Kit vs Substack
Both are newsletter platforms aimed at writers, creators and independent publishers. They differ most on low transaction fees, automation and audience growth tools.
At a glance
| Kit | Substack | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 81/100 Higher | 71/100 |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Paid from | $33/mo monthly; $390/yr billed annually | No paid plan; 10% of paid revenue |
| Positioning | specialist email | publishing network |
| Launched | 2013 | — |
| Best for | Creators who want to charge for a newsletter from day one without paying a monthly fee first. | Writers starting a paid newsletter who would rather give up a share of revenue than pay a monthly bill. |
Where each one leads
| Dimension | Kit | Substack | Leader |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | 5/5 | 5/5 | Tie |
| Paid subscriptions | 5/5 | 5/5 | Tie |
| Value for money | 3/5 | 3/5 | Tie |
| Ease of use | 4/5 | 5/5 | Substack |
| Low transaction fees | 4/5 | 1/5 | Kit |
| Audience growth tools | 4/5 | 5/5 | Substack |
| Automation | 5/5 | 1/5 | Kit |
| Publication website | 3/5 | 2/5 | Kit |
Scores are 1–5 per dimension. Kit leads on 3 dimensions, Substack on 2. The overall figure weights these for newsletter platforms generally — see methodology.
Pricing
Plans are listed per tool rather than paired row by row — tiers rarely line up, and putting one vendor's second plan beside another's implies an equivalence that is not there.
| Tool | Plan | Per month | Terms |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kit | Free | Free | — |
| Creator | $33 | monthly; $390/yr billed annually | |
| Pro | $66 | monthly; $790/yr billed annually | |
| Substack | Free | Free | 10% of paid-subscription revenue |
Pricing checked 23 September 2026 and 24 September 2026 against each vendor's own pricing page. Kit: Billed in USD. Paid prices are for 1,000 subscribers and rise with list size; annual billing saves 17%. Substack: Stripe adds 2.9% + $0.30 per payment, plus 0.7% on recurring billing.
Verdict
Kit
- +Free up to 10,000 subscribers, and the free plan can already run a paid newsletter.
- +Unlimited automations and email sequences come with any paid plan.
- +A free recommendations network across Kit creators helps a new list grow.
- −Takes 3.5% + 30¢ of each subscription payment, card processing included — about 0.6% more than processing alone.
- −The free plan is broadcasts only; automations and sequences need a paid plan.
Substack
- +Free to publish at any size, with no monthly fee even once readers pay.
- +Paid subscriptions work from day one, with nothing to pay until you earn.
- +Other writers can recommend your publication, and new recommendations reach their subscribers in a digest email.
- −Keeps 10% of every paid-subscription payment, on top of Stripe’s fees, and no plan removes it.
- −At $1,000 a month in subscriptions the 10% share is $100 a month, and it grows with every paying reader.
Common questions
Does Kit or Substack have a free plan?
Kit has a free plan, and Substack has a free plan.
Which is better, Kit or Substack?
On our weighted scoring across the use cases in this category, Kit comes out ahead overall. The honest answer is that it depends on the use case — the tables above break the score down by dimension so you can weight it to your own priorities.
Other comparisons
Sources & verification
- kit.com — checked 24 September 2026Paid newsletters and recurring subscriptions on every plan, including free. 3.5% + 30¢ per transaction, inclusive of card processing — Kit says its own share is 0.6%.
- support.substack.com — checked 24 September 2026Publishing is free however many subscribers you have. Paid subscriptions cost nothing a month; Substack takes 10% of each payment.
- support.substack.com — checked 24 September 2026One-time $50 fee to use your own domain.
- support.substack.com — checked 24 September 2026Writers recommend other publications; new recommendations reach their subscribers in a digest email.