Substack (10% fee) alternatives
Killing 10% of paid revenue — here are 3 verified escapes, honest trade-offs included.
the answer medium migration
Ghost (self-hosted) · Free / self-host free ⭐ 55.1K stars Keep 100% of subscriptions — Stripe's fee is the only middleman.
head-to-head
| Substack (10% fee) | Ghost (self-hosted) | |
|---|---|---|
| price | 10% of paid revenue | Free / self-host free |
| self-hostable | no | yes |
| license | proprietary | MIT |
| verified | — | 2026-08 |
| migration | — | medium effort |
free & open source (2)
Free / self-host free
Keep 100% of subscriptions — Stripe's fee is the only middleman.
trade-offs: You run updates/hosting
github →cheaper, but not open source (1)
Buttondown cheaper
Free tier / lower fees
Newsletter tooling for writers who outgrow platforms' fees.
trade-offs: Smaller network discovery
faq
What is the best free alternative to Substack (10% fee)?
Ghost (self-hosted) is the top free option — Keep 100% of subscriptions — Stripe's fee is the only middleman.
How much can I save by switching from Substack (10% fee)?
Savings depend on your usage — compare the pricing of the alternatives below against what you pay today.
Can Substack (10% fee) be self-hosted?
Yes — Ghost (self-hosted) and Listmonk can be self-hosted for free.