Substack

What it is for

Substack is a hosted Posts list: you open Posts and read named published rows plus open rate, and publishing is free. Use it when the job is a posts list you start at a public $, not when you need a $20 chat seat.

What makes it unique: the cover is Substack’s official Posts list (Skyline Trails, Posts, Published 2 / Drafts 10 / Scheduled, Breaking it Down PAID DEC 19 67% opened / 6 views / 0 new subs, Out of office DEC 12 67% opened / 8 views) from the Posts still on Guide to your Substack Posts page — not a pricing card. The Breaking it Down row itself is ops of Posts.

Key features

• Posts list — Published / Drafts / Scheduled rows with open rate and views (cover still; Posts guide). One desk. Cover Breaking it Down / 67% sit here. New post / Filter / Search sit here as CTAs, not a sixth desk.
• Editor — the draft you write, then Continue to audience / email / schedule (publish). An editor, not a list open-rate.
• Subscribers — the audience table you filter and display (subscriber dashboard). A table, not a post title.
• Stats / post Overview — views, recipients, open rate, growth on one post (metrics). A report, not a Drafts tab.
• Notes — the short posts in the Substack feed (publish on Substack). A note, not a Scheduled row.
• Recommendations — other publications you recommend from the same dashboard (cover Recommendations in the nav). A rec, not a 67% cell.

New post / Filter / Search / Newest on the cover are CTAs (not desks). Publishing free / 10% take-rate / custom domain $50 are the meter. Auto transcripts on video posts are AI extras, not a sixth desk we fold into Posts.

Who it's for

Best fit: writers who will stay on free publishing (no Substack seat $) while they open a first Posts list, then turn on paid subscriptions when they accept Substack’s 10% of each payment plus Stripe 2.9% + $0.30 — not a $20 chat seat.

Pricing

Verified 2026-10-23 (Asia/Shanghai) from How much does Substack cost? (first-party Substack Support). There is no public Substack Pro seat $. Readers pay the price the writer sets. Do not invent a $5 / $10 writer tile as a Substack plan.

• Publishing — free, no matter how many subscribers you have.
• Substack fee (paid subscriptions) — 10% of each subscription payment.
• Stripe card processing (US cards) — 2.9% + $0.30 per payment (article cites Stripe pricing).
• Stripe Billing (recurring) — 0.7% (as of July 2024 on the same article).
• Custom domain (optional) — one-time $50.
• In-app (iOS) — Substack’s 10% is based on your web price. You choose Adjust prices for in-app purchases or Keep prices the same.
• Local methods (US Stripe example) — iDEAL 80¢; Bancontact 1.4% + 30¢; Sofort 1.4% + 30¢; SEPA Direct 0.8% + 30¢ capped at $6.00; failed / disputed SEPA $10.00.
• Tax — some writers add sales tax or VAT on top of their price.
• Web payments — Substack does not add a fee to web payments beyond the table above.

Confirm Stripe checkout; taxes follow your location.

Limitations / costs

• There is no public Substack Pro seat $. The fee table is a take-rate, not a $20 chat tile.
• Do not quote writer-set $5 / $10 examples as Substack Cloud plans. Those are the writer’s price.
• A Posts list, not Kit’s Subscribers list. For that list see Kit.

Alternatives

• Kit — a Subscribers list when you want Newsletter $0 / 10,000, not Substack’s Breaking it Down.
• beehiiv — a Compose canvas when you want Free $0 / 2,500, not a 10% take-rate.
• Brevo — an Email campaigns list when you want Free $0 / 300/day, not custom-domain $50.

Official tutorial

Official Substack channel video: Masterclass: Substack Recording Studio (oEmbed author: Substack). First-party Substack product film; the Posts list still is the cover. Recording Studio chrome on the video is ops of video posts, not generate-on-the-Posts-row. @Substack / @substack 404’d; the live official handle we oEmbedded is @substackinc.

Written path: How much does Substack cost? plus the Posts still.

Website

https://substack.com

Repository

https://github.com/substackinc

Source

Catalog row curated for AI Tools Nav. Cover is Substack’s official Posts list still (Skyline Trails + Breaking it Down PAID 67% / 6 views + Out of office). Dollars checked on Substack Support “How much does Substack cost?” (publishing free; 10% take-rate; Stripe 2.9% + $0.30; Billing 0.7%; custom domain $50). Tutorial oEmbed author: Substack.

Last verified

2026-10-23 (Asia/Shanghai) editorial check.