Steady review

Steady is a newsletter and membership platform for independent media makers. It lets creators publish a newsletter or charge for memberships, with support for content including podcasts, magazines and video channels. The idea is to give publishers a way to earn from their work without making a social platform’s feed the center of their audience strategy. Steady says creators keep ownership of their audience and can connect the service to tools they already use, though the published information does not name those integrations.

Steady does not list a fixed monthly or annual subscription fee in the published pricing details. The pricing information describes a $0-upfront model: publishing without memberships is free under a Fair Use Policy, and Steady takes a 10% commission on revenue once a creator earns. That makes the entry cost low, but the fee grows with paid income. Steady also says it offers creator tools, expertise and team support.

Steady’s clearest advantage is a low-cost way to start charging for independent work. There is no fixed subscription fee listed, and creators do not pay the 10% commission until they earn revenue. That can suit a publisher testing whether readers will pay before committing to a recurring software bill.

The platform also covers more than newsletter publishing. Steady supports memberships and says creators can monetize newsletters, podcasts, magazines, video channels and other content. That gives a small publisher one potential home for several formats, rather than requiring a separate membership product for each one.

• Steady says creators keep their audience and avoid a competing platform algorithm.
• It says users can connect Steady with tools they already use, although the integrations are not named in the published information.
• Publishing without memberships is free under a Fair Use Policy, according to the pricing details.

This is a practical starting point if the main need is to launch a paid creator project without paying a fixed platform fee upfront. The trade-off is that the commission applies once revenue comes in.

The 10% commission is the central cost to weigh. It is charged on revenue once you earn, so unlike a fixed subscription it rises along with paid income. Payment processing is an additional listed cost: direct debit is 1% + $0.20; credit card and Apple Pay are 1.9% + $0.30; and PayPal is 2.49% + $0.35. Applicable VAT may also apply. The published pricing details do not explain how these fees interact, so creators should confirm the full deductions before setting prices.

The Fair Use Policy is another unknown: its limits are not specified on the vendor's site. Nor are subscriber, email-send, storage or revenue caps listed. Steady does not list a free-trial term, and the tool connections are not named. That makes it harder to judge whether the free publishing option will fit a larger publication or whether existing workflows can carry over. Steady keeps the entry price simple, but the missing limits and fee detail leave important questions for a switch decision.

Steady lists one plan, not a ladder of paid tiers: Free to Start (Pay When You Earn) costs $0 per month, with no fixed subscription fee. Once you earn revenue, Steady takes a 10% commission. Publishing without memberships is free under a Fair Use Policy, though the source does not define that policy’s limits. There is no tier jump to compare; the trade-off is the commission as revenue grows.

Payment processing is additional: direct debit is 1% + $0.20; credit card and Apple Pay are 1.9% + $0.30; PayPal is 2.49% + $0.35. Applicable VAT may also apply. The pricing information was checked on November 7, 2026, and is marked medium confidence. Before committing, confirm how Steady calculates the commission and processing fees for your payment mix. The published pricing details do not specify payout timing or any other fee exceptions.

Steady says creators keep their audience and can connect it with tools they already use, but the published information does not spell out migration steps, supported integrations, or data-export options. It also does not explain whether subscriber records, payment details, membership status, archives, or URLs can be transferred when you leave. Treat those as questions to confirm before moving a paid audience—not as promised features.

The published material includes no Reddit posts or comments, so we can’t reliably say what tends to make users leave per Reddit. To reduce switching risk, ask Steady what you can export, in what format, and whether members need to re-enter payment details on another platform. If you’re moving from another service, confirm what can be imported before announcing a launch. Steady’s audience-ownership claim is useful context, but it doesn’t establish the mechanics of taking that audience elsewhere.