Steady

A Berlin-based platform for paid newsletters, memberships and podcasts, free until you earn.

Free plan + paidNewsletter and creator publishing platforms

Verified facts: 3 of 3
Alternatives ranked: 5
Approved reviews: 0
Visits sent from here: 0

About Steady

Steady is a membership and newsletter platform from Germany, widely used by independent journalists, podcasters and magazines in Europe. Creators set up membership plans, publish newsletters and posts, offer private podcast feeds and embed paywalls on existing sites. Steady bills members monthly or annually, collects payments, retries failed charges and pays creators out in one transfer, and it handles EU VAT, which matters for European publishers selling across borders. There is no monthly fee: Steady takes a commission on what you earn, plus payment provider charges and VAT where applicable. Compared with Patreon it is more focused on publishing and less on multimedia fan communities, and compared with Substack it has a smaller reader network. The interface and support are available in English and German. It runs in the browser. It suits European writers and media projects that want memberships with tax handling done for them.

Best for: European journalists, podcasters and publishers who want memberships with VAT handled.

What works

No monthly fee; you pay only when you earn
Handles EU VAT, billing and failed payments
Newsletters, paywalls and private podcasts in one place

Why people leave

10% commission is high once revenue grows
Smaller audience network than Substack or Patreon
Fewer integrations and design options than Ghost

Top Steady alternatives

See all 5

1
Patreon
Larger global membership platform with stronger video and community tools.
66.5
2
Substack
Similar revenue-share model with a much bigger reader network.
62.6
3
Ghost
Flat hosting fee and 0% from Ghost, which is cheaper once revenue grows.
59.6
4
Memberful
Memberships on your own site with white-label checkout.
57.2
5
beehiiv
Newsletter-first platform with no cut of paid subscriptions on paid plans.
55.3

Why people left Steady

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Steady: common questions

Is Steady free?

Steady has a free plan and paid plans.

Is Steady open source?

No, Steady is not open source. Open-source alternatives include Ghost.

What platforms does Steady run on?

Steady is available for Web.

What are the best alternatives to Steady?

The highest-ranked Steady alternatives right now are Patreon, Substack and Ghost. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

See all 5 Steady alternatives

Steady facts

3 of 3 verified

Free to start: Yes, no charge until you earn; Checked Oct 25, 2026steadyhq.com(opens source in a new tab); “Steady is always free to use.”
Commission: 10% plus payment fees; Checked Oct 25, 2026steadyhq.com(opens source in a new tab); “Steady takes a 10% fee, so we can provide you with our services.”
Billing: Monthly or annual member billing; Checked Oct 25, 2026steadyhq.com(opens source in a new tab); “We bill your members on a monthly or annual basis.”