Substack Alternatives in 2026: 9 Platforms Compared on Fees

People leave Substack for a handful of structural reasons, and most of them show up in its own documentation:

• The revenue cut. Substack’s help center says it keeps 10% of subscription revenue. Stripe’s fees come on top: 2.9% + $0.30 per US card payment and 0.7% for recurring billing. By that table, a $5 monthly subscriber leaves you about $4.02.
• Design and branding limits. Substack’s feature list covers four homepage layouts, colors, fonts, navigation and custom CSS for emails. It doesn’t list custom site themes or code. A custom domain is a one-time $50.
• Discovery trade-offs. Substack says it has a built-in discovery network that no other newsletter platform offers. The trade-off is that recommendations, Notes and the app run through Substack’s own surfaces. With Substack Boost switched on, your publication can also appear as a recommended subscription to other publications’ new paid subscribers.
• Moderation. Some writers have left over how Substack moderates. In January 2024, NBC News reported that Substack removed five newsletters for incitements to violence after Platformer flagged publications and writers signed a petition, and that some writers quit the platform. Substack’s own 2021 statement of its approach describes narrowly drawn rules and broad free expression. Read both and decide whether it matters to you.

If one of those is your reason, here’s where to look. For a direct comparison with the closest rival, see beehiiv vs Substack.

The alternatives

1. beehiiv: the closest swap, with a 0% cut

beehiiv looks the most like Substack: newsletters, paid subscriptions, a recommendation network and referral tools. On Lite and above it takes 0% of paid subscription revenue, so you pay only Stripe’s 2.9% + $0.30. It adds an ad network and paid recommendations on paid plans, and custom domains from Lite.

The Free plan covers up to 2,500 subscribers but has no paid subscriptions. At 1,000 subscribers, Lite is $49/month with annual billing ($59 monthly). The migration guide describes a Stripe-to-Stripe move for paid subscribers.

Where it falls short: the plan fee rises with list size (Lite is $119/month at 10,000 subscribers on annual billing), and beehiiv branding stays until Pro. Comments don’t transfer from Substack.

2. Ghost: own the site, the theme and the code

Ghost is open source, and Ghost(Pro) is its official managed hosting. Paid subscriptions need the Publisher plan: $29/month billed yearly or $35 monthly at 1,000 members, rising to $75 monthly at 5,000. Ghost lists 0% transaction fees, though Stripe’s still apply.

Publisher adds custom themes, three staff users, advanced analytics and integrations such as Zapier. Ghost’s pages also list an Explore network, recommendations and social web distribution. A built-in migrator imports Substack posts, free subscribers and paid subscribers, if you use the same Stripe account.

Where it falls short: Starter ($15/month annual, $18 monthly) has no paid subscriptions or custom themes. Its pages list no reader app or social feed.

3. Kit: for creators who sell more than a newsletter

Kit (formerly ConvertKit) is built around email automation, landing pages and digital products. Its free plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers, and Kit says you can run a paid newsletter on any plan, including free. Kit charges a 0.6% platform fee on each transaction, plus Stripe’s processing.

Creator is $33/month, or $390 billed yearly, for 1,000 subscribers. It adds unlimited automations and removes Kit branding. Kit says migrations are free.

Where it falls short: Kit’s help article says paid Substack subscribers can’t be moved with their payment details. You cancel them in Substack and ask them to re-subscribe.

4. Buttondown: small, cheap and writer-first

Buttondown is free for the first 100 subscribers. Pricing then scales with active subscribers: $9/month ($90 a year) at the smallest tier, and $29/month at 1,100 and 4,800 subscribers. At the smallest tier, paid subscriptions are a $9/month add-on; at 4,800 subscribers, the page listed only whitelabeling and teams as add-ons. Buttondown says it adds no overhead on top of card fees.

It sends from your custom domain and hosts your archive. Its migration help is free and usually takes under 24 hours, importing archives, subscribers and Stripe-based paid subscriptions with old URLs redirected.

Where it falls short: at the smallest list size, most extras are add-ons: automations and multiple newsletters are $29/month each. Its pages list no discovery network.

5. MailerLite: a general email tool with paid newsletters

MailerLite is a broader email platform. The free plan is capped at 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month. Comfort is $12/month, or $10.80 billed yearly, up to 500 subscribers, and Power is $25 ($22.50 yearly). MailerLite says it takes 0% commission on paid newsletters, which run through Stripe.

Comfort also includes an AI writing assistant, with limited credits.

Where it falls short: it isn’t newsletter-first, and its pages don’t list a discovery network. Prices rise with list size.

6. Memberful: memberships on your own site

Memberful costs $49/month plus a 4.9% transaction fee, with Stripe’s fees on top. That’s less than Substack’s 10% once paid revenue passes about $960 a month ($49 divided by 5.1%). It includes newsletters, podcasts, courses, custom domains, custom themes and unlimited members, and it integrates with WordPress, Kit and Discord.

Where it falls short: it’s a membership tool, not a network. You bring the audience. Memberful is a Patreon company.

7. Patreon: when readers pay for access, not a newsletter

Patreon is free to start. Its pricing page lists a 10% platform fee on income, plus payment processing and other fees. That’s the same headline cut as Substack, so it won’t save money on fees. Patreon’s help center says creators who published their page on or before 4 August 2025 will not see an increase, so older plans exist.

It suits creators who offer perks, community, podcasts and posts together. Its pricing page lists email newsletters among its tools.

Where it falls short: it isn’t built around newsletters.

8. Medium: Medium’s readers, not your list

Medium pays Partner Program writers from member activity on paywalled stories: reading time, claps, highlights and replies, with a bonus for reads from outside Medium. Readers pay $5/month or $50/year for membership, and you need an active membership yourself to enroll. Publications can also send newsletters.

Where it falls short: you don’t set a price. Earnings depend on how members read your stories, so it suits writers who want an audience more than a subscriber business.

9. LinkedIn newsletters: reach your professional network

Members who meet LinkedIn’s access criteria can create up to five newsletters. Followers are invited to subscribe, and subscribers get a notification or email for each edition. Authors can see subscribers’ names, photos and job titles.

LinkedIn’s help pages list no separate price.

Where it falls short: those pages mention no paid subscriptions and no subscriber export, so don’t assume you can take the list with you.

Quick comparison

How to choose

1. Price Substack’s cut against a flat fee. Multiply your monthly paid revenue by 0.10. If that’s more than a flat plan, a 0%-cut platform wins. At 5,000 members, Ghost Publisher is $75 on monthly billing, so the crossover is about $750 a month in paid revenue. beehiiv Lite at 10,000 subscribers is $119 annual, a crossover near $1,190.
2. Decide whether you need a network. If most of your growth comes from Substack’s recommendations and Notes, moving to Buttondown or Memberful, which list no discovery network, means building your own traffic. beehiiv, Ghost and Kit keep some recommendation tools.
3. Check design needs. Ghost’s custom themes, beehiiv’s custom HTML on Lite and Memberful’s custom themes go further than Substack’s layout options.
4. Plan the paid-subscriber move. Ghost, beehiiv and Buttondown work with your existing Stripe subscribers. Kit asks them to re-subscribe, so schedule a notice.
5. If you don’t charge readers, compare entry prices and email features instead. Kit’s free plan and MailerLite’s cheap tiers are the obvious starting points.

For the broader field, see our newsletter platform roundup.