Newsletter LedgerKit vs Substack: which costs less at your size
Both are free to start. The difference is what happens once readers pay: Substack keeps 10% of subscription revenue, while Kit takes 0.6% on top of card processing and its Free plan sells subscriptions up to 10,000 subscribers. In our paid-newsletter example Kit costs less at every list size we checked, though Kit's Creator prices above 3,000 subscribers are not yet confirmed on its own page. Prices checked .
Quick answer
- Free newsletter: both are $0 up to 10,000 subscribers. Above that, Substack stays $0 and Kit needs its Creator plan.
- Paid newsletter: Kit is cheaper in our example at every size up to 50,000; at 10,000 subscribers it is less than half Substack's cost.
- Moving from Substack: paying readers have to re-subscribe on Kit, which can cost you some of them.
Monthly cost side by side
| Subscribers | Kit, free newsletter | Substack, free newsletter | Kit, paid newsletter | Substack, paid newsletter | Cheaper (paid) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $0.00 Free | $0.00 Substack (no plan fee) | $29.00 Free | $66.60 Substack (no plan fee) | Kit |
| 2,500 | $0.00 Free | $0.00 Substack (no plan fee) | $72.50 Free | $166.50 Substack (no plan fee) | Kit |
| 5,000 | $0.00 Free | $0.00 Substack (no plan fee) | $145.00 Free | $333.00 Substack (no plan fee) | Kit |
| 10,000 | $0.00 Free | $0.00 Substack (no plan fee) | $290.00 Free | $666.00 Substack (no plan fee) | Kit |
| 25,000 | $165.83 * Creator | $0.00 Substack (no plan fee) | $890.83 * Creator | $1,665.00 Substack (no plan fee) | Kit |
| 50,000 | $379.00 * Creator | $0.00 Substack (no plan fee) | $1,829.00 * Creator | $3,330.00 Substack (no plan fee) | Kit |
Per month, US dollars, plans billed yearly where the platform offers it, otherwise month-to-month. "Free newsletter" is the plan price only. "Paid newsletter" assumes 5% of the list pays $8/month and includes the plan, the platform's fee and Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 per charge. "Same" means within $1. * = includes a figure not yet confirmed on the vendor's own page. Try your own numbers in the cost calculator.
Disclosure: links to platforms go through /go/ redirects. Some are affiliate links (currently beehiiv and Systeme.io): if you sign up and pay, we may earn a commission at no cost to you. That never changes the numbers or the order of results. Full disclosure.
Visit Kit (opens in a new tab) · Visit Substack (opens in a new tab)
What each charges, from their own pages
Kit
- Free plan up to 10,000 subscribers, and it can sell paid subscriptions.
- Charges 3.5% + 30¢ per transaction including card processing, which Kit says means it "only takes 0.6%".
- Above 10,000 subscribers you need the Creator plan. Creator prices above 3,000 subscribers are not yet confirmed on Kit's own page.
- The referral program is on the Pro plan, not Creator.
Official pricing source (checked 2026-10-19)
Substack
- Free to publish at any list size: there is no plan price.
- Keeps 10% of paid subscription revenue, on top of Stripe's 2.9% + $0.30 per card charge. Its help center also lists Stripe Billing at 0.7% of recurring payments.
- A custom domain is an optional one-time $50.
Official pricing source (checked 2026-10-19)
Moving paid subscribers from Substack
Kit says "there is no convenient method of migrating your paid subscribers' subscriptions", so paying readers re-subscribe. Official migration guide. More detail in Substack alternatives.
Who each suits, on cost
Kit
Paid newsletters under 10,000 subscribers that want $0 platform cost, and creators who want automations and landing pages.
Substack
Free newsletters above 10,000 subscribers, and writers who value Substack's network and app more than the 10%.
Questions
Is Kit cheaper than Substack for a paid newsletter?
In our example (5% of readers paying $8/month) yes, at every size we checked. Kit's Free plan sells subscriptions up to 10,000 subscribers and Kit takes 0.6% per payment, while Substack keeps 10%.
Can I move paid subscribers from Substack to Kit?
Not directly. Kit's help center says there is no convenient method of migrating paid subscriptions, so paying readers need to subscribe again on Kit.
We have not used either product as a publisher; this page compares published prices and plan limits only. See the methodology.