Substack vs Kit: free forever or a lower platform fee on subscriptions?

How are Substack and Kit really different?

• Free-tier subscriber ceiling

  Substack

  None, ever, on the one plan there is

  Kit

  10,000, after which you need a paid plan

  Kit forces an upgrade decision once your list passes its free ceiling; Substack never does, at any size.

• How you're charged once monetizing

  Substack

  10% of paid-subscription revenue plus payment processing

  Kit

  0.6% of each sale, inside an all-in transaction fee that already covers card processing

  Kit's own cut is a flat sliver of each sale on every plan; Substack's is a much larger share that grows with how much you earn.

• Automations

  Substack

  None at any price

  Kit

  None on Free; unlimited visual automations and email sequences from Creator up

  If you want automated sequences, Kit is the only one of the two that has them, but only once you're paying.

• Pricing past the entry band

  Substack

  Not applicable; one plan, always free

  Kit

  Creator and Pro are priced by subscriber count, with a published price at each list size up to 400,000 subscribers

  Kit's cost for a growing list depends on your subscriber count, so check its calculator for your exact list size.

• Free trial on paid plans

  Substack

  Not applicable; free forever, nothing to trial

  Kit

  14 days, no card required

  Kit lets you test Creator or Pro features before paying; Substack has no paid tier to trial in the first place.

What will Substack or Kit cost for your setup?

The cheapest plan that covers each setup, add-ons included. Prices exclude VAT.

Substack vs Kit side by side

I compare newsletter platforms on: Real cost per list size, both billing bases; Free-tier subscriber ceiling before you must pay anything; Platform fee on paid subscriptions, on top of any monthly price; Number of separate publications/newsletters allowed per account; Team seats included; Custom domain: included or an extra one-time/recurring fee; Automations and growth tools (referrals, ad network, A/B testing).

Who should pick Substack, and who should pick Kit?

Substack

Desk research

• Best for solo creators just starting out
• Best for creators and small businesses monetizing a list

Substack has no plans to compare: it's free forever to publish, and the only cost is a 10% cut of paid-subscription revenue on top of payment processing. That makes it the cheapest way to start a paid newsletter, but the tradeoff is a flat platform with no automations and a real revenue share once you're earning.

Best for: Writers who want to start free today and only pay once readers do.

Strengths

• Free forever to publish, with unlimited subscribers and no send limits.
• No monthly fee ever: the 10% fee only applies once you charge for subscriptions.
• Unlimited contributors on every publication, no seat pricing.

Limits

• No email automation or drip sequences.
• A custom domain costs $50 one-time, one time.
• A 10% platform cut plus payment processing adds up fast once subscription revenue is real money.

Skip it if you're already earning enough that a flat monthly fee beats a percentage cut, or you need email automations.

Substack reviewSubstack pricingSubstack alternatives

Kit

Desk research

• Best for agencies managing multiple client newsletters

Kit is a creator-first email platform with a free tier up to 10,000 subscribers and automations on the paid plans. The paid tiers add advanced automation, engagement analytics and unlimited team members, and the bundle is the strength: email, digital product sales and paid subscriptions all come standard, not as add-ons, with Kit keeping 0.6% of each sale. It suits creators who want a complete toolkit in one place.

Best for: Email creators and small publishers who need email and product sales in one place, and are fine with a small platform fee on subscriber revenue.

Strengths

• A real free plan up to 10,000 subscribers, with 1 team member and no trial required.
• Kit keeps only 0.6% of each digital product or subscription sale, inside an all-in transaction fee that already covers card processing.
• Unlimited visual automations and paid subscriptions from the Creator plan ($39/month billed monthly at the entry list size).

Limits

• The free tier goes up to 10,000 subscribers, so paying only makes sense once you need automation, paid subscriptions or more seats rather than more room.
• Creator includes 2 team seats; unlimited seats only arrive at the Pro plan ($79/month billed monthly at the entry list size).
• Published prices run up to 400,000 subscribers; above that Kit asks you to request a custom plan.

Skip it if you need more than 1 team seat on Free.

Kit reviewKit pricingKit alternatives

Neither Substack nor Kit? Try these

• 

  beehiiv

  From $49/mo billed annually

  Pick it if you want built-in growth tools (referrals, an ad network, A/B testing) that neither Substack nor Kit offers.

  beehiiv reviewbeehiiv alternatives

• 

  Ghost

  From $15/mo billed annually

  Pick it if you want full ownership of a self-branded, ad-free site, or need to bundle several publications under one account, which neither Substack nor Kit supports.

  Ghost reviewGhost alternatives

• 

  Mailchimp

  From $13/mo billed monthly

  Pick it if you want a general email-marketing/CRM platform instead of a publishing-first tool. It's the category default people know, but cheaper, more newsletter-focused alternatives exist if that's your only use case.

  Outside this category: General email-marketing/CRM tool, not a publishing platform: no native site, no paid-subscription-first monetization model.

  Mailchimp reviewMailchimp alternatives

Substack vs Kit: questions people ask

Is Kit free?

Yes, up to 10,000 subscribers on the Free plan. Past that, you need Creator or Pro, which also unlock paid subscriptions and automations the Free plan doesn't have.

Is Substack free?

Yes, always, with no subscriber cap. The only cost is 10% of paid-subscription revenue, plus payment processing, and only once you turn on paid subscriptions yourself.

Which is cheaper, Substack or Kit?

Substack's cost is fully known at any size: free, plus its percentage-based fee once you monetize. Kit keeps only 0.6% of each sale, inside an all-in fee that already covers card processing, which is cheaper for a monetizing list in principle, but Kit's price rises with list size, so check its calculator for your exact list.

Does Kit have automations?

Not on Free. Creator and Pro both include unlimited visual automations and email sequences, with more advanced automation features on Pro. Substack has none of this at any price.

Can I run multiple newsletters on either platform?

Not really on either. Substack ties one publication to one account, and Kit's published pricing doesn't describe a separate-newsletter feature either, it's one audience per account. For that, look at Ghost's Business plan instead.

Does Kit take a cut of my paid subscriptions?

Yes, a small one: Kit keeps 0.6% of each sale, inside an all-in transaction fee that already covers card processing. Substack, by contrast, takes 10% of paid-subscription revenue.