over margin
- Newsletters that want zero fixed cost while they find out if this works
Who should avoid it
Writers who already have an audience and can convert it themselves. At that point the 10% is buying something you no longer need.
- Established newsletters earning enough that 10% is a large number
- Course, coaching, and community businesses
- Anyone who needs the product to carry their own brand
Membership models it supports
Not every platform suits every kind of membership. These are the models we consider it a genuine option for.
- Newsletter or written membership
- Podcast membership
- Creator or fan membership
- Marketplace or discovery-led membership
- Low-cost membership
Pricing and fees
Read from Substack's own pricing page on 2026-07-28. Always check the official page before you buy.
| Plan | Monthly | Annual, per month | Platform fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| SubstackNo subscription cost. Substack takes 10% of paid subscription revenue, and Stripe's fees apply on top. | $0 | $0 | 10.0% |
Payment processing. Payments run through a Stripe account connected to your publication. Stripe charges 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction plus a 0.7% Billing fee on recurring payments, on top of Substack's 10%.
Trial. Free to use; the fee applies only to paid subscriptions
What it costs in practice
Cheapest plan that holds the member count, including the platform's cut and payment processing.
Just starting
25 members at $20 a month
$75.50 / month
On Substack. About 15% of your revenue.
Established
100 members at $25 a month
$370 / month
On Substack. About 15% of your revenue.
Growing
500 members at $25 a month
$1,850 / month
On Substack. About 15% of your revenue.
Feature support
What is included, what needs a higher plan, and what simply is not there.
Community features
Partially supportedComments, chat threads, and Notes. Not a structured community space.
Courses
Not supportedCoaching and live events
Not supportedVideo hosting
Partially supportedVideo and live video posts are supported for publications.
Livestreaming
Partially supportedLive video for subscribers, without the controls of a streaming product.
Newsletter and publishing
SupportedThe core product.
Private podcast support
SupportedPrivate podcast feeds for paid subscribers are built in.
Payments and monetization
SupportedMonthly, annual, and founding-member pricing through Stripe.
Branding and customization
Partially supportedCustom domain supported, but the reading experience is unmistakably Substack.
Branded mobile app
Not supportedReaders use the shared Substack app.
Audience discovery
SupportedRecommendations, Notes, and the app network genuinely send new subscribers. The strongest discovery here.
Email and marketing
Partially supportedSending and basic segmentation; no automation sequences.
Integrations and API
Not supportedNo public API.
Migration support
SupportedImport and export of posts and subscriber lists, including paid subscribers.
Customer and data ownership
Partially supportedYou can export your list and your posts, and payments sit in your own Stripe account. The brand and the reading experience stay Substack's.
Important limitations
- The 10% cut never falls. At $10,000 a month that is $1,000 a month, against $199 for Ghost Business.
- No API and limited customisation.
- Your publication lives inside a network that also promotes other writers to your readers.
Data ownership and migration
Better than its reputation, with caveats. Your list exports with email addresses, paid subscriptions live in your own Stripe account, and posts export. What you cannot take is the discovery and the app placement that helped you grow.
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Sources
Every fact on this page traces to one of these official pages.