Substack vs beehiiv vs Kit vs Buttondown: newsletter platform costs compared
Stack Founder HQ · Updated 18 October 2026 · Running the business · How we write
Newsletter platforms make money in two different ways. Substack is free to use and takes a share of paid subscription revenue. beehiiv, Kit (formerly ConvertKit) and Buttondown charge monthly fees based on the size of your list, with smaller or no revenue shares. Which model is cheaper depends on whether you charge readers, and how much.
*Prices checked on 18 October 2026 on Substack's support centre, beehiiv.com/pricing, kit.com/pricing and buttondown.com/pricing. US dollars. Plan prices are shown at the level for 1,000 subscribers unless stated otherwise.*
Prices at a glance
| Free plan | Entry paid plan | Cut of paid subscriptions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Substack | Free to publish, any number of subscribers | None, as there are no paid plans | 10%, plus Stripe fees |
| beehiiv | Up to 2,500 subscribers | Lite: $49 a month (billed yearly) | 0% on paid plans, plus Stripe fees |
| Kit | Up to 10,000 subscribers | Creator: $33 a month, or $390 a year | 3.5% + 30¢ per payment, including card processing |
| Buttondown | Up to 100 subscribers | Basic: $9 a month, up to 1,000 subscribers | Paid subscriptions add-on: +$9 a month, plus Stripe fees |
Substack
Publishing on Substack is free regardless of how many subscribers you have. If you turn on paid subscriptions, Substack keeps 10% of subscription revenue. Stripe charges its own fees on top. Substack's support page lists Stripe's US rates as 2.9% + $0.30 per card payment, plus 0.7% for recurring billing. A custom domain is an optional one-off $50.
Substack's strengths are its built-in audience features, such as recommendations, the app and discovery, and having nothing to pay until you earn. The trade-off is that its revenue share grows with your success. Your publication also lives within Substack's network and branding.
beehiiv
beehiiv's free plan allows up to 2,500 subscribers, with unlimited email sends, templates, landing pages, its recommendation network, and API access. Lite costs $49 a month billed yearly and adds paid subscriptions with a 0% take rate, ad monetisation, automations, polls and A/B testing. Pro costs $95 a month billed yearly and adds removal of beehiiv branding, among other features. beehiiv's FAQ says paid plans start at $59 a month on monthly billing, and yearly billing saves up to 20%. On paid subscriptions, beehiiv says you keep what you earn, minus Stripe's standard fee of 2.9% + $0.30.
Prices rise with subscriber numbers, so use the slider on beehiiv's pricing page.
Kit
Kit's free plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers, with unlimited landing pages, forms and broadcasts, tagging and segmentation, and the ability to sell digital products and subscriptions. Creator costs $33 a month (or $390 a year) at 1,000 subscribers and adds automations, sequences, A/B testing of subject lines and removal of Kit branding. Pro adds engagement analytics, deliverability reporting and unlimited users. It was on a limited-time offer when checked, so see Kit's page for the regular price.
Kit charges 3.5% + 30¢ on digital products and subscriptions. It says this includes credit card processing fees.
Kit is strong on automation, such as welcome sequences, product launches and tagging based on behaviour. That makes it a common choice for people selling courses or products alongside a newsletter.
Buttondown
Buttondown is a newsletter tool that lets you write in Markdown or a rich-text editor. It is free for the first 100 subscribers. Basic is $9 a month for up to 1,000 subscribers, and Standard is $29 a month for up to 5,000. Features are sold as add-ons, mostly at +$9 a month each: tagging and segmentation, paid subscriptions, comments and surveys, analytics, RSS-to-email and attachments. Sponsorships, custom-domain archives and multiple newsletters are +$29 a month each. Buttondown says it charges for active subscribers only.
Worked example: 1,000 subscribers, 50 paying $5 a month
That's $250 a month in subscription revenue. Stripe card fees are left out except where the platform includes them, because they apply in all four cases and depend on your country.
| Platform | Plan | Platform cost per month |
|---|---|---|
| Substack | Free | 10% of $250 = $25 |
| beehiiv | Lite (yearly billing) | $49, with a 0% revenue share |
| Kit | Free plan | 50 × (3.5% of $5 + 30¢) = $23.75, including card processing |
| Buttondown | Basic + paid subscriptions add-on | $9 + $9 = $18 |
With no paid subscriptions, Substack, beehiiv (up to 2,500 subscribers) and Kit (up to 10,000) are all free. Buttondown would cost $9 a month for 1,000 subscribers.
As revenue grows, the picture changes. With 500 paying subscribers at $5, Substack's 10% would be $250 a month. A flat-fee platform would cost much less, although you'd likely need a higher plan for the larger list.
Owning your list
Whatever you choose, make sure you can export your subscriber list, including paid subscribers' Stripe connections, if you ever need to move. Paid subscriptions that run through your own Stripe account are usually easier to move than those held by the platform. Check each platform's import and export documentation before you start, and keep regular exports of your list.
Which to choose
- Substack if you want to start for free, value its network for finding readers, and accept a 10% share of paid revenue.
- beehiiv if you want a free plan up to 2,500 subscribers, plan to grow with ads and paid subscriptions, and prefer a flat fee to a revenue share.
- Kit if automation and selling products matter, and you want a free plan up to 10,000 subscribers.
- Buttondown if you want a simple, low-cost tool, are and only need a few add-ons.