Guide

Beehiiv vs Substack vs Kit for paid newsletters

For a paid newsletter, the plan fee is only part of the bill. Substack’s 10% take and each platform’s card-processing fees can outweigh a cheaper monthly plan once revenue grows. The numbers below use published fees re-checked on official pages on 14 November 2026. Confirm each official page before you switch.

More guides: Under 2,500 · MailerLite free alternatives · Beehiiv vs Substack vs Kit · Deliverability · Beehiiv → Kit · MailerLite → Kit

How each one charges

• Substack — no monthly platform fee. Substack keeps 10% of subscription revenue. US card fees are 2.9% + $0.30, plus 0.7% Stripe Billing on recurring payments, as listed in Substack’s own fee table (help article updated 29 October 2026; re-read 14 November 2026). A custom domain is a one-time $50, which we do not amortize in the calculator.
• Beehiiv — paid subscriptions start on Lite, not Free. Beehiiv’s official FAQ (14 November 2026) states a 0% platform take and Stripe 2.9% + $0.30. We also add a 0.7% Stripe Billing estimate because subscriptions run through a connected Stripe account; that extra 0.7% is our estimate, and Beehiiv’s own FAQ does not list it. Lite at 1,000 subscribers is $59/month ($49 billed annually); at 10,000 it is $139/month.
• Kit — paid subscriptions are available on the Free plan. Kit publishes an inclusive payment fee of 3.5% + $0.30 per transaction (kit.com/pricing plan data, 14 November 2026). There is no separate platform take and we do not add an extra Stripe Billing line. Creator (automations, no Kit branding) is $39/month at 1,000 subscribers and $139/month at 10,000. The official page uses a slider; these are the per-tier prices it shows.

A worked example

10,000 subscribers, four full-list sends, $2,000/month in paid revenue from 200 paying subscribers (one charge each):

• Beehiiv Lite $139 + Stripe 2.9% ($58) + $0.30 × 200 ($60) + 0.7% Billing ($14) = $271/month.
• Kit Creator $139 + 3.5% ($70) + $0.30 × 200 ($60) = $269/month. Kit Free would be $130 in fees only, if you can live without Creator features.
• Substack $0 plan + 10% ($200) + the same Stripe stack as Beehiiv ($132) = $332/month.

Open the same case in the calculator. At higher paid revenue, Substack’s 10% grows linearly; Beehiiv and Kit plan fees do not. At very low paid revenue, Substack’s $0 plan can be cheaper than Lite or Creator.

Fit, not just fees

Substack is also a reading network; Beehiiv and Kit are more traditional list tools with (on paid plans) automations and, on Beehiiv Lite+, custom domains. Kit’s inclusive fee is simple. Beehiiv’s 0% take is simple too, but you will see Stripe’s bill separately. None of these is ranked by affiliate payout — and Substack has no affiliate program for us to join.

Sources: Substack “How much does Substack cost”; Beehiiv pricing; Kit pricing (14 November 2026); Stripe pricing and Stripe Billing.