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Substack & Newsletter Calculator
Income from paid subs and open rate.
Substack 10% + ~3% Stripe included.
Net revenue / month
$1,667
Paid subs
250
Yearly
$20,004
Fees
-$333
How this tool works
Key Substack metric isn't total subs but conversion rate to paid. 5% is excellent, 2-3% is standard. 5,000 total subs at 5% conversion to $8/mo = $1,800/mo gross → ~$1,560/mo net after fees. The calculator applies 10% Substack + Stripe + $0.30 fixed.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I boost paid conversion?
- Paywall after 3-5 emails of real value. Premium newsletter with unique angle (e.g., 'what they DON'T tell you on LinkedIn'). Discord/Slack community paid-only. Monthly cohort drop (FOMO).
- Substack vs Beehiiv vs own?
- Substack: 10% fee, built-in discovery via recommendations. Beehiiv: 0% fee, better stats. Own (Mailchimp + Stripe): zero fees, all setup on you. To start: Substack. To scale: migrate to Beehiiv or own.
- Free → paid: how long?
- Top creators report: 6-12 months to $1k MRR with prior audience. Without audience: 18-24 months minimum. Accelerate with cross-promotions in your niche.
- $5/mo or $10/mo?
- Lower conversion, higher LTV. $5/mo: ~6-8% conversion. $10/mo: ~3-5% conversion. What matters is ARPU × volume — calculate both scenarios and pick what yields more MRR at 12 months.