ConvertKit (Kit) vs Substack
ConvertKit (now Kit) gives you full control of your email list with powerful automation. Substack makes publishing instant but takes a cut of your paid subscriptions and owns the discovery layer. Here's which one you should actually use.
Last updated: 2026-03-29
⚡ Quick Verdict
Substack is brilliant at one thing: getting writers publishing fast. The built-in discovery network, simple interface, and instant paid subscription setup remove every barrier to starting. ConvertKit is the professional's tool — more complex to start, but you own everything: your list, your automation, your monetization logic, your positioning off-platform. For hobbyists and early-stage writers, Substack is fine. For anyone treating their newsletter as a business, ConvertKit wins.
Full-time creators, coaches, course sellers, and anyone who wants full email list ownership, automation sequences, and product funnels beyond just newsletters.
Writers who want to start publishing immediately, leverage Substack's built-in discovery, and aren't planning complex product funnels or automations.
ConvertKit charges monthly even with zero paying subscribers — the free plan has a 1,000-subscriber cap. You're responsible for growing your own audience.
Substack takes 10% of paid subscription revenue forever. No automation, no tags, no segmentation, no product funnels. You're building on someone else's platform.
Choose ConvertKit (Kit) if…
- →You plan to sell products, courses, templates, or services alongside your newsletter
- →You want complex automations: welcome sequences, funnels, behavioral triggers
- →You need to segment your audience and send different content to different groups
- →You want to integrate with your website, Shopify store, or course platform
- →You're earning or planning to earn $2,000+/mo from paid subscriptions (fee math favors ConvertKit)
- →You want your email list to be a standalone asset you fully own
Choose Substack if…
- →You want to start publishing today with zero technical setup
- →You want to benefit from Substack's built-in recommendation and discovery network
- →You're early-stage and want to test if people will pay for your writing before investing in tools
- →Your sole product is the newsletter itself — no courses, no products, no funnels
- →You have a small audience and the 10% fee on low revenue is acceptable
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Don't pick ConvertKit (Kit) if…
- ✕You just want to write — ConvertKit's features will feel like overhead
- ✕Your audience is entirely on Substack and you want their discovery engine working for you
- ✕You're pre-product and not sure what you want to build yet
Don't pick Substack if…
- ✕You're earning or planning to earn meaningful revenue from paid subs — 10% is brutal at scale
- ✕You want email sequences, drip content, or automated onboarding
- ✕You plan to sell anything other than a recurring subscription
- ✕You want to own your audience without platform dependency
Feature Comparison
Pricing
| Feature | ConvertKit (Kit) | Substack |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes (up to 1,000 subscribers) | Yes (takes 10% cut on paid subs) |
| Revenue cut at scale | None (flat monthly fee) | 10% of all paid sub revenue |
Features
| Feature | ConvertKit (Kit) | Substack |
|---|---|---|
| Email automation | Yes — full visual automation builder | No — every email is manual |
| Subscriber segmentation | Yes — tags, segments, custom fields | No — everyone gets the same emails |
| Podcast hosting | No native hosting | Yes — built-in |
| App for subscribers | No dedicated app | Substack app — iOS and Android |
Monetization
| Feature | ConvertKit (Kit) | Substack |
|---|---|---|
| Sell digital products | Yes — courses, templates, products | No — subscriptions only |
Growth
| Feature | ConvertKit (Kit) | Substack |
|---|---|---|
| Built-in discovery | Creator Network (recommendation system) | Substack recommend + app marketplace |
UX
| Feature | ConvertKit (Kit) | Substack |
|---|---|---|
| Writing experience | Functional but utilitarian | Beautiful, minimal, writer-focused |
Ease of Use
| Feature | ConvertKit (Kit) | Substack |
|---|---|---|
| Setup time | 30-60 minutes for basic setup | 10 minutes — truly |
Ownership
| Feature | ConvertKit (Kit) | Substack |
|---|---|---|
| List ownership/export | Full — your list, your data | You can export but it's their platform |
| Audience ownership | Full | Partial — Substack controls discovery |
Branding
| Feature | ConvertKit (Kit) | Substack |
|---|---|---|
| Custom domain | Yes | Yes |
Platform
| Feature | ConvertKit (Kit) | Substack |
|---|---|---|
| Integrations | 100+ integrations: Shopify, Teachable, Zapier, etc. | Very limited — mostly Stripe for payments |
Marketing
| Feature | ConvertKit (Kit) | Substack |
|---|---|---|
| Landing pages | Built-in landing page builder | Basic — your Substack URL is your page |
Honest Tradeoffs
Every tool has tradeoffs. Here's what you're actually choosing between.
The 10% Fee Reality
ConvertKit charges a flat monthly fee based on subscriber count. At 5,000 subscribers: $66/mo. At 50,000 subscribers: ~$400/mo. No cut on revenue — ever.
Substack takes 10% of every paid subscription dollar, plus Stripe takes 2.9% + 30¢. On $10,000/mo gross revenue, you pay ~$1,290 in fees vs. ~$200/mo for ConvertKit at scale.
The break-even point is roughly $200-300/mo in paid subscription revenue. Below that, Substack's revenue-share model costs less than ConvertKit's monthly fee. Above $300/mo in paid subs, ConvertKit starts saving you real money. At $3,000+/mo, the difference is hundreds of dollars per month.
Automation vs Simplicity
ConvertKit's automation builder lets you create sequences triggered by sign-ups, tags, purchases, or custom events. A welcome sequence, a 7-day course, a re-engagement campaign — all automated.
Substack has no automation at all. Every email you send is manually triggered. This is intentional — Substack is for newsletter writing, not marketing automation.
If your only product is a weekly newsletter, Substack's simplicity is a feature. If you want to sell courses or products via automated sequences, Substack literally can't do it.
Discovery and Audience Growth
ConvertKit launched Creator Network in 2023 — a recommendation system between newsletters. It works, but it's smaller than Substack's network.
Substack's recommendation engine is genuinely powerful. Writers on Substack have grown from 0 to 10,000+ subscribers purely through recommendations. The Substack app is a discovery surface that ConvertKit doesn't have.
If you're starting from zero and want organic growth, Substack's network is a real advantage. ConvertKit assumes you're driving your own audience through content, SEO, or paid acquisition.
Platform Risk
Your ConvertKit list is yours. Download a CSV any time. Switch platforms any time. No algorithm change can tank your deliverability overnight.
Substack can change their recommendation algorithm, change fee structures, or deprioritize certain topics (they have). You're not just an email sender — you're building on their platform.
This is the long-term risk most new Substack writers ignore. A ConvertKit list is an asset you own outright. A Substack publication is built on rented land. Diversification strategy: start on Substack, then migrate to ConvertKit when you hit meaningful revenue.
Pricing
ConvertKit (Kit)
Substack
Pros & Cons
ConvertKit (Kit)
Pros
- +Full ownership of your email list — export any time, no platform lock-in
- +Visual automation builder for sequences, funnels, and drip campaigns
- +Sell digital products and paid newsletters directly via Commerce
- +Powerful segmentation and tagging system
- +Integrates with every major creator tool: Teachable, Gumroad, Shopify, Zapier
Cons
- −Free plan capped at 1,000 subscribers — Substack is free up to any size (paid on revenue share)
- −Takes more setup than Substack to get running
- −No built-in audience discovery like Substack's recommendation network
- −Less beautiful writing experience — it's an email tool first
Substack
Pros
- +Start publishing in 10 minutes — no setup, no tech decisions
- +Built-in paid subscription infrastructure with Stripe integration
- +Substack's recommendation network can grow your audience for free
- +Beautiful, clean writing editor that writers love
- +App and podcast hosting included
Cons
- −Takes 10% of all paid subscription revenue forever
- −No email automation or sequences — every email is manual
- −No segmentation — you can't send different content to different subscriber groups
- −Limited ability to sell products, courses, or anything outside subscriptions
- −You're building on a platform — their algorithm controls your discovery
What the Data Says
Real numbers, real quotes, real outcomes — not marketing copy.
Substack has over 35 million active subscribers and 3 million paid subscribers across its platform as of 2025.
Source: Substack, 2025
ConvertKit (Kit) serves over 600,000 creators and has processed over $300M in creator commerce revenue.
Source: Kit, 2025
"At $5K/month in paid subscriptions, Substack takes $500 + Stripe fees. ConvertKit at that scale is ~$79/month total. The math isn't close."
Source: Creator Economy Weekly, 2025
Detailed Breakdown
The 10% Fee: When Substack's Model Starts Hurting
Substack's 10% take isn't punitive at $100/month. But at $5,000/month in paid subscriptions, you're handing over $500/month plus ~$165 to Stripe — $665/month in fees. ConvertKit at 50,000 subscribers costs $400/month with zero revenue cut. The crossover happens around $300-400/month in paid subscription revenue. Above that, ConvertKit saves money. By $3,000/month, the savings are significant enough to justify a migration.
Why Substack Is Still Winning With New Writers
The discoverability is real. Substack's recommendation network, their own app, and the "Substack brand" trust factor have helped writers grow audiences they couldn't have built alone. Ghost, ConvertKit, and Beehiiv have tried to replicate this with their own networks, but Substack's critical mass in certain niches (finance, politics, media criticism) is still an edge in 2026. For new writers, the question is whether that discovery edge is worth the 10% long-term tax.
The Hybrid Play: Substack for Growth, ConvertKit for Revenue
The most sophisticated creator strategy uses both: Substack as a top-of-funnel discovery tool where free content lives, with CTAs directing paid readers to your ConvertKit list where you own the relationship. This is more complex to manage but gives you the best of both: Substack's audience building + ConvertKit's monetization control. Some creators have reported building large Substack audiences and then migrating paid tiers to ConvertKit once revenue justified the switch.
ConvertKit vs Substack for Selling Courses and Products
ConvertKit (Kit) winsThis isn't close: ConvertKit. Substack is subscription-only. You cannot sell a $97 course, a $29 template pack, or a $499 group coaching program through Substack. ConvertKit Commerce lets you sell digital products directly. You can tag buyers, trigger sequences based on purchases, and create automated fulfillment. If your business model involves selling anything beyond recurring subscriptions, ConvertKit is the only viable choice.
Switching Costs
Already using one? Here's what it takes to switch.
ConvertKit (Kit) → Substack
Easy — a few hoursSubstack → ConvertKit (Kit)
Easy — a few hoursBoth tools allow full subscriber list export. Moving from Substack to ConvertKit requires exporting subscribers (including paid vs. free status) and setting up new payment infrastructure. Moving from ConvertKit to Substack is straightforward — import your list, set up paid tier. Neither migration is technically hard.
FAQ
Can I migrate from Substack to ConvertKit? ▾
What does Substack's 10% cut actually cost at scale? ▾
Does ConvertKit have a free plan? ▾
Is Substack good for SEO? ▾
Which is better for a podcast? ▾
ConvertKit rebranded to Kit — does that change anything? ▾
Neither feels right?
Consider Beehiiv — If you want Substack's simplicity but without the 10% fee, Beehiiv is the strongest alternative. Built by ex-Morning Brew team. Free to 2,500 subscribers, paid plans from $39/mo. Their ad network can generate revenue even for smaller newsletters.
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Ready to choose?
Both tools offer free plans. Try them and see which fits.