Writers are fleeing the Substack Tax

A striking development has emerged in artificial intelligence. Tech TechPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. FollowSee All Tech Report ReportPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. FollowSee All Report Creators CreatorsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.

FollowSee All CreatorsWriters are fleeing the Substack TaxA new wave of writers is porting their publications to rivals like Ghost and Beehiiv. by Emma Roth Emma RothNews WriterPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. FollowSee All by Emma RothMay 10, 2026, 2:00 PM UTC Image: The Verge Tech TechPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.

Technical Details

FollowSee All Tech Report ReportPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. FollowSee All Report Creators CreatorsPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. FollowSee All CreatorsWriters are fleeing the Substack TaxA new wave of writers is porting their publications to rivals like Ghost and Beehiiv.

by Emma Roth Emma RothNews WriterPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. FollowSee All by Emma RothMay 10, 2026, 2:00 PM UTC Emma Roth Emma RothPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. FollowSee All by Emma Roth is a news writer who covers the streaming wars, consumer tech, crypto, social media, and much more.

Previously, she was a writer and editor at MUO. Substack, the once buzzy newsletter platform, is losing a new swath of writers to rival platforms most people haven’t heard of. Just last month, The Ankler, one of Substack’s most popular publications, left for a platform that gives it more control over its site.

Industry Implications

Others who have departed Substack within the past year voiced similar complaints and cite the platform’s increased focus on social features as well as a pricing model that puts a chokehold on their business. Substack faced talent drain in 2024 linked to its platforming of Nazi newsletters, but now it’s not just the platform’s stance on hate speech that’s driving away creators. Sean Highkin, the creator of the NBA-focused publication The Rose Garden Report, tells The Verge that he makes “significantly more money” after switching from Substack to Ghost last April.

“When I first joined up, gave me a big push and featured me and funneled a lot of traffic to me, which led to a good amount of growth,” Highkin says. “But once I wasn’t one of the ‘new recruited talent’ they could tout, they stopped featuring me and I saw my growth stagnate. ” Highkin now pays $2,052 per year using Ghost and an add-on called Outpost, compared to $4,968 per year on Substack.

The Rose Garden Report’s subscriber base has grown 22 percent since the end of 2024, Highkin says.

This advance offers important signals about the future of the sector, and the tech world is watching closely.