A free Substack money calculator that works out what your paid subscribers earn a month and a year, after Substack's 10% and Stripe's payment fees.
5.0(1 rating)Enter your subscribers and prices to see what your paid Substack earns a month and a year, after Substack's 10% and Stripe's fees.
Your numbers
Your subscribers
The fees use Stripe's rates for US cards. Cards from other countries and other payment methods can cost more.
Other income
Anything your newsletter earns outside paid subscriptions.
What you'd earn
Enter your numbers to see what you'd earn.
Where these numbers come from
This free Substack money calculator works out what your paid subscribers earn a month and a year, after Substack's share and Stripe's payment fees.
Enter your free subscribers, the share who pay, your monthly and yearly prices, and how many pick the yearly plan. Add sponsors or other income if you have them.
Here's how Substack takes its cut, a worked example, and how many paid subscribers it takes to reach your goal.
What is a Substack money calculator?
A Substack money calculator turns your subscribers and prices into what you take home from paid subscriptions.
It counts your paid subscribers on each plan, then takes out Substack's 10% and Stripe's fee on every payment.
Who is the Substack money calculator for?
It's for writers deciding what to charge and how many readers they need:
- Patreon money calculator – creators choosing between a paid newsletter and a membership.
- Email marketing software finder – writers comparing Substack with other newsletter platforms.
- Subject line tester – anyone who wants more readers to open each issue.
- Lead magnet generator – writers growing the free list that paid subscribers come from.
- How to make money online – anyone weighing a newsletter against other ways to earn.
It runs in your browser, and nothing you enter leaves your device.
How to use the Substack money calculator
How Substack takes its cut
From Substack's own page on what it costs:
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Substack | 10% of each subscription payment |
| Stripe card processing | 2.9% + $0.30 per payment for US cards |
| Stripe Billing | 0.7% for recurring payments |
| Custom domain | $50 once, if you want one |
Free newsletters cost nothing: the 10% applies to paid subscriptions. Cards from other countries and other payment methods can cost more, and subscriptions bought in the iOS app carry Apple's fees.
An example
5,000 free subscribers, 5% paying, $8 a month or $80 a year, with 40% on the yearly plan:
| Line | A month |
|---|---|
| 250 paid subscribers | $1,867 |
| Substack's 10% | −$186.67 |
| Stripe's fees | −$114.70 |
| You take home | $1,565 |
That's about $18,784 a year, before your own taxes.
Monthly or yearly plans?
Yearly plans cost you less in fees. Stripe's $0.30 is charged on every payment, so a yearly subscriber pays it once a year and a monthly one 12 times.
A yearly price below 12 months of the monthly one still helps: the reader saves, you get paid up front, and fewer readers cancel between payments.
How many paid subscribers you need
At $8 a month, each paid subscriber brings about $6.61 after fees. 152 paid subscribers make about $1,000 a month.
To get there, grow the free list first. A free guide to sign up for helps: the lead magnet generator makes one, and the subject line tester gets more of your emails opened.
Substack Money Calculator FAQs
Questions about the Substack money calculator? Here's what to know.
A Substack money calculator works out what your paid subscribers earn after Substack's 10% and Stripe's payment fees.
Substack keeps 10% of each subscription payment.
Stripe also charges its payment fees on top.
For US cards, 2.9% + $0.30 per payment, plus 0.7% for recurring billing.
Other cards and payment methods can cost more.
At $8 a month, about 152 paid subscribers, after Substack's and Stripe's fees.
No, the 10% applies only to paid subscriptions.
Yes, it's free, with no sign-up.
Your numbers are saved in your browser, so they're there when you come back.
Nothing you enter is sent to navid.me.
I did. I'm Navid Moazzez, and I made the Substack money calculator as one of my free tools on navid.me.
More about me.
Navid Moazzez
AI business strategist & AI OS builder
Navid Moazzez helps creators and founders master AI and build their own AI Operating System (AI OS) to automate their business and life.
Navid.me is reader-supported. When you buy through links on this site, I may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more.
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