Substack Newsletter Revenue Calculator
Calculate your Substack monthly income from paid subscribers after Substack fees and Stripe payment processing.
How Substack Fees Work
Substack charges a flat 10% of revenue on paid subscriptions. Stripe handles payment processing at approximately 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction.
Paid Subscriber Estimate Paid Subscribers = Free Subscribers × Conversion Rate
Industry conversion rates range from 1% to 10%, with 3-5% being typical for engaged newsletters.
Monthly Revenue Gross = Paid Subscribers × Monthly Subscription Price Substack Fee = Gross × 0.10 Stripe Fee ≈ Gross × 0.029 + $0.30 × Paid Subscribers Net Monthly = Gross − Substack Fee − Stripe Fees
Annual Revenue Annual = Net Monthly × 12
Free vs Paid Model Growing your free list first, then converting to paid, is the most common Substack strategy. A 5,000-person free list converting at 3% = 150 paid subscribers. At $7/month that generates about $900/month net after fees.