Growing Substack

Substack's own tools do much of the growing: recommendations from other writers and rewards for readers who share. Links from other sites help search.

Checked 25 Oct 2026, 07:07 UTC

Basics

How many people use Substack?

Substack says it has 5 million paid subscriptions, a milestone it announced on 11 Mar 2025. It counts paid subscriptions, not monthly users, and says tens of millions of people read each week, with no date given.^{[1, 2]}

How do you grow a Substack?

Recommend other writers, reward readers who refer friends, and earn links from other sites.

Step	Substack's advice
Recommend other publications	Writers you recommend are prompted to recommend you back
Turn on subscriber referrals	Readers earn rewards for bringing in free subscribers
Put your name in the URL	Readers are more likely to search for your name
Earn inbound links	Substack calls them the best way to rank in search

Over 30% of paid subscriptions come from inside Substack's network, Substack says.^{[1, 3, 4, 5]}

When can you earn money on Substack?

Once you set up your publication, connect Stripe and turn on payments in Settings. Plans start at $5 a month or $30 a year, and a founding member plan lets fans pay more.^[6]

Advanced

What does Substack take from paid subscriptions?

10% of each subscription payment, plus Stripe's processing fees. Readers pay no extra fee on the web.

Fee	Amount
Substack	10% of each payment
Stripe card processing	2.9% + $0.30 per US card payment
Stripe Billing	0.7% of recurring payments
iPhone app purchases	Apple charges an extra 15% to 30%

Sources ^{[7, 8]}

Does Substack have an API?

Substack's help center describes no public API. Its MCP server lets admins of Bestseller publications read subscriber, post, revenue and retention data in AI assistants such as Claude; it can't publish.

Fact	Detail
Access	Admins of publications with a Bestseller badge
Bestseller badge	Starts at hundreds of paid subscribers
Limits	Read-only; no posts, Notes or account changes

Sources ^{[9, 10]}

Which paid Substack options are worth it?

Grow free first; Substack takes its cut only when readers pay. The order is our view, and Growing Patreon compares memberships.

Option	Cost	What it buys
Recommendations and referrals	Free	Subscribers from other writers' readers and your own
Paid subscriptions	10% plus Stripe fees	Income from readers, from $5 a month
Custom domain	One-time $50	Your own .com instead of substack.com

Sources ^{[3, 4, 6, 7]}