Sendclap vs Substack
Substack says writers keep 90% of their revenue minus credit card fees, so it takes 10% and card fees come on top. Sendclap charges a flat 1% plus Stripe's card fee, with payouts straight to your own Stripe account or wallet. On a $10 subscription, Substack's 10% alone leaves $9.00 before card fees, while Sendclap leaves about $9.31 by card, or $9.90 by crypto, after everything.
What you keep from a sale
| Sale | Substack (90%, before card fees) | Sendclap, card (1% + Stripe 2.9% + 30¢) | Sendclap, crypto (1%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| $5 | $4.50 | $4.51 | $4.95 |
| $10 | $9.00 | $9.31 | $9.90 |
| $50 | $45.00 | $47.75 | $49.50 |
Substack's page gives no figure for card fees, so we haven't invented one and what you actually keep from Substack is lower than shown. The Sendclap card column uses Stripe's US rate (2.9% + 30¢) and ignores any extra Stripe charges for international cards or currency conversion. Source: substack.com/going-paid, read on 2026-11-14.
What is different besides the fee
- What the fee buys. Substack is a publishing platform: its page describes choosing which posts are free or paid, and owning your content and subscriber list. Sendclap's page offers members-only posts, but its feature list doesn't describe a newsletter or publishing product.
- Who holds the money. With Sendclap, card payments go to your own Stripe account (Stripe Connect Standard) and crypto payments go to your wallet through a public smart contract. Sendclap never holds your funds.
- Memberships, tips and products. Sendclap adds one-off tips with a supporter wall and digital products with license keys to monthly or yearly memberships, so one page covers more than paid subscriptions.
- Taxes. Sendclap is not a merchant of record: you stay the seller and handle sales tax and VAT yourself.
- Crypto and agents. Sendclap accepts crypto (USDC on Base) at the same 1%, and exposes an API, an MCP server and x402 payments so AI agents can buy a product or tip.
Where Substack is the better choice
If your work is a newsletter, Substack is the better choice: writing, publishing and reaching readers is what its 10% pays for, and Sendclap isn't a publishing tool. Choose Sendclap when you already publish elsewhere (a blog, a site, GitHub) and only need a way to take memberships, tips or sales at a lower fee, or when you want a crypto option.
A flat 1%, and nothing else from Sendclap
One page for memberships, tips and products with license keys, by card or crypto. No monthly fee.
See every platform's fees side by side and how the 1% works.