Memberful vs Substack
Side-by-side comparison on fees, payouts, monetization, and audience ownership.
Platform fee
4.9% + $25/mo · of revenue on Pro plan
10% · of revenue
Payout speed
weekly
weekly
Minimum payout
Stripe default
$0 (Stripe)
Countries
Wherever Stripe operates (40+ countries)
Stripe-supported
Email list export
Full access
Full access
Custom domain
Yes
Yes ($50 one-time)
Community features
No native forums; integrates with Discord and Circle
Comments, paid Chat, DMs
Best for
Writers, podcasters, and publishers who want to own their site, domain, and email list
Newsletter writers, podcasters, established creators who want audience ownership
Memberful vs Substack: which one wins?
Memberful charges 4.9% + $25/mo (of revenue on Pro plan) versus Substack at 10% (of revenue).
On payout speed, Memberful pays weekly while Substack pays weekly. No difference here.
For audience ownership, Memberful offers full access email export and Substack offers full access. Email portability matters most for creators planning to migrate later or build a list independent of any single platform.
Best for: Memberful suits writers, podcasters, and publishers who want to own their site, domain, and email list. Substack fits newsletter writers, podcasters, established creators who want audience ownership.