Skool vs Substack: Fees, Features and What You Keep

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Short answer

Substack is free to publish and keeps 10% of paid subscriptions, with Stripe charging 2.9% + USD 0.30 per US card payment plus 0.7% for recurring billing. Skool charges $9 a month plus 10% + USD 0.30, or $99 a month plus 2.9% + USD 0.30, with processing included. Substack is built for newsletters; Skool for communities and courses.

By Kabir NorthUpdated Prices checked
On this page 5 sections
  1. At a glance
  2. What you keep at 3,000 a month
  3. What each is built for
  4. Who each fits, based on published features and pricing
  5. Related

At a glance

Skool vs Substack at a glance. Prices checked 27 Oct 2026.

Skool Hobby

USD 9/mo

Monthly plan fee
Hobby USD 9, Pro USD 99
Platform fee
Hobby 10% + USD 0.30; Pro 2.9% + USD 0.30 (3.9% + USD 0.30 above USD 900)
Payment processing
Yes (Included; Skool processes on its own merchant account)
Sales tax / VAT
Yes (Merchant of record; handles EU VAT and sales tax)
Payouts
Every Wednesday, in local currency
Custom domain
Partial (Custom URL included with Pro)
Courses
Yes (Unlimited courses in the Classroom)
Live calls
Yes (Unlimited live calls)
Visit Skool (opens in new tab)

Skool Pro

USD 99/mo

Monthly plan fee
Hobby USD 9, Pro USD 99
Platform fee
Hobby 10% + USD 0.30; Pro 2.9% + USD 0.30 (3.9% + USD 0.30 above USD 900)
Payment processing
Yes (Included; Skool processes on its own merchant account)
Sales tax / VAT
Yes (Merchant of record; handles EU VAT and sales tax)
Payouts
Every Wednesday, in local currency
Custom domain
Partial (Custom URL included with Pro)
Courses
Yes (Unlimited courses in the Classroom)
Live calls
Yes (Unlimited live calls)
Visit Skool (opens in new tab)

Substack Paid subscriptions

USD 0/mo

Monthly plan fee
None; publishing is free
Platform fee
10% of each subscription payment
Payment processing
Stripe: 2.9% + USD 0.30 per US card payment, plus 0.7% Billing fee
Sales tax / VAT
Partial (Writers can add sales tax or VAT on top of their price)
Payouts
Through your own Stripe account
Custom domain
One-time USD 50 (optional)
Courses
No
Live calls
No
Visit Substack (opens in new tab)

Last checked 27 Oct 2026 · Sources: skool.com/pricing, Skool’s payments FAQ, How much does Substack cost?.

What you keep at 3,000 a month

Example: 100 subscribers paying $30 a month by US card, web payments only.

  • Substack: $300 (10%) + 100 × ($0.87 + $0.30) Stripe card fees + $21 Billing (0.7%) = $438. You keep $2,562.
  • Skool Hobby: $9 + 100 × $3.30 = $339. You keep $2,661.
  • Skool Pro: $99 + 100 × $1.17 = $216. You keep $2,784.

Not included: Stripe’s local-payment and currency-conversion fees, Apple fees on Substack iOS purchases, and Skool’s Growth Boost cut (30% on members Skool brings in, on by default).

What each is built for

Substack is a publishing platform: free and paid newsletters, with readers paying the monthly, annual or founding-member price the writer sets. Skool is a community feed with a classroom for courses, live calls and a calendar, sold as a free or paid group.

Who each fits, based on published features and pricing

This is a reading of each vendor’s published pages, not a tested recommendation.

  • Substack’s published features fit writers whose product is the newsletter itself and who want no monthly fee while growing.
  • Skool’s published features fit creators selling a community, course or group coaching with live calls, who want processing and sales tax handled.

Skool pricing · Skool vs Patreon · Skool pricing and fees · Membership MRR calculator

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Frequently asked questions

Is Substack cheaper than Skool?

At low revenue, yes, because Substack has no monthly fee. On a $30 payment Substack and Stripe take about $4.38 ($3 + $0.87 + $0.30 + $0.21), against $3.30 on Skool Hobby and $1.17 on Skool Pro, so Skool's per-payment cost is lower once its monthly fee is covered.

Does Substack charge readers extra?

Substack says it doesn't add a fee to web payments. Readers may pay more if the writer adds tax, or in the iOS app, where prices can be raised to cover Apple fees.

Who handles sales tax?

Skool says it's the merchant of record and handles VAT and sales tax. Substack says some writers add sales tax or VAT on top of their price.

Can I run courses on Substack?

Substack's fee page doesn't list a course builder. Skool's plans include unlimited courses, videos and live calls.

How fast are payouts?

Skool pays out every Wednesday; US deposits usually take 1–3 business days, international 3–5, and the first payout can take up to 14 days. Substack payments go through your own Stripe account, so Stripe's payout schedule applies.

Can I use both?

Yes. Some creators run a free or paid newsletter on Substack and a paid Skool group for a course or community. Fees then apply on each platform separately.