Marketing & Email
Substack
Free publishing platform where writers monetize paid newsletters.
4.4· 15 reviews· via G2Founded 2017 · San Francisco, CA
What is Substack?
Substack is a publishing platform that lets writers and creators launch email newsletters with free and paid subscriptions, keeping ownership of their mailing list. It also supports podcasts, video, comments, and an in-app discovery network.
Best known for: Paid subscription newsletters for writers
Key features
- Newsletter publishing
- Free and paid subscriptions
- Creator-owned subscriber list
- Podcast and video support
- Built-in discovery network
- Reader app and comments
Who Substack is best for
- Individual writers and journalists launching a paid newsletter
- Creators who want zero upfront cost and built-in network discovery
- Publishers who prefer subscriptions over list-size-based fees
Ideal team: Solo writers, journalists, and creators (1–3) who want the simplest path to a paid newsletter with no monthly software fee.
Substack pricing
Free to publish
$0
- Unlimited subscribers & sends
- Hosted website + archive
- Network discovery & app
Costs to watch before you commit
- Substack takes a flat 10% cut of all paid-subscription revenue — permanent and uncapped as you grow.
- Stripe payment fees (2.9% + $0.30, plus a recurring-billing fee) stack on top of the 10%.
- Limited deliverability tuning and control versus a dedicated ESP.
- Migrating a paid subscriber list and billing off Substack is friction-heavy.
Top Substack alternatives
Popular Marketing & Email tools teams evaluate alongside Substack.
MoosendLow-cost email marketing and automation known for value.
Customer.ioDeveloper-focused behavioral messaging across email, push, SMS, and in-app.
SendlaneUnified email and SMS marketing automation for high-volume ecommerce.
KlaviyoEmail and SMS marketing built for ecommerce.
BrevoEmail, SMS, automation, and CRM priced by sends, with unlimited contacts.