# Memberful vs Substack fees

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

How Memberful 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 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Memberful (Standard) | $950.00 | $95.55 | $42.55 | $811.90 |
| 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 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Memberful (Standard) | $5,800.00 | $333.20 | $228.20 | $5,238.60 |
| 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 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Memberful (Standard) | $29,000.00 | $1,470.00 | $1,141.00 | $26,389.00 |
| 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, Memberful or Substack?

Memberful (Standard) keeps about $811.90 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, Memberful or Substack?

Memberful (Standard) keeps about $5,238.60 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, Memberful or Substack?

Memberful (Standard) keeps about $26,389.00 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.

## Memberful plans

| Plan | Billed annually | Billed monthly | Platform fee | Payment processing |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Standard | not listed | $49.00/mo ([source](https://memberful.com/pricing/), verified 2026-10-18, verified) | 4.9% ([source](https://memberful.com/pricing/), verified 2026-10-18, verified) | 2.9% + $0.30 ([source](https://stripe.com/pricing), verified 2026-10-18, verified) |

### Notes

- A failed $49.00 payment raises Memberful's transaction fee from 4.9% to 12.5% (per Memberful's docs).
- Memberful runs on Stripe only. Stripe's fee varies by country; the US rate is used here.
- Payment processing: US domestic card. Memberful's docs note that Stripe fees vary by country.

### Sources

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