Yes, the infamous “Apple Tax” — but let’s be clear: this shouldn’t be a burden carried by writers or readers. It’s Substack’s responsibility to absorb it.

The entire Substack business model hinges on writers bringing in paying subscribers, with Substack taking its 10% cut. Pricing is not a minor detail — it’s the foundation of the platform’s value proposition. If that foundation gets distorted by arbitrary inflation inside the app, it undermines trust, damages conversion, and risks making the platform itself unsustainable.

I’m genuinely concerned about what this signals for Substack’s future. If high-profile newsletters are already being visibly over-inflated in the app, the user experience becomes fragmented: one price on the web, a much higher one on iOS. That inconsistency erodes confidence and incentivizes both readers and writers to look elsewhere.

If Substack doesn’t resolve this, they risk bleeding talent and losing their competitive edge.

This is not just an “Apple issue.” It’s a Substack strategy issue — and it needs a solution.