Earns.io

SIDE BY SIDE

Put two or three platforms side by side

Pick the ones you are actually choosing between. The same questions get asked of each, the answers come off the company's own pages, and every figure carries the day we read it.

Places that pay youThings you build on

Eight questions about what it costs and who owns the result, asked of each one.

2 PLATFORMS · 8 QUESTIONS · 4 ANSWERED BY ALL

Ghost
Substack

What it costs you

What it really costs to startAll in, not the first-year promotional price.
GhostWe have not checked this one yet
SubstackFree to publishFree to publish at any list size. No plan fee, no tier limit; costs start only when paid subscriptions are switched on.source · checked 2026-09-07
What it costs to keep alivePer year, once the introductory pricing is over.
GhostFree domain year one onlyThe bundled .link domain is free for the first year only, then renews at standard registrar rates.source · checked 2026-09-07
Substack10% of revenueNo monthly fee to keep a publication running. Substack keeps 10% of subscription revenue, and card processing fees come out on top of that.source · checked 2026-09-07

The gate before the first cent

The gate before it pays anythingThe traffic, sales or balance you must reach before a single cent moves.
GhostWe have not checked this one yet
Substack$5/month price floorNo traffic or balance gate. The only published floor is the subscription price itself: $5 a month or $30 a year minimum.source · checked 2026-09-07
How long before the first paymentThe gap you have to fund out of your own pocket.
GhostWe have not checked this one yet
SubstackWithin 48 hoursMoney moves per transaction, not on a monthly cycle: usually in the bank within 48 hours of each payment.source · checked 2026-09-07

Is it yours or theirs

Who owns what you buildYours, or a room you are allowed to sit in until the rules change?
GhostWe have not checked this one yet
SubstackWriter keeps copyrightThe writer owns the content. Substack's terms state original content posted to the platform stays yours and keeps its copyright.source · checked 2026-09-07
Can you take it with youThe domain, the list, the content. What actually leaves with you.
GhostJSON, CSV, ZIP exportPosts and pages export as JSON, members as CSV, themes as ZIP and post analytics as CSV, at any time from Ghost Admin.source · checked 2026-09-07
SubstackList exports, names do notThe subscriber list exports from the subscribers page, with all columns or visible columns only. Subscriber names cannot be included in the file.source · checked 2026-09-07
Can it be soldIs there a resale market, and what does it pay?
GhostAssignable in writingYes. Rights under the agreement may be assigned to any party that agrees to the terms in writing.source · checked 2026-09-07
SubstackTransfer needs consentNo unilateral sale. The account cannot be assigned or transferred in any way without Substack's prior written consent.source · checked 2026-09-07
What takes it all awayThe single rule, ban or dependency that ends it overnight.
GhostSite offline if unpaidNo pause option: the site goes offline the moment the subscription lapses, so hosting is a single point of failure.source · checked 2026-09-07
SubstackTermination at discretionSubstack may terminate or suspend an account for any reason at its own discretion, and advance notice is a courtesy rather than a duty.source · checked 2026-09-07

There is no winner at the bottom of this table

Nothing here gets added up. A score would have to decide that these questions weigh the same for everyone, and they do not. A lower cash-out bar is better if you need the money this month and worse if it arrives as a gift card you cannot spend on rent. One payout method is fine right up until it is the one that does not work where you live.

The rows worth your attention are usually the ones where the columns disagree about whether to answer at all. A platform that publishes its fee and a platform that does not are not two platforms with different fees. One of them has told you, and you can hold them to it.

Rows marked as not checked are about us, not about them. They mean nobody here has gone looking yet, and they stay visible for that reason. Found a figure that has moved? Tell us, and it gets a new source and a new date rather than a quiet edit.

ALL PLATFORMS