Why you possibly can belief TechRadar
We spend hours testing each services or products we overview, so that you might be certain you are shopping for the very best. Find out more about how we test.
Substack has been a real shock amongst running a blog platforms in 2025, aimed for writers who need to ditch the search and monetize their content material straight. Not like some standard choices featured in our best blogging platforms roundup, Substack focuses on e-newsletter subscriptions and social discovery over conventional SEO. This distinctive publishing expertise has gained vital traction amongst unbiased creators, particularly journalists and influencers.
Our reviewers have spent hundreds of hours testing 140+ of the best website builders and running a blog instruments, giving us deep perception into what makes platforms succeed or fail. Whereas Wix stays our prime decide for general running a blog excellence in 2025, Substack carves out its personal area of interest with a distinctly completely different philosophy. It prioritizes easy publishing workflows and direct reader relationships over complicated options and design flexibility.
Substack’s progress trajectory has been exceptional, with writers constructing substantial audiences and producing vital income via paid subscriptions. Its success stems from its concentrate on high quality content material and real reader engagement, creating an atmosphere the place considerate writing thrives over algorithm-chasing techniques.
What’s Substack?
You’ll be able to consider Substack as a hybrid between a weblog and an electronic mail e-newsletter service, designed particularly for writers who need to construct direct relationships with their readers.
At its core, Substack is a content material publishing platform the place you possibly can share newsletters and monetize your writing. Not like conventional running a blog platforms that rely closely on search engine site visitors, Substack delivers your content material on to subscribers’ inboxes whereas additionally sustaining an internet presence for broader discovery.
This platform operates on a easy premise: writers create content material, readers subscribe to obtain it by way of electronic mail, and profitable creators can cost for premium subscriptions. Substack handles all of the technical facets — fee processing, electronic mail supply, subscriber administration — so writers can focus purely on creating content material. This distinctive mannequin has attracted everybody from unbiased journalists to area of interest specialists who need to construct sustainable companies round their experience, with out coping with complicated web site administration or advertising and marketing automation instruments.
Options
Substack affords a centered characteristic set that prioritizes writing and reader engagement over intensive customization choices. The platform offers important instruments for content material creation, electronic mail distribution, primary analytics, and monetization, making it significantly well-suited for writers who need to begin publishing instantly with out technical obstacles. Whereas feature-rich in comparison with primary e-newsletter companies, Substack intentionally retains issues less complicated than full-featured content material administration programs, which can disappoint customers in search of superior performance.
The pricing construction displays this streamlined method. Core options like writing, publishing, electronic mail distribution, notes, movies, podcasts, and analytics are utterly free. You solely pay once you begin incomes via paid subscriptions, with Substack taking a ten% platform price plus fee processing prices. This mannequin makes it accessible for freshmen whereas scaling prices with success, although the shortage of superior electronic mail advertising and marketing options like segmentation and automation might restrict monetization potential for skilled entrepreneurs.
Writing and publishing instruments
Substack’s editor focuses on clear and distraction-free writing with primary formatting choices that hold content material readable {and professional}. The platform helps multimedia content material together with photos, movies, and embedded podcasts, permitting creators to construct wealthy publications with out technical complexity. Publishing is instantaneous. You write, hit publish, and your content material goes stay in your profile web page and optionally hits subscriber inboxes.
Electronic mail e-newsletter system
Electronic mail performance kinds Substack’s spine, mechanically formatting your posts for inbox supply with skilled templates. Subscribers obtain posts straight of their electronic mail, creating extra intimate reader relationships than conventional weblog followers. The system handles subscriber administration, supply optimization, and primary segmentation between free and paid subscribers. But it surely lacks superior electronic mail advertising and marketing options like automated sequences or detailed subscriber tagging.
Monetization options
Substack’s subscription system permits writers to supply free content material alongside premium paid tiers, with versatile pricing for month-to-month, annual, and founding member subscriptions. The platform handles all fee processing via Stripe integration, manages subscriber entry to paid content material, and offers income analytics. Writers can experiment with completely different pricing methods and provide numerous subscription advantages, although the system lacks subtle pricing experiments or superior subscriber lifecycle administration.
Group and discovery instruments
Substack Notes capabilities because the platform’s social layer, permitting writers to share shorter ideas and interact with different creators’ content material. The Suggestions characteristic allows cross-promotion between appropriate publications, creating natural progress alternatives throughout the Substack ecosystem. These neighborhood options assist writers uncover audiences and construct relationships with friends, although discoverability stays difficult for brand spanking new creators with out present audiences.
Analytics and insights
Primary analytics cowl important metrics like open charges, click-through charges, subscriber progress, and income monitoring. The dashboard offers clear insights into content material efficiency and viewers engagement, serving to writers perceive what resonates with their readers. Nevertheless, the analytics stay comparatively easy in comparison with superior electronic mail advertising and marketing platforms, missing detailed subscriber habits monitoring or subtle conversion evaluation.
Ease of use
Substack excels in simplicity, providing maybe probably the most easy onboarding expertise amongst content material platforms. New customers can create an account and publish their first put up inside minutes, with no technical setup required. The minimal interface eliminates the overwhelming array of choices that plague conventional running a blog platforms, permitting writers to concentrate on content material creation relatively than configuration.
Your writing expertise feels pure and distraction-free, with a easy editor that handles formatting mechanically whereas sustaining skilled look. Publishing requires only a single click on, the platform handles electronic mail distribution, internet posting, and subscriber notifications seamlessly. This extends to subscriber administration, the place primary analytics and fee monitoring stay accessible with out complicated dashboards or complicated metrics.
Nevertheless, simplicity comes with trade-offs that some customers discover limiting. Customization choices are minimal. You’ll be able to regulate colours, add a brand, and select from primary layouts, however superior design management merely would not exist. Writers who need distinctive branding or complicated web page layouts will discover Substack restrictive in comparison with platforms like WordPress or Ghost.
The platform often suffers from efficiency points too, with some customers reporting unresponsive pages throughout enhancing classes. Whereas these technical hiccups do not have an effect on the core publishing expertise, they’ll frustrate customers attempting to customise their publications or handle subscriber settings. Regardless of these limitations, most writers respect the concentrate on content material over complexity, discovering it liberating relatively than restrictive.
Pricing
|
Plan |
Beginning fee (paid yearly) |
Renewal fee (paid yearly) |
|
Free |
$0/month |
$0/month |
|
Professional |
10% of subscription income + processing charges |
10% of subscription income + processing charges |
Substack operates on a singular revenue-sharing mannequin with no conventional subscription tiers. The platform is totally free to make use of for publishing free content material, no matter subscriber rely.
Writers solely pay once they allow paid subscriptions, at which level Substack takes a ten% platform price plus fee processing prices via Stripe (2.9% + $0.30 per transaction, plus 0.5% for recurring billing). You additionally pay a one-time price of $50 in case you’d like to attach your personal area, which might be bought individually from a domain registrar.
This aligns Substack’s success with creator success. It solely earnings when writers earn cash. For a typical $50 annual subscription, whole charges would quantity to roughly $7.10, leaving writers with round $42.90. Whereas a percentage-based mannequin can turn into costly for high-earning creators in comparison with flat-rate options, it eliminates upfront prices and makes the platform accessible to writers simply beginning their monetization journey.
Buyer assist
Substack’s buyer assist has turn into a big ache level for a lot of customers, with the platform closely counting on AI-powered chatbots in 2024-25. The corporate launched an automatic assist system in early 2024, claiming it resolves over 90% of consumer inquiries. Nevertheless, consumer experiences inform a unique story, with many reporting irritating interactions and issue reaching human representatives.
The first assist channel is a chatbot that seems on Substack’s assist web page, although customers can nonetheless electronic mail assist@substack.com. Whereas Substack claims there is a “seamless handoff” to human assist when wanted, many customers report getting caught in automated loops with out receiving precise human help. The platform does present a telephone quantity (415-592-7299), however buyer satisfaction scores are extraordinarily low at simply 1.4 out of 5 stars on TrustPilot.
Actual consumer experiences reveal vital points with the assist system. Individuals report being charged a number of occasions for subscriptions, unable to cancel funds, and receiving solely automated responses regardless of repeated makes an attempt to succeed in human assist. AI generally fabricates electronic mail addresses or offers incorrect info, leaving customers with out decision for weeks or months. Solely about 10% of callers handle to talk with an precise individual, with the common decision fee being simply 1%.
For pressing safety points, you possibly can contact safety@substackinc.com, which seems to obtain extra consideration than normal assist requests. Nevertheless, the general assist expertise stays irritating for many customers, with many describing it as “nonexistent” and recommending different platforms partly on account of these service limitations.
Alternate options
Substack occupies a singular place within the content material publishing market as a hybrid newsletter-blog platform centered on direct reader monetization. Whereas opponents like WordPress provide extra customization and Ghost offers higher technical management, Substack’s energy lies in its social publishing options and built-in neighborhood components. The platform combines conventional e-newsletter performance with social media-style interactions via Notes, suggestions, and cross-promotion options that the majority opponents lack.
For writers looking for most customization and management, WordPress stays the strongest different, providing intensive themes, plugins, and the flexibility to promote numerous digital merchandise past subscriptions. Ghost CMS appeals to technically-minded creators who need full possession with out income sharing, offering superior analytics and automation options that Substack lacks. Beehiiv and ConvertKit serve writers centered purely on electronic mail advertising and marketing with subtle automation instruments.
Substack works finest for unbiased writers and journalists who prioritize simplicity over customization and need to construct direct relationships with readers. It significantly fits creators who respect the social discovery facets and do not want complicated electronic mail advertising and marketing options. Nevertheless, writers requiring superior design management, detailed analytics, or numerous monetization choices might discover higher matches elsewhere.
The aggressive panorama exhibits Substack sustaining its lead via neighborhood options relatively than technical superiority. Whereas platforms like MailerLite provide extra complete electronic mail instruments and Gumroad offers broader monetization choices, none match Substack’s mixture of publishing simplicity and social discovery. This positioning makes Substack ultimate for content material creators who need to concentrate on writing relatively than platform administration.
Substack overview: Abstract
Substack succeeds as a streamlined publishing platform that removes technical obstacles between writers and their audiences. The platform’s best energy lies in its simplicity. Writers can begin publishing and monetizing instantly with out coping with complicated setup, fee processing, or electronic mail supply programs. The built-in social options like Notes and proposals create real discovery alternatives that conventional running a blog platforms lack, whereas the direct subscription mannequin aligns creator and platform incentives successfully.
Nevertheless, Substack’s limitations turn into obvious for creators looking for progress past primary e-newsletter publishing. The minimal customization choices, primary analytics, restricted website positioning capabilities, and problematic buyer assist create vital constraints for severe content material companies. Writers who want superior electronic mail advertising and marketing options, detailed subscriber insights, or skilled design management will shortly outgrow what Substack affords, making it arduous to suggest as a long-term publishing resolution for formidable creators.
Substack: FAQs
Can I take advantage of my very own area with Substack?
Sure, Substack permits customized domains on your publication, supplying you with a extra skilled look and serving to with branding. You’ll be able to arrange a customized area via your Substack settings, although you may must buy the area individually and configure DNS settings. This characteristic helps keep your model id and makes your publication look extra established to potential subscribers.
How a lot does Substack value for creators?
Substack is totally free to make use of for publishing free content material with limitless subscribers. You solely pay once you allow paid subscriptions, at which level Substack takes a ten% platform price plus fee processing prices (roughly 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction via Stripe). This implies for a typical $50 annual subscription, you’d pay round $7.10 in whole charges, maintaining roughly $42.90. There are not any upfront prices or month-to-month subscription charges.
Can I export my subscriber listing from Substack?
Sure, you personal your subscriber listing and may export it at any time via your Substack dashboard. This consists of each free and paid subscriber info, making certain you are not locked into the platform. The export characteristic provides you flexibility to maneuver to different platforms if wanted, although you may must deal with the technical migration and fee processing setup elsewhere.
Does Substack assist with content material discovery?
Substack affords a number of discovery options together with Notes (short-form social content material), suggestions between publications, and curated lists that may increase visibility. Nevertheless, discoverability stays difficult for brand spanking new creators with out present audiences. The platform’s algorithm-based discovery is restricted in comparison with social media platforms, making it important to deliver your personal viewers or actively take part within the Substack neighborhood to achieve traction.
What content material codecs does Substack assist?
Substack helps numerous content material codecs together with written posts, photos, movies, podcasts, and embedded media. You’ll be able to publish each long-form e-newsletter content material and short-form Notes, create podcast sequence, and embrace multimedia components in your posts. Nevertheless, the platform lacks superior formatting choices and design flexibility in comparison with conventional running a blog platforms, maintaining the concentrate on clear, readable content material relatively than complicated layouts.