Don’t get Sub-stuck.
Build with your own modern stack. Substack takes 10% of every paid subscription. Sherpo takes 0%, from a flat $19 a month.
- Sherpo takes 0% of your sales
- A flat monthly price
- Your brand and your domain, on Pro
- Help moving over
- Substack$3,000 a year
- Sherpo Pro$588 a year
- Sherpo Lite$228 a year
Substack is free to start and keeps 10% of every paid subscription. Sherpo charges a flat $19 or $49 a month and 0% of sales, removes its branding on Pro, and sells courses, files and live portfolios next to your paid blog.
- Sherpo
- From $19 a month, 0% of sales
- Substack
- Free, 10% of paid subscriptions
- Sherpo Pro includes
- Unlimited customers, 100 GB, 600 AI video minutes a month per store
- Substack includes
- A newsletter, podcast and video
Sherpo and Substack, side by side.
Each platform’s entry plan. Features that need a higher plan or another tool are marked.
| Feature | Sherpo | Substack |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | Lite $19 · Pro $49 | Free |
| Fees on your sales | 0% of your sales | 10% of paid subscriptions |
| Your brand | ||
| Your own domain | IncludedPro | IncludedOne-time $50 |
| White-label | IncludedPro | Not offered |
| Site builder | Included | IncludedPreset layouts |
| Export your customer list | Included | Included |
| What you can sell | ||
| Online courses | Included | Not offered |
| Quizzes | IncludedPro | Not offered |
| Certificates | IncludedPro | Not offered |
| Blog with a paywall | Included | Included |
| Files and downloads | Included | LimitedAttachments inside posts |
| Live portfolio | Included | Not offered |
| Tips | Included | LimitedFounding member tier only |
| Buyers’ AI access to every product (MCP) | Included | Not offered |
| How you sell | ||
| Membership tiers | Included | LimitedTwo fixed levels |
| Coupons | Included | IncludedOffer links |
| Affiliates with commission | Included | LimitedReferrals, no commission |
| Built in | ||
| Video hosting | IncludedNo bandwidth fees | Included |
| AI subtitles | IncludedOn Sherpo Pro | Included |
| For developers and AI | ||
| API for your own front-end | IncludedYour own codebase, on Pro | LimitedRead-only |
| Run your store from your AI | IncludedEvery plan | LimitedRead-only, bestsellers only |
| Included | 19 of 19 | 7 of 19plus 6 with a limit |
- Included
- Included with a limit, or through another tool
- Not offered
A year on Substack, and a year on Sherpo.
Take a business that earns $2,500 a month in $50 orders. At this size Substack costs $3,000 a year and Sherpo Pro costs $588, so Sherpo Pro costs $2,412 less.
The Substack figure is 10% of paid subscriptions. Sherpo charges its plan price and nothing on top. Card processing is charged by the payment provider on both. Sherpo prices here are billed monthly. Competitor prices are from each platform’s own pages and published price trackers, checked in October 2026.
Put in your own numbers| Substack | Sherpo Pro | |
|---|---|---|
| Price a month | $0 | $49 |
| Transaction fee | 10% | 0% |
| Plan price a year | $0 | $588 |
| Fees on $30,000 of sales | $3,000 | $0 |
| Total a year | $3,000 | $588 |
| Difference | Sherpo Pro costs $2,412 less | |
What Substack costs at your revenue.
Move the slider to your own monthly revenue, and see a year of Substack next to a year of Sherpo.
These figures are for $2,500 a month in $50 orders. Turn on JavaScript to put in your own numbers.
10% of paid subscriptions.
- Substack$3,000 a year
- Sherpo Lite$228 a year
You keep, every year$2,772more of your own revenue, as Sherpo takes 0% of your sales
Platform fees only. Card processing is charged by the payment provider on both (around 2.9% + $0.30 with Stripe), so it is left out on both sides. Sherpo’s figure is the plan price; estimate extra storage and AI video minutes.
Where Sherpo and Substack part ways.
Substack is a publishing platform for newsletters, podcasts and video, known for its reader network and its app.
A flat price in place of 10%
At $2,500 a month, Substack keeps $3,000 a year. Sherpo Pro costs $588.
Your brand, not Substack’s
A Substack publication keeps Substack’s branding, and its emails come from a substack.com address. Sherpo Pro removes Sherpo’s branding and runs on your own domain.
More than paid posts
Courses with quizzes and certificates, downloads, live portfolios, and membership tiers you define yourself.
Built for AI. Answered by people.
Two more reasons creators move: how the platform was built, and who answers when you write.
Not a legacy stack
Substack launched in 2017, years before AI assistants could run a store, and added AI features later. Sherpo was designed around them from the start: your AI can create products, prices and coupons and pull reports, through an MCP server on every plan.
Support from the Sherpo team
Write to support@sherpo.io and the Sherpo team answers, with standard support on Lite and developer support on Pro. When you switch, the team handles the move with you.
Switch from Substack to Sherpo.
Contact us, tell us what you sell on Substack, and our team handles the move with you.
Sherpo vs Substack: common questions.
Still curious? Talk to us
What is the difference between Sherpo and Substack?
Substack is free to start and keeps 10% of every paid subscription. Sherpo charges a flat $19 or $49 a month and takes 0% of sales. It sells courses, files and live portfolios next to your paid blog, and removes its branding on Pro.
Is Sherpo cheaper than Substack?
Yes. For a business earning $2,500 a month in $50 orders, Substack costs $3,000 a year and Sherpo Pro costs $588, so Sherpo Pro costs $2,412 less. Sherpo Lite is $19 a month and Sherpo Pro is $49, and neither takes a cut of sales. The gap grows with your sales: at $10,000 a month, Sherpo Pro costs $11,412 less a year.
Does Substack take a cut of sales?
Substack charges 10% of paid subscriptions. Sherpo takes 0% on every plan. Card processing is charged separately by the payment provider on both.
Is Sherpo a good alternative to Substack?
Yes, if you want to keep your subscription revenue and sell more than paid posts. Substack keeps 10% of paid subscriptions, $3,000 a year at $2,500 a month. Sherpo Pro is $588 a year, and adds courses, downloads and live portfolios.
What can I sell on Sherpo that Substack does not offer?
Compared with Substack, Sherpo adds online courses, live portfolios and buyers’ AI access to every product through MCP.
What is Substack known for?
Substack is a publishing platform for newsletters, podcasts and video. It is known for its reader network and its app.
Can I use my own domain and brand?
On Sherpo Pro, yes: your own domain, with no Sherpo branding. Substack charges a one-time $50 for a custom domain and does not offer a white-label option.
Can I run my store from an AI assistant?
Yes. Sherpo’s Merchant MCP is on every plan, so Claude and other assistants can create products, prices and coupons in your account. Substack has a read-only MCP server, for bestseller publications only.
How do I switch from Substack to Sherpo?
Contact us and tell us what you sell on Substack. Our team handles the move with you, content and customers included.
Can I try Sherpo before I leave Substack?
Yes. Lite and Pro start with a 14-day free trial, and your Sherpo site can stay offline until you launch. You can set everything up while your Substack account keeps running.
See what you would keep.
Start your free trial, or put your own numbers into the fee calculator.
- 14-day free trial
- Sherpo takes 0% of your sales
- Help moving over