beehiiv vs Substack: real cost comparison

All-in monthly cost — platform fee, revenue share, and card processing — computed from each platform's own published pricing (last verified 2026-06-10).

Cost at three list sizes

ScenarioGross / mobeehiivSubstackCheaper
Starting out — 1,000 subscribers, 50 paid at $8/mo$400$69.68/mo$69.40/moSubstack
Growing — 5,000 subscribers, 250 paid at $10/mo$2,500$190.58/mo$415/mobeehiiv
Established — 25,000 subscribers, 1,000 paid at $10/mo$10,000$633.08/mo$1,660/mobeehiiv

Assumes monthly billing for every paid subscriber; platform fees use annual-billed rates where cheaper. Run your own numbers in the calculator.

beehiiv

  • Revenue share: 0%
  • Processing: Stripe 2.9% + $0.30
  • Paid plans: from $43.08/mo
Full beehiiv fee profile →

Substack

  • Revenue share: 10%
  • Processing: Stripe 2.9% + $0.30 + 0.7% recurring
  • Paid plans: free (platform monetizes via revenue share)
Full Substack fee profile →

Fine print that changes the math

  • beehiiv: PARTIAL DATA: Scale/Max prices were read at the pricing page's default list-size; beehiiv has historically scaled plan price with subscriber count via a slider. Scraper must capture price-by-subscriber-count brackets before we publish cost claims above ~2,500 subs.
  • beehiiv: Annual prices shown are the page's advertised yearly totals (Scale $517/yr, Max $1,151/yr).
  • Substack: Effective all-in cost on paid revenue is roughly 13-16% of gross once Stripe card + recurring billing fees are included.
  • Substack: Annual subscriptions incur fewer per-transaction fees than monthly ones, so all-in percentage varies with billing mix.

Frequently asked questions

Is beehiiv or Substack cheaper for a paid newsletter?

For a 5,000-subscriber list with 250 paid subscribers at $10/month ($2,500/month gross), beehiiv costs $190.58/month all-in versus $415/month — based on each platform's published pricing as of 2026-06-10. The cheaper platform flips at roughly $410/month in paid-subscription revenue.

What fees does beehiiv charge?

beehiiv takes 0% of paid-subscription revenue, with paid plans from $43.08/month (annual billing).

What fees does Substack charge?

Substack takes 10% of paid-subscription revenue, with no monthly platform fee.

At what revenue does beehiiv's flat fee beat Substack's 10% cut?

Holding a 5,000-subscriber list at $10/month per subscriber, the flat fee wins above about $410/month in gross paid-subscription revenue (41 paid subscribers). Below that, Substack's pay-as-you-earn model costs less in absolute dollars.

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