Alternatives: fees at four revenue levels
Short answer
- The lowest fee switches with revenue: Kit Free $23.20 at $320/mo; at $6,000/mo MailerLite $341.10 (assumed 0% share), Ghost $353.00, Kit Free $360.00.
- One list size (1,000), yearly billing. Patreon excludes conversion and payout fees and legacy plans.
- Fees do not make these tools interchangeable — see the job guide below.
Monthly platform and card fees for 8 published fee models, at illustrative paid-subscription levels. Prices from vendor pages, October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026.
| Platform / plan | 40 × $8 $320/mo | 100 × $10 $1,000/mo | 250 × $10 $2,500/mo | 500 × $12 $6,000/mo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Substack Paid newsletter processor rate assumed | $53.28 | $159.00 | $397.50 | $924.00 |
| beehiiv Lite | $70.28 | $108.00 | $196.50 | $373.00 |
| beehiiv Pro | $116.28 | $154.00 | $242.50 | $419.00 |
| Kit Free | $23.20 | $65.00 | $162.50 | $360.00 |
| Kit Creator | $55.70 | $97.50 | $195.00 | $392.50 |
| MailerLite Comfort processor rate assumed Condition (MailerLite Comfort): Platform share is assumed to be 0%: the page states no paid-newsletter percentage, and the absence of a published fee does not prove there is none. Any result for this row is conditional on that assumption. | $38.38 | $76.10 | $164.60 | $341.10 |
| Patreon Standard rate processor rate assumed Condition (Patreon Standard rate): Current 10% rate only. The page also names currency-conversion and payout fees (no rates given), which are excluded here, so actual costs can be higher; legacy plans are not covered. | $53.28 | $159.00 | $397.50 | $924.00 |
| Ghost(Pro) Publisher processor rate assumed | $50.28 | $88.00 | $176.50 | $353.00 |
Cost = monthly plan price (yearly billing, 1,000 subscribers) + platform share + card fees. Kit’s 3.5% + 30¢ already includes card processing, and Kit Creator uses $32.50 a month (its $390 yearly invoice divided by 12; Kit displays $33). Rows tagged “processor rate assumed” use the generic Stripe rate. MailerLite Comfort uses its yearly-billing $17.10 (monthly billing is $19). Lowest per column is not a recommendation: plan features, list-size pricing and discovery differ. Illustrative cases only.
Where each model gets expensive
- Percentage models (Substack 10%; Kit 3.5% + 30¢) grow with revenue. On this model the Substack and Kit Free plans cost $0 when you earn nothing, but Kit’s paid Creator plan keeps its $32.50 monthly fee (from its $390 yearly invoice) at any revenue.
- Patreon states the same 10% share as Substack plus its own processing, conversion and payout fees. With the same assumed processing rate the two cost the same in this table; Patreon’s actual processing and payout fees were not on the captured page, so a real bill may differ. Legacy Patreon plans are not covered.
- Flat-fee models (beehiiv Lite/Pro, MailerLite Comfort, Ghost Publisher) cost the same at $200 or $5,000 a month in sales, but re-price as your list grows (not modeled here).
- Course platforms mix both; see the course table.
How does Kit’s 3.5% fee compare with Substack’s 10%?
On the same 1,000-subscriber, yearly-billing basis, Kit Free costs $23.20 at $320/mo paid revenue and $360.00 at $6,000/mo; Substack costs $53.28 and $924.00 at those levels. Kit Creator costs $55.70 and $392.50. Kit’s 3.5% + 30¢ already includes card processing, while Substack’s card rate is an assumption here, so these are not identical fee layers. Kit Free costs $0 at $0 revenue; Kit Creator keeps its $32.50 monthly price.
Match the tool to the job
The table above compares fees, not fit. A 10% publication share and a $99 course plan answer different jobs, and a lower fee does not make one a substitute for the other.
| Job, as the captured page describes it | Rows whose saved page states that purpose | Not verified in this site |
|---|---|---|
| Paid newsletter or publication | Substack (90% of revenue to the writer); beehiiv Lite / Pro (0% take rate on paid subscriptions); Ghost Publisher (“includes paid subscriptions”); MailerLite Comfort / Power (“Send paid newsletters” is listed on those plans, not Free) | Deliverability, growth and recommendation tools, imports and migrations, and whether every listed plan includes paid subscriptions |
| Selling a product or digital purchase | Kit Free / Creator (commerce fee of 3.5% + 30¢ per sale, processing included) | Product types, checkout features, tax handling and refunds |
| Membership or course delivery | Patreon (10% of income; community tiers not described on the page); Teachable, Kajabi, Podia and Skool on the course page (Skool lists unlimited members and courses) | Course features, community tools, certificates, completion tracking; Circle, Mighty Networks and Memberful were not read |
Purpose statements are quoted from each vendor’s saved page, not from feature comparisons. Where a page does not state a capability, this site does not claim it.
What should I ask before moving my newsletter list?
- Can I export the subscriber list and paid-subscriber records? Ask for the exact format and whether billing or customer IDs are included.
- What happens to existing paid subscriptions during the move? Ask whether subscribers must re-subscribe, re-enter payment details or approve a new billing relationship.
- Does the destination support my sending domain and DNS setup? Ask who makes the DNS change and what happens to authentication during cutover.
- Which fees follow the move? Separate plan price, platform share and card processing; the tables here show why a lower headline fee can cost more.
- What are the cancellation, refund and commitment terms? Confirm them before cancelling the current plan.
These are buyer questions, not findings about any vendor’s migration support. This site has not tested exports, billing moves, DNS changes or cancellation handling.
Buttondown (listed, not modeled)
| Vendor / plan | Source summary | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Buttondown paid-subscriptions add-on | Free for the first 100 subscribers; priced on active subscribers (not all contacts) via a subscriber slider whose tier prices are not in the saved page. Paid subscriptions are a +$9/month add-on. Prices assume at most one email a day to the whole list. Not modeled, because the price at 1,000 subscribers was not captured. Exact wording: “Absolutely nothing for your first 100 subscribers.” “We charge for active subscribers — you only pay for the people who are actively receiving your emails.” | buttondown.com/pricing checked October 25, 2026 |