Hundreds of free-to-publish journals switch to charging fees

Overview

Updated Sep 22

Roughly 440 academic journals that launched offering free publishing and free reading have switched to charging fees. Most moved to an author-pays model, with new charges ranging from $8 to $5,300 per paper.

The shift accelerated sharply after 2020; 2025 logged the highest annual count in the study's data. Commercial publishers drove 78% of the transitions, and 88% of journals kept the same publisher, so acquisitions don't explain the trend.

Diamond journals are one of the few no-cost publishing routes, especially for researchers in lower-income regions priced out of high-fee commercial venues. Their erosion raises questions about whether the model can survive outside regions with strong institutional backing.

Why it matters

As journals abandon no-fee publishing, researchers in lower-income regions lose the few remaining routes to publish without paying article-processing charges.

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Key Indicators

440

Journals that left the diamond open-access model

Identified by the Diamond Fractures study across 2009-2026.

369

Journals that switched to author-pays gold open access

The largest group; 52 adopted hybrid models and 19 went fully behind paywalls.

$8-$5,300

Range of new article-processing charges

Professional publishers charged more; research organizations and societies mostly charged under $100.

78%

Fractures driven by commercial publishers

Journals mostly kept the same publisher, so sales don't explain the trend.

57%

Journals fracturing after nine or more years

Established titles, not struggling new ones, made up most conversions.

Voices

Curated perspectives — historical figures and your fellow readers.

People Involved

Lisa Matthias

Information scientist, Humboldt University of Berlin; lead author of the Diamond Fractures study

Lead researcher on the preprint tracking 440 journal conversions

Saray Córdoba

Retired information scientist, University of Costa Rica

Commented on the study's findings

Organizations Involved

Directory of Open Access Journals

Online directory of scholarly open access journals

Data source for identifying journals that left the diamond model

An online directory listing open access journals.

Redalyc and SciELO

Latin American open access publishing networks

Institutional support credited with protecting diamond journals in Latin America

Latin American networks that host and fund diamond open access journals.

Timeline

2009 September 2026

4 events Latest: September 22nd, 2026 · 2 months ago

Tap a bar to jump to that date

September 2026
Nature reports on the fracture trend
Latest Coverage

Nature publishes its report on the study, citing accelerating conversions and 2025 as the peak year.
September 22nd, 2026
June 2026
Diamond Fractures preprint published
Research

Matthias, Alperin, and Laakso publish their study on arXiv documenting 440 journal conversions.
June 2026
2021
Diamond journal count estimated
Analysis

An analysis estimates about 29,000 active diamond open access journals worldwide.
2021
2009
First recorded diamond fracture
Data point

The study's data set logs the earliest journal leaving the no-fee publishing model.
2009

Scenarios

Diamond fractures keep accelerating as the APC model normalizes

Likely Resolves by Q1 2027

Discussed by: The study authors, who warned that APC-based publishing is being normalized through funder mandates and commercial open access incentives

The preprint authors expect the conversion rate to intensify. Funder mandates requiring open access often route money through APCs, and commercial publishers are thriving under that model. Entry fees that start modest tend to escalate over time, following the hyperinflation pattern documented across commercial OA publishing. If the trend holds, each year will set a new fracture record.

Institutional backing protects diamond journals in Latin America

Possible Resolves by Q1 2027

Discussed by: Lisa Matthias and Saray Córdoba, who noted the region's near-total absence of fractures

Latin America runs close to 100% diamond publishing through Redalyc, SciELO, and university support. The region showed almost no fractures in the study, which Matthias took as evidence the model can be protected. The open question is whether those institutions can also support a new generation of diamond journals, or only hold the line for existing ones.

Funder backlash against APCs revives diamond support

Possible Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: Cancer Research UK, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the US National Institutes of Health

Several major funders are challenging the APC model. Cancer Research UK announced it would stop paying article-processing charges, calling the current structure unsustainable. Draft policies at China's Academy of Sciences and the US NIH would cap APC spending. Observers say this skepticism could push funders toward diamond journals and institutional repositories, slowing or reversing the fracture trend.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

1990s-2000s

The serials crisis (1990s-2000s)

University library budgets could not keep pace with journal subscription prices, which rose several times faster than inflation over two decades. Libraries cancelled thousands of subscriptions, and researchers at poorer institutions lost access to major journals.

Then

Universities and library consortia pushed back with coordinated licensing negotiations and cancellation campaigns.

Now

The crisis helped launch the open access movement and alternative publishing models, including diamond journals that charge nobody.

Why this matters now

Today's shift from free diamond publishing to author fees recreates the same affordability problem, this time on the author side of the market instead of the reader side.

February 2002

Budapest Open Access Initiative (2002)

A gathering of researchers and librarians in Budapest issued the Budapest Open Access Initiative, defining open access and calling for research literature to be freely available online. The declaration helped spawn both repository-based (green) and journal-based (gold) open access.

Then

Universities, funders, and researchers adopted open access mandates and policies through the 2000s and 2010s.

Now

Two decades later, commercial publishers dominate open access through high article-processing charges; diamond journals remain a small share of the market.

Why this matters now

Diamond journals come closest to the original open access vision of free-to-read and free-to-publish. The documented fractures show that vision fragmenting under commercial pressure.