Three fee models in plain terms
A percentage-fee platform takes a share of every payment, with no plan fee required to sell. Kit works this way for paid newsletters: 3.5 percent plus 30 cents per transaction on all plans, including card processing. Its pricing table marks paid newsletters and recurring subscriptions as available on Free, which allows up to 10,000 subscribers.
A flat-plan platform charges a subscription and takes nothing from your sales. beehiiv takes 0 percent, but paid subscriptions require Lite or above, and Stripe's processing fee still applies. beehiiv's FAQ cites 2.9 percent plus $0.30. Stripe's own pricing page also lists a 0.7 percent Stripe Billing fee for recurring billing, plus 1.5 percent extra for international cards and 1 percent for currency conversion. beehiiv's FAQ does not mention the Billing fee, so we show it as a sensitivity case rather than assume it applies.
| Platform | Plan needed to sell | Platform cut | Processing | Per $5 charge | Per $10 charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kit | Free or above | Included in 3.5% + 30c | Included | $0.475 | $0.65 |
| beehiiv | Lite or above ($49/mo yearly at 1,000 subscribers) | 0% | Stripe 2.9% + $0.30 | $0.445 | $0.59 |
| beehiiv, if Stripe Billing 0.7% also applies | Lite or above | 0% | 2.9% + 0.7% + $0.30 | $0.48 | $0.66 |
Assumptions behind the calculator
Every number below follows from these assumptions. Change one and recompute before relying on the result.
- Monthly billing, one charge per paying reader per month, all domestic cards in USD.
- No refunds, failed payments, chargebacks, coupons, taxes or currency conversion.
- Kit on the Free plan ($0), since paid newsletters are included there; a Creator variant is noted separately.
- beehiiv on Lite at $49 a month (the yearly-billing rate shown for a 1,000-subscriber list). A total list above 1,000 subscribers costs more on beehiiv's slider.
- Stripe Billing's 0.7 percent excluded from the main tables and treated as sensitivity.
Take-home pay at $5 a month
At $5, Kit's fee is $0.175 plus $0.30, or $0.475 per reader. beehiiv's Stripe fee is $0.145 plus $0.30, or $0.445, before the $49 plan. The 3-cent per-reader gap is far smaller than the plan fee until the paid audience is large.
| Paying readers | Gross per month | Kit Free take-home | beehiiv Lite take-home | Higher take-home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | $250 | $226.25 | $178.75 | Kit by $47.50 |
| 250 | $1,250 | $1,131.25 | $1,089.75 | Kit by $41.50 |
| 1,000 | $5,000 | $4,525.00 | $4,506.00 | Kit by $19.00 |
Take-home pay at $10 a month
At $10, Kit's fee is $0.65 and beehiiv's Stripe fee is $0.59, a 6-cent gap per reader. The gap grows with price, so higher-priced newsletters reach beehiiv's break-even sooner.
| Paying readers | Gross per month | Kit Free take-home | beehiiv Lite take-home | Higher take-home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | $500 | $467.50 | $421.50 | Kit by $46.00 |
| 250 | $2,500 | $2,337.50 | $2,303.50 | Kit by $34.00 |
| 1,000 | $10,000 | $9,350.00 | $9,361.00 | beehiiv by $11.00 |
Break-even and what changes the answer
The per-reader saving on beehiiv is 0.6 percent of the price: 3 cents at $5 and 6 cents at $10. Dividing the $49 plan by that saving gives the break-even paid audience: 49 / 0.03 = about 1,633 paying readers at $5, and 49 / 0.06 = about 817 at $10. Below those counts, Kit's Free plan leaves more money; above them, beehiiv Lite does, as long as the plan price stays at $49.
Three things move the result. If the Stripe Billing 0.7 percent applies on beehiiv, its per-reader cost becomes 3.6 percent plus 30 cents, slightly above Kit's, and there is no break-even at all. If your total list is well above 1,000, beehiiv's plan price rises, pushing break-even higher. And if you would pay for Kit Creator anyway, for example for automations at $33 a month billed yearly at 1,000 subscribers, the plan-fee gap narrows to $16 and break-even falls to about 533 readers at $5 or 267 at $10.
Annual plans cut the fixed-fee drag. A $50 annual subscription on Kit costs 3.5 percent of $50 plus 30 cents, or $2.05, against $5.70 for twelve monthly $5 charges. Offering an annual option is often worth more than switching platforms.
Checklist before choosing on fees
Fees are one input. Run these checks with your own numbers.
- Estimate paying readers at 3, 6 and 12 months, not just today.
- Price both platforms at your total list size, not your paid count.
- Ask beehiiv or check your Stripe dashboard whether the Stripe Billing fee applies.
- Estimate the share of international readers and add Stripe's 1.5 percent where relevant.
- Include the plan you need for non-payment features such as automations.
- Model an annual price and the share of readers likely to choose it.
Questions before you decide
Does beehiiv take a cut of paid subscriptions?
beehiiv's pricing FAQ says it takes 0 percent of paid subscription and digital product revenue, and that you keep what you earn minus Stripe's standard processing fee of 2.9 percent plus $0.30 per transaction.
Does Kit's 3.5 percent include Stripe fees?
Kit's pricing page says its transaction fee of 3.5 percent plus 30 cents is inclusive of credit card processing fees, so Kit itself takes 0.6 percent of the total.
Does annual pricing reduce fees?
Yes, because the fixed 30-cent fee is charged once a year instead of twelve times. On Kit, a $50 annual subscription costs $2.05 in fees, while twelve $5 monthly charges cost $5.70.
Sources & verification
Product details and prices can change. Check the linked provider before buying.
- Kit pricing and plan comparison Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- beehiiv pricing and FAQ Accessed 29 Oct 2026
- Stripe pricing Accessed 29 Oct 2026
Sources link directly to providers. Product buttons may use separately labeled affiliate links. Read our disclosure.