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Already on Lite? Nothing changes — you keep your $3 price for as long as you stay subscribed. Lite is closed to new signups, and reader payments need Publisher Max.
Reader payments are a free add-on to Publisher Max. Paying subscribers pay you through Stripe, with your name on their statement. Stripe charges its own processing fee — that money is Stripe's, not ours — and Suru takes 6.5% of what's left. Here's what that means in real money.
| Month | Paying subscribers | They pay | Stripe fees | Suru 6.5% | Suru $9 base | You net | % Yours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8 | $56.00 | −$4.02 | −$3.38 | −$9.00 | $39.60 | 70.7% |
| Feb | 21 | $147.00 | −$10.56 | −$8.87 | −$9.00 | $118.57 | 80.7% |
| Mar | 40 | $280.00 | −$20.12 | −$16.89 | Waived | $242.99 | 86.8% |
| AprSubscribers drop — $9 base applies | 11 | $77.00 | −$5.53 | −$4.65 | −$9.00 | $57.82 | 75.1% |
| MayBack above the bar | 35 | $245.00 | −$17.61 | −$14.78 | Waived | $212.61 | 86.8% |
| Jun | 42 | $294.00 | −$21.13 | −$17.74 | Waived | $255.14 | 86.8% |
| Jul | 75 | $525.00 | −$37.73 | −$31.67 | Waived | $455.60 | 86.8% |
| Aug | 99 | $693.00 | −$49.80 | −$41.81 | Waived | $601.39 | 86.8% |
| Sep | 142 | $994.00 | −$71.43 | −$59.97 | Waived | $862.61 | 86.8% |
| Oct | 189 | $1,323.00 | −$95.07 | −$79.82 | Waived | $1,148.12 | 86.8% |
| Nov | 262 | $1,834.00 | −$131.79 | −$110.64 | Waived | $1,591.57 | 86.8% |
| Dec | 350 | $2,450.00 | −$176.05 | −$147.81 | Waived | $2,126.14 | 86.8% |
| Twelve months | — | $8,918.00 | −$640.82 | −$538.02 | −$27.00 | $7,712.16 | 86.5% |
Stripe fees are 2.9% + 30¢ per charge. Suru takes 6.5% of net. The $9 Publisher Max base is waived in any month where Suru's 6.5% share clears $9 (about $139.00 / month net) — and it is charged in months that fall short, as April shows above.
Stripe's standard fee is 2.9% + 30¢ per payment and can vary by country and card type. The fixed 30¢ is why the percentage you keep is lower on cheaper subscriptions. Suru's share is always 6.5% of the amount after Stripe's fee. Rows marked "Waived" are earning enough that the $9 Publisher Max base fee drops away — that happens in any month where our 6.5% share clears $9 (about $139 a month of reader revenue after Stripe's fee). In months that fall below that level, the $9 is charged. Once Suru's 6.5% share passes $9 in a month, your stories and drafts also go unlimited for that month.
You keep $27.77 more a month on Suru — $333.23 a year.
| Platform | Stripe fees | Platform take | Base fee | You net / month | You net / year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suru (Publisher Max) | −$50.30 | −$42.23 (6.5% of net) | Waived | $607.47 | $7,289.63 |
| Substack | −$50.30 | −$70.00 (10% of gross) | $0.00 | $579.70 | $6,956.40 |
Both rows assume Stripe's standard 2.9% + 30¢ per charge. Substack takes 10% of gross; Suru takes 6.5% after Stripe's fee, plus the $9 Publisher Max base — which is waived in any month our share clears $9. Below roughly 30 paying subscribers Substack's $0 base wins; above that, Suru's smaller cut pulls ahead and keeps widening.
Comparison figures assume Stripe's standard 2.9% + 30¢ fee on both platforms, so the numbers are on the same basis. Suru is the only one with on-the-ground audio capture, AI drafting, and a journalism quality check built in.
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