What each week held
Withheld: something was read in 1 week of the last 12. A series needs at least 2 to say anything a single reading does not.
What it declares
- 10% revenue-share, no monthly fee (Substack)
- built-in discovery/recommendation network (Substack)
- 0% platform fee, flat monthly pricing (Ghost, Beehiiv)
- ad network and referral/growth tooling (Beehiiv)
- full design control and self-hosting option (Ghost)
- free tier up to 2,500 subscribers (Beehiiv)
As the company’s own pages describe it. Forge did not test any of these.
What users raised
- 10% fee scales uncapped with revenue
- lack of customization/ownership on Substack
- percentage model becomes costliest line item at scale
- flat-fee platforms cheaper only after crossing revenue threshold
Themes people raised in public. A complaint is somebody’s opinion, not a measurement of the product.
Everything on record
6 observed claims. Newest first; the tag on each row is what kind of claim you are reading.
- DISCOURSEUSER OPINIONSep 30, 2026
A counter-argument also circulating frames the 10% fee as a 'success fee' analogous to a real estate commission, arguing creators who complain while keeping the large majority of scaled revenue are being irrational.
Indicates the discourse is not one-sided; a defensive counter-narrative exists alongside the exodus narrative.
secondactstrategist.substack.com/p/substack-is-too-expensive-and-other - COMPLAINTUSER OPINIONSep 30, 2026
Discourse participants consistently frame the break-even point where Substack's 10% cut exceeds flat-fee competitors as falling somewhere between roughly $300 and $1,000 per month in paid subscription revenue, above which migrating to a flat-fee platform can save creators thousands per year.
Core recurring complaint theme (third+ independent sighting across multiple sources) about the percentage model penalizing successful creators.
aitoolpick.org/blog/substack-pricing-2026/ - DISCOURSEFACTSep 30, 2026
High-profile entertainment newsletter The Ankler moved off Substack to a new platform called Passport, described as a significant, high-profile departure from Substack tied to fee and customization concerns.
A notable named departure that could indicate broader mainstream crossover of the fee-discourse argument, worth tracking for further high-profile exits.
mwm.ai/articles/substack-faces-creator-exodus-over-fee-structure-in-may-2026 - DISCOURSEUSER OPINIONSep 30, 2026
A prominent example cited in discourse is Extra Points creator Matt Brown, who stated he saves thousands annually on Beehiiv compared to what he would owe Substack.
Represents the recurring creator complaint theme about Substack's percentage fee becoming costly at scale.
mwm.ai/articles/substack-faces-creator-exodus-over-fee-structure-in-may-2026 - PRICINGFACTSep 30, 2026
Beehiiv and Ghost both charge flat monthly/tiered fees rather than a revenue percentage and take 0% of paid subscription revenue; Beehiiv's free plan covers up to 2,500 subscribers with paid tiers starting around $39-49/month, while Ghost(Pro) plans start around $9-29/month with no free plan.
Baseline for the flat-fee alternative positioning that drives the 'leave Substack once you scale' argument.
mrktcorrect.com/blog/beehiiv-vs-ghost - PRICINGFACTSep 30, 2026
Substack takes a flat 10% platform fee on gross paid-subscription revenue with no monthly platform fee, on top of Stripe processing of roughly 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction; this fee structure has reportedly been unchanged since Substack's 2017 launch.
Establishes the baseline economics that all competitor comparisons and creator complaints are measured against.
www.getpricepulse.com/companies/substack-pricing.html
A record of what Forge read in public about Platform fees on paid newsletters — its own pages and what people wrote about it. Nothing here is a test of the product, a ranking or a score, and Forge has no relationship with this company.