Newsletter platforms, September 2026: 0 open gaps across 7 read companies.

What was read

7 companies placed; 7 read during September 2026.

• BeehiivSep 30, 2026
• KitSep 30, 2026
• ButtondownSep 30, 2026
• GhostSep 30, 2026
• Platform fees on paid newslettersSep 30, 2026
• Writers starting a paid newsletterSep 30, 2026
• SubstackSep 30, 2026

Gaps closed and opened

No complaint theme was raised about two or more read companies this month. There is no previous month on record to compare against.

Who entered

7 companies placed (Beehiiv, Kit, Buttondown, Ghost, Platform fees on paid newsletters, Writers starting a paid newsletter, Substack); 0 products sighted by a search and not yet read.

Pricing moves

7 of 7 read companies have a pricing entry on record; 10 pricing changes recorded across 7 companies this month.

• Ghost [COMPANY CLAIM] Sep 30, 2026 · 1 change this monthGhost(Pro) offers four tiers — Starter, Publisher, Business, and Custom — with no free tier. Starter starts around $15-18/month (annual billing) and caps at 1,000 members without paid-subscription support; Publisher starts around $29/month and scales with audience size; Business starts around $199/month with a 10,000-member ceiling, more staff seats, and advanced analytics; Custom/Enterprise pricing is available on request. source
• Beehiiv [COMPANY CLAIM] Sep 30, 2026 · 2 changes this monthBeehiiv's current pricing tiers are Launch (free, up to 2,500 subscribers), Scale (billed at roughly $49/month monthly or $43/month annual), Max (roughly $109/month monthly or $96/month annual), and custom Enterprise for 100,000+ subscribers. source
• Kit [FACT] Sep 30, 2026 · 2 changes this monthKit's Creator plan starts at $39/month (or $33/month billed annually) for up to 1,000 subscribers, and Creator Pro starts at $79/month (or $66/month annually) for up to 1,000 subscribers; the free Newsletter plan supports up to 10,000 subscribers. source
• Buttondown [COMPANY CLAIM] Sep 30, 2026 · 1 change this monthButtondown's pricing page reportedly offers a free plan for the first 100 subscribers, with paid plans starting at $9/month for up to 1,000 subscribers, scaling by active subscriber count. source
• Platform fees on paid newsletters [FACT] Sep 30, 2026 · 2 changes this monthSubstack 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. source
• Writers starting a paid newsletter [FACT] Sep 30, 2026 · 1 change this monthSubstack charges no monthly platform fee but takes 10% of paid subscription revenue plus ~3-6% Stripe processing, while beehiiv and Ghost charge 0% on paid subscriptions (beehiiv plans from $49/mo at 1,000 subs; Ghost Publisher plans around $29/mo). source
• Substack [COMPANY CLAIM] Sep 30, 2026 · 1 change this monthSubstack charges writers no monthly platform fee for publishing, whether free or paid, and instead takes 10% of paid-subscription revenue plus Stripe's processing fees (~2.9% + $0.30 per transaction); this fee structure has reportedly been unchanged since the company's 2017 launch. source

What users raised

21 themes raised by users; the most raised: 10% fee scales uncapped with revenue (1 of 5), 10% revenue cut on Substack at scale (1 of 5), AI-only customer support (1 of 5).

• 10% fee scales uncapped with revenue 1/5
• 10% revenue cut on Substack at scale 1/5
• AI-only customer support 1/5
• billing surprises 1/5
• combined Stripe + platform fees eat into low-priced tiers 1/5
• Cost can rise with multiple add-ons vs. all-in-one competitors 1/5
• feature differentiation confusing across plans (e.g., automations vs. Rules overlap) 1/5
• Feature gating behind paid add-ons 1/5
• flat-fee platforms cheaper only after crossing revenue threshold 1/5
• Kit no longer free for new accounts 1/5
• lack of customization/ownership on Substack 1/5
• lack of growth tools on Ghost 1/5
• Limited visual/email templates 1/5
• manual outreach still required despite growth-tool marketing 1/5
• Notes algorithm reach reduction 1/5
• percentage model becomes costliest line item at scale 1/5
• platform lock-in on migration (payment relationships, archive URLs) 1/5
• pricing increases with subscriber count / recent price hike 1/5
• scaling 10% platform fee at higher revenue 1/5
• steep learning curve for Ghost self-hosting 1/5
• tracked links still use Kit's default tracking domain 1/5

Funding by quarter

Withheld: something was read in 1 of the last 8 quarters. A series needs at least 2 to say anything a single reading does not.

The ledger this month

31 observed claims recorded this month, 1 inference counted apart, 2 sources that did not answer.

• PRICING · 10
• PRODUCT · 10
• COMPLAINT · 3
• DISCOURSE · 3
• POSITIONING · 3
• FUNDING · 1
• PEOPLE · 1