Newsletter platform pricing comparison (2026)
The complete pricing tables for the three major newsletter platforms — every subscriber tier, not just the entry price the marketing pages show. If you only want your number, use the calculator; this page is the full reference.
All prices read from the platforms' own pricing engines, verified 2026-07-13. Monthly billing unless noted.
At a glance
| Platform | Free tier | Paid model | Revenue cut |
|---|---|---|---|
| beehiiv | to 2,500 subs | Flat fee by list size (Scale / Max) | 0% |
| Kit (ConvertKit) | to 1,000 subs | Flat fee by list size (Creator / Pro) | 0% |
| Substack | any size (free newsletters) | Revenue share | 10% + Stripe |
beehiiv — full tiers (billed monthly)
| Up to subscribers | Scale $/mo | Max $/mo |
|---|---|---|
| 2,500 | Free (Launch) | — |
| 1,000 | $43 | $96 |
| 2,500 | $61 | $131 |
| 5,000 | $78 | $149 |
| 10,000 | $96 | $193 |
| 25,000 | $149 | $254 |
| 50,000 | $219 | $334 |
| 75,000 | $254 | $369 |
| 100,000 | $290 | $404 |
Kit (ConvertKit) — full tiers
| Up to subscribers | Creator $/mo | Pro $/mo |
|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | Free (Newsletter) / $39 | $79 |
| 3,000 | $59 | $99 |
| 5,000 | $89 | $139 |
| 8,000 | $119 | $169 |
| 10,000 | $139 | $189 |
| 15,000 | $169 | $249 |
| 25,000 | $199 | $279 |
| 35,000 | $259 | $363 |
| 55,000 | $379 | $519 |
| 75,000 | $499 | $663 |
| 105,000 | $679 | $879 |
| 500,000 | $2,499 | $2,799 |
Substack — revenue share
Substack has no subscriber-based fee. It's free to publish at any list size. If you charge for subscriptions, Substack takes 10% of that revenue, plus Stripe processing (2.9% + $0.30 per transaction) — a real total of about 13–15% of gross. A free newsletter on Substack costs $0.
What this means: Substack is cheapest if your newsletter is free or barely monetized. Once you earn meaningfully from paid subs, its 10% usually exceeds beehiiv or Kit's flat fee — see the crossover math.
Which is cheapest for you?
- Free / hobby newsletter: beehiiv (free to 2,500) or Substack ($0 at any size).
- Growing, monetizing: beehiiv — 0% revenue cut and lower flat fees than Kit above 1,000 subs.
- Automation-heavy creator business: Kit — you pay more, but its automation engine can earn back the difference.
Run your exact subscriber count through the cost calculator for monthly, yearly, and 3-year totals.
Head-to-head comparisons
- beehiiv vs Kit — the two flat-fee platforms, tier by tier.
- beehiiv vs Substack — flat fee vs 10% revenue cut, with the income crossover.
Sources & method
Prices read directly from each platform's pricing engine (the tier tables their sliders use), not marketing pages or third-party roundups, on 2026-07-13. beehiiv: pricing slider 1k–100k. Kit: 45-tier pricing engine to 500k. Substack: 10% + Stripe from official support docs. Platforms change prices — the verification date is part of the data. Spotted a stale number? hello@newslettercalc.com.