When is a flat-fee Substack alternative cheaper?

Use paid revenue, not total audience

A free list of 50,000 readers creates no percentage fee if paid subscriptions are disabled. A much smaller paid publication can cross the flat-fee threshold quickly. Enter monthly paid-subscription revenue—not list size—in the calculator.

Do not count payment processing as a saving

Payment processing remains a cost on other platforms, although the exact rate and billing setup can differ. We exclude it to isolate the platform-fee difference. Taxes, refunds, discounts, and app-store purchases can also change take-home revenue.

Put a value on what you would give up

A lower direct fee does not price audience discovery, reader habits, comments, recommendations, or a familiar publishing workflow. Estimate the monthly value of the features you would lose before treating the entire fee gap as savings.

Require both savings and reasonable payback

First, decide whether the monthly fee difference is large enough to matter. Then use the migration calculator to see how long that difference takes to repay the move. If the saving is small or payback is too slow, stay and recalculate when revenue changes.

A worked move/no-move rule

Suppose paid revenue is $1,000 per month, the alternative costs $49 per month, and migration will cost $600 in time and outside help. The platform-fee difference is $51 per month, so the move takes about 12 months to repay. If your limit is six months, do not move on fees alone.