Substack
Newsletter platform that is free to publish on, with paid subscriptions, podcasts, video and a built-in reader network.
Founded 2017
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Substack is a publishing platform for newsletters, podcasts and video that launched its first publication in October 2017. Every post can be emailed and published on the publication's website, and readers also find writers through the Substack app, Notes, recommendations and category leaderboards. Writers keep their subscriber list and can export it at any time.
Publishing is free with no limit on subscribers, and there are no plans or tiers. Substack's fee applies only to paid subscriptions: it keeps 10% of each payment, and Stripe charges 2.9% plus $0.30 per US card payment and a 0.7% recurring billing fee. A custom domain costs a one-time $50, but newsletters are still sent from a substack.com address. Email tools include welcome emails, saved subscriber segments and private tags for targeted sends, and a subscriber referral program with reward tiers. Substack's feature guide also lists drip sequences tied to subscriber events.
Best for
Writers, journalists, podcasters and video creators who want to start free, charge for subscriptions and grow through Substack's reader network, and who accept a 10% revenue share instead of a monthly fee.
Pros
- Free to publish with unlimited subscribers; Substack's 10% applies only to paid subscriptions
- Paid subscriptions built in: monthly, annual and founding tiers, free trials, gifts and group plans
- Built-in discovery through the app, Notes, recommendations and leaderboards, plus a referral program with reward tiers
- Saved, self-updating subscriber segments and private tags for emails to part of the list
- Free podcast hosting and native video, with distribution to Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube
Cons
- Keeps 10% of every paid subscription payment, on top of Stripe's card and billing fees
- Newsletters are always sent from a substack.com address, even with a $50 custom domain
- The only API access in Substack's help center is a read-only MCP server for Bestseller publications
- The welcome page shown to new visitors has a fixed design; only its content can be changed
- Readers who subscribe in the iOS app may pay more to cover Apple's fees
From our tests
Screenshots of Substack from our hands-on tests. Each links to the full-size image; the test name leads to the task, how we judged it and the other tool's result.
Pricing
| Plan | Monthly | Yearly (12-month total) |
|---|---|---|
| FreeFree to publish, unlimited subscribers; on paid subscriptions Substack keeps 10%, plus Stripe 2.9% + $0.30 per US card payment and 0.7% Billing | Free Free plan | |
Prices checked on .
Features
In Email marketing
| Feature | Substack |
|---|---|
| Free tier size | Yes · Unlimited subscribers; publishing is free; Substack's 10% applies only to paid subscriptions |
| Automations | Partial · Welcome emails per subscriber type (free, paid, imported, founding); feature guide lists drip sequences on lifecycle triggers (new free or paid sub, founding upgrade, churn) |
| Landing pages | Partial · Automatic welcome page (fixed design, editable content), a custom subscribe page, static pages and an embeddable signup form |
| Paid newsletters | Yes · Monthly, annual and founding member prices; Substack keeps 10%, plus Stripe fees |
| Segmentation | Yes · Saved, self-updating segments (tag, country, activity, paid status, signup date) for direct emails or segment-only post sends; private subscriber tags |
| Referral program | Yes · Subscriber referrals with custom reward tiers (default for paid publications: comp subscriptions at 2, 10 and 25 referrals); not on private publications |
| API | Partial · Read-only MCP server for Bestseller publications (dashboard metrics, traffic, publication settings); it cannot publish posts or change the account |
| Deliverability tools | Partial · Sent by Substack from [subdomain]@substack.com, even with a custom domain; optional double opt-in; opt-in review of imports; pruning of inactive imported readers when flagged |