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Substack vs beehiiv fee calculator

Compare Substack’s percentage platform fee with an editable annual beehiiv plan cost using your own paid-subscriber assumptions.

Compare annual platform-layer costs

Enter your assumptions, then compare.

This isolates platform-layer costs. It excludes Stripe processing, Stripe Billing, taxes, currency conversion, refunds, chargebacks, labor, migration work, advertising, and feature value. No earnings are guaranteed.

What the official pages say

Substack

Publishing is free. When paid subscriptions are enabled, Substack’s official help page lists a 10% fee on each transaction, plus Stripe fees.

Check Substack fee details

beehiiv

The official pricing page lists Launch at $0 and shows an annual Scale example of $517 with a 0% paid-subscription take rate. Subscriber-tier pricing can change.

Check beehiiv pricing

Checked 31 July 2026

Edit both the percentage and annual-plan inputs before deciding. Verify the current checkout and terms on the official pages.

How to interpret the result

A positive difference means the entered Substack platform fee is higher than the entered beehiiv annual cost. A negative difference means it is lower. Neither result measures feature value, audience discovery, community, migration effort, or total operating cost.

Fee comparison FAQ

Does this include Stripe processing and billing fees?

No. The calculator isolates the platform-layer comparison. Stripe processing, Stripe Billing, taxes, currency conversion, refunds, and chargebacks are excluded.

Why can I edit the beehiiv annual cost?

beehiiv pricing can vary with subscriber count and can change. The $517 default is the annual Scale example displayed when this page was checked on 31 July 2026, not a universal quote.

Does the lower estimate mean that platform is better?

No. Features, discovery, community, migration work, support, and operating needs can matter more than the platform-layer cost difference.

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Check the current beehiiv offer

Confirm the subscriber tier, plan features, promotion, and final checkout total on beehiiv.

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