Joonas Rotko · Founder, That Marketing Buddy
I assess marketing software through 10+ years of agency work, current product research, buyer needs, competing tools and total cost.
How this review was prepared
This is a research-based review. I checked Substack's current product pages, pricing, documentation and technical material, then assessed what those published limits mean for a marketing team or small agency. I have not presented vendor claims as personal testing.
This page may include affiliate links, meaning I may earn a commission if you sign up (at no extra cost to you).
The Verdict
Is Substack right for you?
Substack is a free publishing platform that bundles writing, email, podcasts, video, chat and paid subscriptions, and it charges nothing until you sell subscriptions.
Substack's going-paid page says writers keep 90% of revenue minus credit card fees, while its Publisher Agreement says the revenue-share percentage is set between you and Substack at registration. Payments run through Stripe.
It fits writers who want the simplest route from a free newsletter to paid subscriptions and value the Substack network. It fits poorly when you need design control, automation, an API or a fee that does not scale with your revenue.
Who It's For
Who Substack is for (and who it isn't)
✓ Best for
- +Writers starting a newsletter with no budget. There is no monthly fee to publish and send to free subscribers. You pay only when you turn on paid subscriptions.
- +Creators publishing text, audio and video together. Substack supports podcasts, video, live video, chat and posts from one publication, so a writer who also records can keep one subscriber base.
- +Publishers who want reader discovery built in. The Substack app, recommendations and Notes feed give a new publication a route to readers that a self-hosted site does not have.
× Consider something else if
- −You want to own the site, design and a lower revenue take. Substack's fee is a share of paid revenue and design control is limited. A publisher who wants their own site and a 0% platform fee should price a self-run option.Try Ghost →
- −You need email automation and creator commerce. Substack is built for publishing. A creator selling courses or running automated sequences needs a marketing tool built around them.Try Kit →
- −You want growth and ad tools inside the newsletter product. A newsletter-first platform with referral and ad features can suit a list-driven business better than a network feed.Try beehiiv →
What You Can Do
What can Substack do?
Start free, then add a paid tier
Publish for free subscribers first, then switch on paid subscriptions. Founding-member tiers, free trials, coupons and gift subscriptions are available in the paid setup.
Send onboarding and retention emails
Substack documents welcome and other automated emails for new subscribers, so a publication can set a first-week experience without a separate tool.
Bring an audience in from elsewhere
Substack lists subscriber import from a CSV, and importing paid subscribers from Stripe or a CSV, so a move from another platform can keep the paid base.
Grow through the network
Recommendations between publications and the Notes feed send readers to new writers, which is the reason many publishers pick Substack over a self-run stack.
AI, API & MCP
Does Substack Have an API or MCP Server?
Substack is a poor fit for agent-driven publishing today, because it has no official API or MCP server.
AI agent workflow
A safe agent workflow
Use an assistant for drafts outside Substack, then paste and publish by hand. Keep the publish and send step manual.
Approval boundary: Do not give an agent your Substack login or a community tool that acts through your session.
MCP
communityCommunity MCP servers only
Third-party servers exist on GitHub and depend on unofficial endpoints. Substack does not support them.
Substack →Pricing
How much does Substack cost?
Substack is free to publish on and keeps 10% of paid subscription revenue, plus Stripe card fees.
| Plan | Monthly |
|---|---|
| Free publishing | Free |
| Paid subscriptionsPopular | 10% + Stripe fees |
Substack has no monthly plan. Publishing and free newsletters cost nothing. When you charge readers, Substack's going-paid page says you keep 90% of revenue minus credit card fees, so the platform's share is 10%.
Work out the fee at your real revenue
At $10,000 of paid subscription revenue in a month, a 10% share is $1,000 to Substack before Stripe's card fees. The same revenue on a flat-fee tool costs the same subscription price no matter how much you earn.
The rate is set at registration
The Publisher Agreement says the revenue-share percentage is agreed between you and Substack when you register. Read it before you launch paid.
Card fees come on top
Payments run through Stripe, whose processing fees are charged separately from Substack's share.
Alternatives
When I'd choose something else
Three different buying priorities, and what I'd pick instead for each one.
If you want to own the site and keep more revenue
Ghost
Ghost charges 0% on subscription revenue and gives you an owned site and design control, with hosting priced by member count.
Trade-off: You pay a monthly hosting bill and lose Substack's built-in reader network.
Explore Ghost for this use case →If email automation and creator commerce matter
Kit
Kit is aimed at creators who sell and automate, with sequences and product sales around the email list.
Trade-off: It is not a publishing network, so discovery has to come from your own channels.
Explore Kit for this use case →If growth and ad tools drive the newsletter
beehiiv
beehiiv centers on newsletter growth and monetization features, which suits a business built on the list.
Trade-off: Its own network is smaller than Substack's, so discovery depends more on your acquisition work.
Explore beehiiv for this use case →Keep going
- Compare Substack against the field: 11 Best Newsletter Platforms for Creators and Writers
- Put it to work: Newsletter Platform Fees Compared: Who Takes the Biggest Cut?
Downsides
Limitations to consider before subscribing
The fee grows with your revenue
A 10% share of paid revenue costs more each month you succeed, unlike a flat monthly plan.
Substack can remove a publication
The Publisher Agreement lets Substack remove publications at its discretion, so a business built here depends on that policy.
No official API or MCP server
Integrations with a CRM, an agent or your own site rely on exports and community tools, not a supported interface.
Less control over design and site
You publish inside Substack's format rather than a site you own, which limits branding and site-level SEO control.
My Recommendation
Should You Choose Substack?
Shortlist Substack if you want to start free, value network discovery and are comfortable with a revenue-share fee once you charge.
Choose Ghost for an owned site and a 0% platform fee, Kit for automation and creator commerce, or beehiiv for growth-led newsletters.
What to check during the trial
- –Read the Publisher Agreement, including the revenue-share and removal clauses, before turning on paid.
- –Export your subscriber list to a CSV once to confirm you can leave.
- –Model 10% of your target paid revenue against a flat-fee alternative.
- –Check that a custom domain is available on your setup and note any fee.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Substack
Publishing and free newsletters cost nothing. Substack's going-paid page says writers keep 90% of subscription revenue minus credit card fees, so the platform keeps 10%.
I found no official API or MCP server. Community tools exist that use unofficial endpoints.
Substack has a help article on exporting your subscriber list, and it lists importing paid subscribers from Stripe or CSV. Check the current export options before relying on this.
Sources & References (3)
Spot something out of date?Vendors and readers, send me the correct fact.
Software sites change almost every week, and I want every claim on this page to be factually correct. If you are a vendor or a reader, send me the correct fact and a link to the official page. I will check it and update the page. The opinions and rankings stay mine.