Substack pricing
Substack has a free plan and paid plans. Free plan: Yes, free to start.
Free plan + paidPrices last checked Oct 29, 2026
Substack plans and prices
Every line links to the page it came from. Prices are what Substack publishes; taxes, currency and regional pricing can change what you pay.
Substack pricing facts
2 of 2 verified- Free plan
- Yes, free to start
- Checked Oct 29, 2026substack.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “Start your Substack Free to start No platform fees, no tiers, no contracts—Substack is free to start and free to leave Earn money right away 90% goes to you.”
- Paid subscriptions
- 5 million+ across the platform
- Checked Oct 29, 2026substack.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “Build your audience Tap into a platform with 5 million paid subscriptions”
Substack alternatives by price
Starting prices from each app's own site, ranked by our alternatives score.
| App | Pricing | Price | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|
 beehiiv | Free plan + paid | $49/month (Lite, billed yearly) | Up to 2,500 subscribers |
 Ghost | Open source | $18/month (Starter, billed yearly) | — |
 Buttondown | Free plan + paid | $9/month | First 100 subscribers |
 Patreon | Free plan + paid | — | Yes, free to start |
 Write.as | Paid | $6/month (Pro, billed yearly) | No |
 MailerLite | Free plan + paid | From $12 a month (Comfort) | Yes, up to 250 subscribers |
 Medium | Free plan + paid | — | — |
 Bluesky | Free | — | — |
Substack pricing: common questions
Is Substack free?
Substack has a free plan: Yes, free to start. Paid plans add more.
What are free alternatives to Substack?
Free or freemium alternatives include beehiiv, Ghost, Buttondown and Patreon. Open-source options: Ghost and Bluesky.