Substack Revenue Calculator
Newsletter revenue after fees.
Calculate Substack net revenue from paid subscribers, subscription price, and Substack fees, plus upside from free-to-paid conversions.
What this tool does
This calculator estimates your monthly and annual net revenue from a Substack newsletter. It combines income from existing paid subscribers with projected revenue from free subscribers converting to paid, then deducts the platform fee. The result shows what remains after Substack's cut is applied. Your paid subscriber count and average monthly price are the primary drivers of total revenue, while the free-to-paid conversion rate determines additional upside. A typical scenario might involve a creator with 500 paid subscribers at a monthly price, plus a larger free audience with an expected small percentage converting monthly. The calculation assumes a consistent conversion rate and fee structure. This is a simplified model for illustration only and does not account for churn, pricing changes, or other business variables.
Enter Values
People also use
Creator Economy
Patreon Income Calculator
Calculate Patreon net income after platform and payment fees. Enter patrons to see net patreon income after platform fees and payment processing.
Creator Economy
In-App Purchase Revenue Calculator
Calculate in-app purchase revenue with store fees and repeat rate. Enter daily active users and iap conversion to see net iap revenue from dau and conversion.
Business & Startup
Airbnb Host Profit Calculator
Calculate Airbnb host profit by entering your nightly rate, occupancy, fees, cleaning costs, mortgage, and expenses to see monthly and annual net profit.
Formula Used
Spotted something off?
Calculations or display — let us know.
Disclaimer
Results are estimates for educational purposes only. They do not constitute financial advice. Consult a qualified professional before making financial decisions.
Substack takes 10% of subscription revenue, with Stripe taking another 2.9% + 30p on each transaction. Most writers effectively net about 85% of gross after both fees. Revenue scales simply: paid subscribers × monthly price. The real game is converting free subscribers to paid - at 5% free-to-paid conversion, every 1,000 free subscribers quietly represent 250/month of potential paid MRR.
500 paid subscribers at 5/month = 2,500 gross MRR. After 10% Substack fee = 2,250 net. Annualised 27,000. Add 5,000 free subscribers at 5% conversion potential = 1,125/month additional potential. Total run-rate if conversion hits target: 3,375/month net, 40,500/year.
Substack economics work best for niche topics with high paying willingness - investing, parenting, tech analysis, professional development. General-interest newsletters struggle because the value proposition competes with free alternatives. Niches where readers need the content for their jobs convert best at 8-15% free-to-paid; consumer-interest newsletters typically convert 1-3%.
Run it with sensible defaults
Using paid subscribers of 500, avg monthly price of 5, free subscribers of 5,000, free-to-paid conversion of 5%, the calculation works out to 2,250.00. The defaults are meant as a starting point, not a recommendation.
The levers in this calculation
The inputs — Paid Subscribers, Avg Monthly Price, Free Subscribers, Free-to-Paid Conversion %, and Substack Fee % — do not pull with equal force. Not every input has equal weight. Adjusting one input at a time toward extreme values shows which ones move the result most.
How the math works
Gross MRR = subscribers × price. Net MRR = gross × (1 - fee %). Annual = net × 12. Upside = free × conversion % × price × (1 - fee %).
Using this as a check-in
Re-run this every three months. A single reading tells you where you stand; four readings tell you whether things are improving. The trend matters more than any individual snapshot.
What this doesn't capture
The score is a composite of the inputs you provide. Life context — job security, family obligations, health, housing — doesn't appear in the math but shapes the real picture. Use the number as a prompt, not a verdict.
500 paid × ££5/mo × (1 - 10%) = 2,250.00.
Inputs
This example uses typical values for illustration. Adjust the inputs above to match a specific situation and see how the result changes.
Sources & Methodology
Methodology
Gross MRR = subscribers × price. Net MRR = gross × (1 - fee %). Annual = net × 12. Upside = free × conversion % × price × (1 - fee %).
References
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Stripe fee stack on Substack fee?
Annual vs monthly subscriptions?
How big does a list need to be?
Substack vs Patreon?
Related Calculators
Patreon Income Calculator
Calculate Patreon net income after platform and payment fees. Enter patrons to see net patreon income after platform fees and payment processing.
In-App Purchase Revenue Calculator
Calculate in-app purchase revenue with store fees and repeat rate. Enter daily active users and iap conversion to see net iap revenue from dau and conversion.
Airbnb Host Profit Calculator
Calculate Airbnb host profit by entering your nightly rate, occupancy, fees, cleaning costs, mortgage, and expenses to see monthly and annual net profit.
More Creator Economy Calculators
Creator Economy
Affiliate Commission Calculator
Calculate affiliate commission earnings from clicks, conversion rate, order value, and commission percentage. Free educational tool.
Creator Economy
Affiliate Marketing Income Calculator
Calculate affiliate marketing income from clicks, conversion rate, and commission per sale or per-order commission rate.
Creator Economy
Amazon Associates Income Calculator
Calculate Amazon Associates affiliate income from traffic, click-through rate, conversion rate, and average commission per sale.
Creator Economy
App Revenue Calculator
Calculate app revenue from DAU, monetisation, and store fees. Enter daily active users and revenue per dau monthly to see app net revenue after app store fees.
Creator Economy
Beauty Business Revenue Calculator
Calculate beauty business annual revenue from clients per day, service price, working days, and uplift from retail product sales.
Creator Economy
Blog Advertising Revenue Calculator
Calculate blog advertising revenue from pageviews and CPM rate, across different ad networks and ads-per-page densities.
Explore Other Financial Tools
Green & Sustainable Finance
Sustainable Building ROI Calculator
Calculate sustainable building ROI from green premium, energy savings, water savings, and reduced maintenance across the building's expected life.
Green & Sustainable Finance
Car Pooling Savings Calculator
Calculate carpooling savings annually by entering commute distance, fuel cost per km, days per week, and the number of people sharing the ride.
Modern Life Events
Baby First Year Cost Calculator
Calculate total first-year baby cost combining one-off nursery setup with ongoing diapers, formula, clothing, and childcare expenses.