Why give Substack 10% of everything you earn? Forever?

0% platform fees + custom domain + your brand

Airlancer charges 0% platform fees. At $100K/year, that's $10,000 you keep instead of giving to Substack.

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yourbrand.com/dashboard
Total Members
2,847
Paid Subscribers
892
Open Rate
48.2%
MRR
$4,460
0%
Platform fees
100%
Your branding
100%
Audience ownership
Pricing tiers

The 10% problem gets worse as you grow.

At $50K/year, Substack takes $5,000. At $100K, $10,000. At $500K, $50,000. There's no cap, no volume discount. The more successful you become, the more they profit.

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7-day satisfaction guarantee

Substack takes 10% forever
$10K/yr-$1,000
$50K/yr-$5,000
$100K/yr-$10,000
Airlancer - $0 platform fees
$10K/yr$0 fees
$50K/yr$0 fees
$100K/yr$0 fees
Keep $10,000+/yr more

0% platform fees.

Substack takes 10% of everything you earn on top of payment provider fees. Airlancer takes 0% platform fees; Stripe fees may apply.

From
newsletter@substack.com
URL
yourname.substack.com
Their brand, not yours
From
you@yourbrand.com
URL
yourbrand.com
Professional. Your brand.

Your domain. Your emails.

Emails from you@yourbrand.com, not @substack.com. Point your own domain via DNS.

Every Substack looks the same
Each publication is unique

Stand out from the crowd.

Every Substack looks the same. Create a unique brand with custom design and themes.

Your subscriber's inbox
Substack
Recommended for you: The Daily Byte
Substack
You might also like: Tech Insider
Substack
Popular on Substack: The Hustle
Your audience being siphoned
Your subscriber's inbox
You
Weekly Update: New episode is live
You
Exclusive: Behind the scenes look
You
Thank you for subscribing!
We never email your subscribers

Your audience stays yours.

Substack promotes other newsletters to YOUR subscribers. We never email your list.

Side by side comparison

What you get with a flat fee vs. giving away 10% forever.

Feature
Airlancer
Substack
Platform fees
0%
10% of revenueForever, no cap
Custom domain
Supported
+$50 one-time
Custom email address
you@yourbrand.com
@substack.com defaultCustom requires DNS setup
Custom design
Full control
Very limitedAll Substacks look similar
Multiple tiers
Unlimited tiers
LimitedMonthly, annual + founding only
Email newsletters
Yes
Yes
Audience ownership
Fully yours
ExportableBut Substack emails your subscribers
Developer API
Yes
No public API

Substack at $100K revenue

-$10,000/yr
Goes to Substack
  • 10% of all revenue, forever
  • Plus custom domain $50/yr extra
  • No cap - scales with your success
Total-$10,000/yr

Airlancer at $100K revenue

$348/yr
Flat fee, everything included
  • 0% Airlancer platform fees
  • Custom domain support
  • Predictable costs forever
You save$9,652/yr
7-day satisfaction guarantee
Audience Ownership

Your subscribers. But it's their marketing list.

Substack emails YOUR subscribers to promote other newsletters. Your hard-won audience becomes their growth engine. We never email your list.

Substack emails your subscribers:
  • Check out these other newsletters
  • Recommended for you promotions
  • Your audience helps grow competitors
Airlancer:
  • We never email your subscribers
  • No cross-promotion to competitors
  • Your audience is 100% yours
Savings Calculator

See what you'd save

Substack takes 10% of your revenue as a platform fee. Payment provider fees can apply on both platforms, so this comparison focuses on platform fee savings.

500 paid subscribers
$10/month subscription
You save with Airlancer
$5,652
per year in platform fees

Your annual revenue

Your annual revenue$60,000
Substack's 10% cut-$6,000

*Payment provider fees can apply on both platforms

tl;dr: The skinny

Airlancer is best if...

  • You want 0% Airlancer platform fees
  • You want your own brand with custom design and domain
  • You don't want competitors promoted to your audience
  • You want multiple membership tiers

Substack might be better when...

  • You're just starting and want the simplest option
  • You want Substack's network effects for discovery
  • You don't mind the 10% fee as you grow

Substack is simple to start. Airlancer is better economics - especially as you grow.

From the creator community

Sound familiar?

Substack taking 10% forever is insane. At scale, that's tens of thousands of dollars a year just for hosting a newsletter. No volume discount, no cap.
Newsletter Creator
on Reddit r/newsletters

Ready to keep more of what you earn?

Stop paying 10% platform fees. Pay 0% Airlancer platform fees.

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