Compare · Xem vs Substack
Xem vs Substack.
Own your list, your domain and your revenue.
Substack is free until you earn, then takes a tenth of your subscription revenue and sends from its own domain and app. Xem sends from your domain, keeps your readers in your own workspace and never takes a cut.
A weekly newsletter, priced.
Four sends a month to the whole list, on monthly billing in US dollars. Substack on its free publishing plan; Xem on its cheapest plan for that volume. Substack prices checked November 5, 2026.
| Subscribers | Emails a month | Substack | Xem |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10,000 | 40,000 | $0 + 10% of paid revenue | $19 · Starter |
| 50,000 | 200,000 | $0 + 10% of paid revenue | $59 · Growth |
| 100,000 | 400,000 | $0 + 10% of paid revenue | $99 · Scale |
Substack does not charge by list size. Its going-paid page says writers keep 90% of their revenue minus card fees. Xem does not take a share of your revenue.
How they charge
- Substack
- Free to publish, with no subscriber limit. If you charge for subscriptions, Substack keeps 10% of that revenue, and card processing fees are taken on top.
- Xem
- Per email sent. Free for 3,000 a month, then from $9. Contacts are free to keep, every plan has every feature, and you can self-host the open-source version and pay only your email provider.
When Substack fits better
- You want Substack’s network, recommendations and app to help readers find you.
- You publish for free and do not want to manage a sending domain.
- You want comments, chat and podcasts in the same place as your newsletter.
Questions.
Is Xem cheaper than Substack?
For a free newsletter, Substack costs nothing and Xem costs $19 a month at 10,000 subscribers sending weekly. Once you charge for subscriptions, Substack’s 10% share usually outgrows that: on $2,000 a month of paid revenue it is $200.
Can I move my Substack list to Xem?
Yes. Export your subscribers as a CSV from the Subscribers page. Xem recognises Substack exports and keeps unsubscribed people unsubscribed.
When is Substack the better choice?
You want Substack’s network, recommendations and app to help readers find you. You publish for free and do not want to manage a sending domain. You want comments, chat and podcasts in the same place as your newsletter.
Sources
- https://substack.com/going-paid
- https://support.substack.com/hc/en-us/articles/6314498343700
- Xem pricing
Prices change. We check these pages by hand; tell us at team@xem.email if something is out of date.