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Paid newsletter revenue calculator: what you keep
Compare what each platform leaves you after its cut and card processing — Substack's 10% vs beehiiv's 0% plus plan fee, Ghost, Kit and every other tracked paid-newsletter option — at your list size, paid count and price.
Last verified against official pricing pages · USD, excluding tax
Prices change often. Each price was checked on the platform's official pricing page on the date shown; plans, promos and taxes vary. Confirm on the official site before you buy. Not financial advice.
Your scenario
What you keep, ranked
50 paid × $8/mo = $400 gross revenue · list 1,000 (5% of list). Ranked by what you keep after platform fees and the plan fee.
| # | Platform | Plan | Gross | Platform cut | Processing | You keep | Plan fee | After plan | After plan / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kit | Free up to 10,000 | $400 | $0 | $29 | $371 $4,452/yr | $0 /mo | $371 | $4,452 |
| 2 | Buttondown | Paid (usage-based) up to 1,000 | $400 | $0 | $29.40 incl. Billing $2.80 | $370.60 $4,447.20/yr | $9 /mo | $361.60 | $4,339.20 |
| 3 | MailerLite | Comfort up to 1,000 | $400 | $0 | $29.40 incl. Billing $2.80 | $370.60 $4,447.20/yr | $19 /mo | $351.60 | $4,219.20 |
| 4 | AWeber | Lite up to 1,000 | $400 | 1% = $4 | $29.40 incl. Billing $2.80 | $366.60 $4,399.20/yr | $25 /mo | $341.60 | $4,099.20 |
| 5 | Ghost | Publisher up to 1,000 | $400 | $0 | $29.40 incl. Billing $2.80 | $370.60 $4,447.20/yr | $35 /mo | $335.60 | $4,027.20 |
| 6 | Substack | Free + 10% of paid revenue | $400 | 10% = $40 | $29.40 incl. Billing $2.80 | $330.60 $3,967.20/yr | $0 /mo | $330.60 | $3,967.20 |
| 7 | beehiiv | Lite up to 1,000 | $400 | $0 | $29.40 incl. Billing $2.80 | $370.60 $4,447.20/yr | $59 /mo | $311.60 | $3,739.20 |
| 8 | GetResponse | Creator up to 1,000 | $400 | $0 | $26.60 | $373.40 $4,480.80/yr | $69 /mo | $304.40 | $3,652.80 |
| 9 | Flodesk | Everything up to 10,000,000 | $400 | $0 | $29.40 incl. Billing $2.80 | $370.60 $4,447.20/yr | $99 /mo | $271.60 | $3,259.20 |
Highest after plan: Kit Free at $371/mo. Substack leaves $330.60 before its $0 plan ($330.60 after); beehiiv leaves $370.60 before plan ($311.60 after).
We earn a commission from some links, at no extra cost to you.
- See Kit plans · full pricing
- See Buttondown plans paid link · full pricing
- See MailerLite plans · full pricing
Not ranked (paid subscriptions not verified in our data): EmailOctopus, Brevo, Mailchimp, Constant Contact, ActiveCampaign, Sender, Moosend, Klaviyo, Omnisend, Shopify Email, Mailjet, SendPulse, HubSpot, Systeme.io.
Free Get an email if a tracked platform changes a paid-subscription fee or plan price. Get the alert · what you get
How this is calculated
- Only platforms with verified paid-subscription fee rules in our data are ranked. Platforms without verified paid-subscription support are listed under the table, not guessed.
- Gross revenue = paid subscribers × monthly price. "You keep" = gross − platform cut − processing/Billing fees. "After plan" = you keep − the cheapest plan that covers your list and includes paid subscriptions.
- Paid totals = plan + platform cut + Stripe card fees (2.9% + $0.30 per payment, estimate) + Stripe's 0.7% Billing fee on recurring payments where confirmed (beehiiv, MailerLite, Ghost, Buttondown, Substack, AWeber and Flodesk); not added for GetResponse (not confirmed); Kit's 3.5% + $0.30 is all-in. How we model fees
- Conversion % is an optional input for your scenario (paid = list × %). We never invent or display a "typical" conversion rate.
- Euro-priced platforms aren't ranked here (we don't compare on converted figures).
- Not included: taxes/VAT, promotions, add-ons, currency conversion, Apple in-app fees, or time to migrate. Rankings are by keep-after-plan only. Affiliate links never change the numbers (disclosure).
Related
Substack fees explained · Substack paid subscribers · Is Substack worth it? · Substack subscription price · beehiiv vs Substack · Substack vs beehiiv vs Ghost cost · Home cost calculator · Best platform (with paid)
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Get alerted when paid fees or plan prices change
An email when a tracked platform changes a price, limit or fee, with before/after numbers. Plus one monthly cost report. Free. What you get →
Recently flagged: Flodesk drops subscriber tiers: Email $46/month and Everything $99/month, unlimited subscribers (10 Nov 2026) · Kit: 25% off the first year of Pro on annual billing (limited-time offer) (20 Oct 2026)