# Kajabi vs Substack fees

Page: https://membermath.app/compare/kajabi-vs-substack.html
Last verified: 2026-10-18

How Kajabi and Substack 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 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Kajabi (Basic) | $950.00 | $143.00 | $42.55 | $764.45 |
| Substack (Paid subscriptions) | $950.00 | $95.00 | $49.20 | $805.80 |

## 200 members at $29.00/month

| Platform (best plan) | Gross | Platform plan + fees | Processing | Net / month |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Kajabi (Basic) | $5,800.00 | $143.00 | $228.20 | $5,428.80 |
| Substack (Paid subscriptions) | $5,800.00 | $580.00 | $268.80 | $4,951.20 |

## 1,000 members at $29.00/month

| Platform (best plan) | Gross | Platform plan + fees | Processing | Net / month |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Kajabi (Basic) | $29,000.00 | $143.00 | $1,141.00 | $27,716.00 |
| Substack (Paid subscriptions) | $29,000.00 | $2,900.00 | $1,344.00 | $24,756.00 |

## Frequently asked questions

### Which keeps more at 50 members paying $19.00/month, Kajabi or Substack?

Substack (Paid subscriptions) keeps about $805.80 per month, versus about $764.45 for Kajabi (Basic), using the best plan of each. This follows the assumptions on the method page.

### Which keeps more at 200 members paying $29.00/month, Kajabi or Substack?

Kajabi (Basic) keeps about $5,428.80 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, Kajabi or Substack?

Kajabi (Basic) keeps about $27,716.00 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.

## Kajabi plans

| Plan | Billed annually | Billed monthly | Platform fee | Payment processing |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Basic | $143.00/mo ([source](https://kajabi.com/pricing), verified 2026-10-18, verified) | $179.00/mo ([source](https://kajabi.com/pricing), verified 2026-10-18, verified) | 0% ([source](https://kajabi.com/pricing), verified 2026-10-18, verified) | 2.9% + $0.30 ([source](https://kajabi.com/pricing), verified 2026-10-18, verified) |
| Growth | $199.00/mo ([source](https://kajabi.com/pricing), verified 2026-10-18, verified) | $249.00/mo ([source](https://kajabi.com/pricing), verified 2026-10-18, verified) | 0% ([source](https://kajabi.com/pricing), verified 2026-10-18, verified) | 2.8% + $0.30 ([source](https://kajabi.com/pricing), verified 2026-10-18, verified) |
| Pro | $399.00/mo ([source](https://kajabi.com/pricing), verified 2026-10-18, verified) | $499.00/mo ([source](https://kajabi.com/pricing), verified 2026-10-18, verified) | 0% ([source](https://kajabi.com/pricing), verified 2026-10-18, verified) | 2.7% + $0.30 ([source](https://kajabi.com/pricing), verified 2026-10-18, verified) |

### Notes

- Plan limits are 2,500, 25,000 and 100,000 contacts. The calculator warns when your member count exceeds the contact limit (members are a subset of contacts, so this is cautious).
- Kajabi runs promotions, such as time-limited free trials. Only standard prices are used here.
- Payment processing: Kajabi Payments, US cards. Fees differ by country. Using a third-party processor adds a Kajabi fee of 2%, 1% or 0.5% depending on plan.

### Sources

- https://kajabi.com/pricing (verified 2026-10-18; verified)

## Substack plans

| Plan | Billed annually | Billed monthly | Platform fee | Payment processing |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Paid subscriptions | $0.00/mo ([source](https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/360037607131-How-much-does-Substack-cost), verified 2026-10-18, verified) | $0.00/mo ([source](https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/360037607131-How-much-does-Substack-cost), verified 2026-10-18, verified) | 10% ([source](https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/360037607131-How-much-does-Substack-cost), verified 2026-10-18, verified) | 3.6% + $0.30 ([source](https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/360037607131-How-much-does-Substack-cost), verified 2026-10-18, verified) |

### 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)