beehiiv vs Substack: fees & take-home (2026-07)
At $3,000/month over 60 sales, beehiiv leaves you $257/month more than Substack. Here's the full breakdown — and where that flips.
| beehiiv | Substack | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Newsletter platforms | Newsletter platforms |
| Entry price | Free · paid from $43/mo | Free |
| Platform fee | 0% of paid-subscription revenue on all tiers (keep all minus Stripe). Paid subs require Scale+. | Flat 10% of paid-subscription revenue; plus Stripe ~2.9%+30c and ~0.7% renewal → ~13-16% all-in |
| Take-home on $3k/60 sales | $2,852 | $2,595 |
| Effective take rate | 4.9% | 13.5% |
| Affiliate payout | 50% recurring | — |
| Best for | Newsletter operators focused on growth and monetization (ad network, paid subs, boosts) with 0% take rate | Writers wanting the simplest paid-newsletter setup with zero fixed cost and built-in discovery |
Who keeps you more?
Modeled on each platform's entry tier, beehiiv wins at $3k/month. But the beehiiv/Substack gap depends on your revenue and sales volume — platforms with a monthly fee but 0% cut pull ahead as you scale, while free/percentage platforms win at low volume. Run your exact numbers →
Choose beehiiv if…
Newsletter operators focused on growth and monetization (ad network, paid subs, boosts) with 0% take rate.
Choose Substack if…
Writers wanting the simplest paid-newsletter setup with zero fixed cost and built-in discovery.