Find the minimum number of active paying subscribers needed for a newsletter to cover monthly fixed costs. The calculation accounts for revenue-based fees and per-subscriber delivery costs, then adds an optional planning view with a 20% fixed-cost buffer.
The subscriber result rounds up because a fraction of a subscriber cannot cover the remaining cost.
Use the main result as a planning estimate tied to the assumptions entered. Compare scenarios with the same definitions and period rather than treating the output as a guaranteed outcome.
This calculator is an operational estimate. It does not include taxes or costs you do not enter.
At an $8 price with an 8% fee and $1 variable cost, contribution is $6.36. Covering $1,500 requires 235.85, which rounds up to 236 subscribers. Their billed revenue is $1,888.
Include recurring fixed costs, per-subscriber costs, and the percentage of revenue lost to platform or payment fees.
A fraction of a subscriber cannot pay, so rounding down would leave part of the fixed cost uncovered.
Each added subscriber loses money, so there is no finite subscriber break-even under those inputs.
No. It covers 120% of entered fixed costs; it is not the same as a margin calculated on revenue.
Yes. Divide annual costs by 12 before adding them to the monthly fixed-cost input.
| Cost type | Examples |
|---|---|
| Fixed monthly | Editing, hosting base plan, software, staff retainers |
| Variable per subscriber | Benefits, fulfillment, member-level service costs |
| Revenue fee | Platform and payment charges stated as a percent |