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Substack vs Ghost fees
How Substack and Ghost fees compare, using each vendor's public pricing. Best plan = highest net at that size.
50 members at $19.00/month
| Platform (best plan) | Gross | Platform plan + fees | Processing | Net / month | Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Substack (Paid subscriptions) | $950.00 | $95.00 | $49.20 | $805.80 | ✓ verified |
| Ghost (Publisher (Ghost Pro)) | $950.00 | $29.00 | $42.55 | $878.45 | ✓ verified |
200 members at $29.00/month
| Platform (best plan) | Gross | Platform plan + fees | Processing | Net / month | Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Substack (Paid subscriptions) | $5,800.00 | $580.00 | $268.80 | $4,951.20 | ✓ verified |
| Ghost (Publisher (Ghost Pro)) | $5,800.00 | $29.00 | $228.20 | $5,542.80 | ✓ verified |
1,000 members at $29.00/month
| Platform (best plan) | Gross | Platform plan + fees | Processing | Net / month | Data |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Substack (Paid subscriptions) | $29,000.00 | $2,900.00 | $1,344.00 | $24,756.00 | ✓ verified |
| Ghost (Publisher (Ghost Pro)) | $29,000.00 | $29.00 | $1,141.00 | $27,830.00 | ✓ verified |
Try your own numbers in the calculator → · Full details: Substack pricing, Ghost pricing.
Substack plans
| Plan | Billed annually | Billed monthly | Platform fee | Payment processing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paid subscriptions | $0.00/mo ✓ verified | $0.00/mo ✓ verified | 10% ✓ verified | 3.6% + $0.30 ✓ verified |
Sources and notes
Notes
- Processing is Stripe's card fee (2.9% + $0.30) plus Stripe Billing (0.7%), or 3.6% + $0.30 per payment on US cards.
- Subscriptions bought in the iOS app may cost readers more to cover Apple's fees. This is not included.
- Payment processing: Stripe card fee of 2.9% + $0.30 plus 0.7% for Stripe Billing.
Sources
- https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/360037607131-How-much-does-Substack-cost · verified 2026-10-18 · ✓ verified
Ghost plans
| Plan | Billed annually | Billed monthly | Platform fee | Payment processing | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publisher (Ghost Pro) | $29.00/mo ✓ verified | not listed | 0% ✓ verified | 2.9% + $0.30 ✓ verified | 1,000 members |
| Business (Ghost Pro) | $199.00/mo ✓ verified | not listed | 0% ✓ verified | 2.9% + $0.30 ✓ verified | 10,000 members |
Sources and notes
Notes
- Ghost(Pro) pricing depends on member count. Only entry prices for up to 1,000 members are shown, and paid subscriptions require Publisher or higher.
- Ghost's page is inconsistent about the Business member limit (1,000 in the feature list, 10,000 in the comparison table).
- Self-hosting Ghost is free software, but you pay for your own server. This is not included.
- Platform fee: Ghost charges no transaction fees.
- Payment processing: Stripe's payment processing fees still apply.
- Business (Ghost Pro): The member limit is unclear: Ghost's page lists both 1,000 and 10,000.
Sources
- https://ghost.org/pricing/ · verified 2026-10-18 · ✓ verified
- https://stripe.com/pricing · verified 2026-10-18 · ✓ verified
Frequently asked questions
Which keeps more at 50 members paying $19.00/month, Substack or Ghost?
Ghost (Publisher (Ghost Pro)) keeps about $878.45 per month, versus about $805.80 for Substack (Paid subscriptions), using the best plan of each. This follows the assumptions on the method page.
Which keeps more at 200 members paying $29.00/month, Substack or Ghost?
Ghost (Publisher (Ghost Pro)) keeps about $5,542.80 per month, versus about $4,951.20 for Substack (Paid subscriptions), using the best plan of each. This follows the assumptions on the method page.
Which keeps more at 1,000 members paying $29.00/month, Substack or Ghost?
Ghost (Publisher (Ghost Pro)) keeps about $27,830.00 per month, versus about $24,756.00 for Substack (Paid subscriptions), using the best plan of each. This follows the assumptions on the method page.