> 16,610 publications monitored · data updated daily · last sync: MAR 17, 2026

Substack Pricing Benchmarks: What Newsletters Actually Charge

Real pricing data from 16,610 Substack newsletters across 27 topics. Updated daily.

Overall Median Price

$5/mo

Ranges from $5 to $30/mo by category

Monetization Rate

59.4%

Of newsletters have paid plans

Newsletters Indexed

16,610

Across 27 topics

Pricing by Category

Sorted by newsletter count. Category, count, monetization rate, and median price are free to view.

CategoryNewsletter CountMonetization RateMedian PriceMin PriceMax Price
Climate & Environment87062.8%$6/mo
Travel82668.0%$6/mo
Business79048.6%$10/mo
Technology75939.9%$10/mo
Design75762.7%$6/mo
History75073.7%$5/mo
U.S. Politics74877.4%$7/mo
Music74866.6%$5/mo
Literature72969.4%$6/mo
Art & Illustration69062.3%$6/mo
Sports67471.1%$6/mo
Education65755.1%$8/mo
Global Politics65575.4%$6/mo
Health & Wellness62077.3%$8/mo
Culture59072.7%$6/mo
Finance57563.1%$30/mo
News56572.2%$7/mo
Parenting55971.7%$6/mo
Fiction55364.4%$6/mo
Fashion & Beauty49276.2%$6/mo
Humor49167.0%$5/mo
Crypto49035.9%$10/mo
Science48960.7%$7/mo
Faith & Spirituality48677.2%$7/mo
Food & Drink47577.9%$6/mo
Comics41353.5%$5/mo
Philosophy40070.0%$8/mo

Price data filtered to exclude outliers above $500/mo.

The $5/month price point is Substack's default minimum, which concentrates 73% of paid publications at this level. Category-level medians provide a more accurate benchmark for pricing decisions.

See every price point, range, and trend across all 27 topics.

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Explore Pricing by Category

Drill into niches within each category. Browse all niches.

Climate & Environment

Clean Energy & CleantechClimate Science & PolicyConservation & Public LandsEnvironmental JournalismGeneral Climate & EnvironmentOcean & WaterSustainable FashionSustainable Living & HomesteadingWildlife & Animal Rights

Travel

City Guides & Urban TravelConsumer Advocacy & Travel RightsCruise TravelDigital Nomad & Long-Term TravelFamily & Adventure TravelFear of Flying & Travel WellnessFrance TravelGeneral TravelIreland & Scotland TravelItaly TravelLiving Abroad & Expat LifeLuxury Hotels & ResortsTravel Writing & Essays

Business

AI for BusinessBusiness Analytics & DataCareer Development & Job SearchGeneral BusinessLeadership & ManagementMarketing & GrowthMergers & AcquisitionsPersonal Branding & Creator EconomyProductivity & Work CultureSales & RevenueSmall Business & FreelancingStartups & EntrepreneurshipStrategy & Operations

Technology

AI & Machine LearningAI Tools & TutorialsCareer & Job Market (Tech)Data Engineering & AnalyticsEngineering LeadershipGeneral TechnologyHumane Tech & EthicsProduct ManagementSoftware EngineeringStartups & Venture Capital (Tech)Web3 & Blockchain (Tech)

Design

AI & Design ToolsArchitecture & Spatial DesignBrand & Visual IdentityDesign Career & CommunityDesign Thinking & StrategyGame DesignGarden Design & HorticultureGeneral DesignInterior Design & Home DecorLifestyle & Intentional Living DesignUX & Product Design

History

American HistoryAncient & Classical HistoryCultural & Social HistoryEuropean HistoryGeneral HistoryHistoric Mysteries & UnexplainedHistory of Science & TechnologyLinguistics & EtymologyMedieval HistoryMilitary & Geopolitical HistoryModern & Contemporary HistoryPhilosophy & CivilizationWorld War & Military History

U.S. Politics

Campaign & Electoral PoliticsConservative & Right-Leaning CommentaryDemocracy & Civic EngagementGeneral U.S. PoliticsInvestigative & AccountabilityLegal & Constitutional AnalysisMedia & Political CommentaryNational Security & Foreign PolicyNever-Trump & CentristPolitical Satire & HumorProgressive & Liberal CommentaryState & Local U.S. Politics

Music

Artist Newsletters & PersonalClassical & JazzElectronic & Dance MusicGeneral MusicHip-Hop & R&BIndie, Folk & AmericanaMusic Criticism & AnalysisMusic Discovery & PlaylistsMusic Industry & BusinessSound Healing & Music Therapy

Literature

Art & Illustration

Sports

Education

Global Politics

Health & Wellness

Culture

Finance

News

Parenting

Fiction

Fashion & Beauty

Humor

Crypto

Science

Faith & Spirituality

Food & Drink

Comics

Philosophy

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Data from 16,610 Substack publications across 27 topics. Updated daily. Prices exclude outliers above $500/mo to ensure accurate benchmarks. See our methodology.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average price of a paid Substack?
The median monthly price across all paid Substack newsletters in our database is $5/mo. This varies significantly by category. For a deeper look at pricing strategy, see our guide on what to charge for your Substack.
What percentage of Substacks are paid?
59.4% of the 16,610 Substack newsletters we index have enabled paid subscriptions. The rest are free-only. Monetization rates vary widely by category.
Which Substack niches charge the most?
The top three categories by median monthly price are Finance ($30/mo), Technology ($10/mo), Crypto ($10/mo). Explore the full niche rankings for more detail.
How often is this data updated?
Our data pipeline collects and reprocesses publication data regularly. See our full methodology for details on how we collect and score data.

Get the full pricing picture

Access every price range, sortable data across 27 topics, full niche drill-downs, and downloadable exports.

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