Newsletter economics, written down
Every dollar figure in these articles is computed from our verified pricing data at build time — when a platform changes its pricing, the prose updates with it.
Switching from Buttondown to Kit: what happens to your fees
Buttondown's free plan can't sell subscriptions at all; Kit's can, up to 1,000 subscribers. Here's the computed before-and-after — where Kit is the clear upgrade, and the point above 1,000 subscribers where Buttondown's 0% take rate wins the fee war back.
2026-07-25
Switching from Buttondown to beehiiv: what happens to your fees
Buttondown's free plan stops at 100 subscribers; beehiiv's runs to 2,500. Here's the computed before-and-after — where beehiiv is a clean free upgrade, and why Buttondown gets cheaper again the moment you turn on paid subscriptions.
2026-07-25
The cheapest newsletter platform at 100,000 subscribers
At 100,000 subscribers most platforms stop publishing a price you can compute — the field narrows to Ghost and Substack. Here's the computed all-in cost for both, and why Kit, beehiiv, and Buttondown drop out of the table.
2026-07-23
Switching from Kit to Ghost: what happens to your fees
Moving a paid newsletter from Kit to Ghost usually lowers your bill — Ghost's 0% take rate replaces Kit's commerce fee, and its plan brackets run cheaper at most sizes. Here's the computed before-and-after at three list sizes, and the one range where the move costs you.
2026-07-23
Switching from Ghost to Kit: what happens to your fees
Moving a paid newsletter from Ghost to Kit usually raises your bill — Kit charges a commerce fee on revenue that Ghost doesn't. Here's the computed before-and-after at three list sizes, and the one range where Kit is actually the fee cut.
2026-07-16
How much does it cost to send a newsletter to 10,000 subscribers?
If you're not charging readers, a 10,000-subscriber newsletter costs anywhere from $0 to about $116 a month depending on the platform. Here's the computed bill on every platform we can verify at that size — and why 'free' isn't always the end of the story.
2026-07-16
Switching from Ghost to beehiiv: what happens to your fees
Ghost and beehiiv both take 0% of your subscription revenue, so moving between them is a pure plan-fee decision. Here's the computed before-and-after — where Ghost's entry plan wins, where beehiiv's flat price pulls ahead, and the honest limit on how far the numbers go.
2026-07-09
Annual vs monthly billing: how much does paying yearly actually save?
Every newsletter platform with a plan fee offers a cheaper annual price — usually 12 to 17 percent off. Here's the computed discount on each one, why Kit's is the cleanest, and the catch nobody mentions when you commit to a year up front.
2026-07-09
How much does a paid newsletter cost at 50,000 subscribers?
At 50,000 subscribers the platform you're on can swing your bill by thousands a month. Here's the computed cost on the three platforms with pricing verified at that scale — and why the other two aren't in the table.
2026-07-02
Switching from Kit to beehiiv: what happens to your fees
Kit's Commerce fee is a small revenue share; beehiiv takes 0% and charges a flat plan fee instead. Here's the computed before-and-after for an early-growth list, where the switch pays off, and when Kit's free tier means you shouldn't move at all.
2026-07-02
Switching from Substack to Kit: what happens to your fees
Moving a paid newsletter from Substack to Kit swaps a 10% revenue share for a flat plan fee plus a low 3.5% commerce fee. Here's the computed before-and-after, the point where it pays off, and what to check first.
2026-06-25
Switching from Substack to Ghost: what happens to your fees
Ghost takes 0% of your subscription revenue and charges a flat plan fee instead — the structural opposite of Substack's 10% cut. Here's the computed before-and-after, where it pays off, and the Ghost-specific catches.
2026-06-25
beehiiv pricing explained: what you actually pay
beehiiv is free up to a generous subscriber ceiling, takes 0% of your paid-subscription revenue, and charges a flat plan fee instead. Here's what the plans cost, the annual-rate gotcha, and where the flat fee helps or hurts.
2026-06-18
What's the cheapest newsletter platform when you're starting out?
At the beginning, the cheapest platform depends entirely on whether you're charging readers yet. Here's the computed answer for a list under 2,500 subscribers — free tiers first, then your first paid subscribers.
2026-06-18
Ghost pricing explained: what you pay at every list size
Ghost charges a flat fee that scales with your member count and takes 0% of subscription revenue. Here's the real monthly cost from 1,000 to 100,000 members, plus the self-hosting option.
2026-06-11
Kit (formerly ConvertKit) pricing explained
Kit has a genuinely free tier up to 1,000 subscribers, then Creator and Pro plans that scale with list size. Here's what you actually pay, including the commerce fee on paid products.
2026-06-11
Buttondown pricing explained: what you actually pay
Buttondown is a minimalist newsletter tool with a flat monthly fee that steps up by subscriber count and 0% cut of subscription revenue. Here's the real cost at each tier, and the fine print to check.
2026-06-11
Do you pay Stripe fees on top? Newsletter payment processing, explained
Almost every newsletter platform runs paid subscriptions through Stripe, so a '0% revenue share' platform still costs you the processing layer. Here's how the three fee patterns actually work.
2026-06-11
How much does Substack actually cost?
Substack is free until you charge for subscriptions — then it takes 10%, plus payment processing. Here's the real all-in math at different list sizes.
2026-06-10
Flat fee or revenue share: when does Substack's 10% get expensive?
Revenue-share platforms are cheap until you earn; flat-fee platforms are cheap after you earn. The crossover point is calculable — here it is.
2026-06-10
Switching from Substack to beehiiv: what happens to your fees
The fee math of moving an established paid newsletter off Substack — what you save, what you start paying, and what to check before migrating.
2026-06-10