Substack
by Substack Inc.
Free publishing platform for newsletters and paid subscriptions.
Score
Score
Our verdict
Substack is the simplest way for writers to publish newsletters with built-in paid subscription monetization and audience discovery through its network. It's free to start with Substack taking 10% of paid subscriptions. Best for writers building an audience from scratch. The main caveat is the 10% revenue share, limited design customization, and no ownership of your email delivery infrastructure.
Overview
Screenshot
Score breakdown
Overall score
Scores are editorial assessments by the Compare Best AI team on a 0–10 scale.
Expert review
CBAI Editorial Team
Compare Best AI · Editorial Team
Substack has become the default platform for independent writers by making newsletter publishing and monetization effortless. Sign up, write, publish, and optionally charge subscribers — Substack handles everything from email delivery to payment processing.
How we tested
Days tested
30 days
Tasks evaluated
- ·Newsletter creation and publishing
- ·Paid subscription setup
- ·Audience growth via network
- ·Analytics evaluation
- ·Mobile experience
- ·Comparison with Ghost and Kit
Method
Side-by-side with Ghost(Pro) and Kit on identical newsletter publishing
Reviewer
CBAI Editorial Team
Plans & pricing
Free (with free newsletters)
Writers publishing free newsletters
- Unlimited free subscribers
- Email delivery
- Custom domain
- Analytics
- Substack Notes
- Comments
- No paid subscriptions
Free (with paid subscriptions)
Writers monetizing through paid subscriptions
- Everything in Free
- Paid subscription management
- Stripe payment processing
- Subscriber analytics
- 10% Substack commission
- ~3% Stripe fees
Pricing may vary by region. Always verify on the vendor's website.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Substack | Ghost | Kit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Publishing | |||
| Newsletter publishing | |||
| Discovery | |||
| Built-in audience network | |||
| Monetization | |||
| 0% platform fee | |||
| Ownership | |||
| Full data ownership | |||
| Pricing | |||
| Free to start | |||
Is it right for you?
Good fit for
Independent writers
Zero upfront cost, built-in audience discovery, and effortless paid subscription monetization.
Journalists
Direct audience relationship with subscription revenue — no ad dependency or editorial compromise.
New newsletter creators
Substack Network provides audience discovery that standalone platforms like Ghost can't match.
Less suited for
Revenue-maximizing creators
10% revenue share adds up fast; Ghost charges 0% and Kit charges nothing on subscriptions.
Design-conscious publishers
Very limited design customization; Ghost and WordPress offer far more visual control.
Platform-independent creators
Substack controls your delivery infrastructure; Ghost gives full ownership of email and data.
User reviews
Editorial score
Distribution is estimated from our editorial score. Verified user reviews coming soon.
Use cases
Typical ways teams rely on this tool — from everyday tasks to specialized workflows.
- Newsletter Publishing
- Paid Subscriptions
- Blog Publishing
- Podcast Hosting
- Community Building
Integrations
Reported connectors
Apps and services commonly connected out of the box or via official connectors.
- Stripe (payments)
- Custom domain
- RSS
- Podcast platforms
- Twitter/X cross-posting
Privacy & compliance
Security & data practices
Highlights we track from the vendor's documentation. Always confirm current terms, subprocessors, and regional policies on their official site.
- GDPR-ready
Details
Category
Price
- Free
- 10% revenue share on paid subscriptions
Free version
Best for
- Paid newsletters
- Independent publishing
- Audience monetization without upfront software costs
Frequently asked questions
Substack
Niche / Other
Ready to get started?
Visit the Substack website to explore plans and start your free trial.
Was this page helpful?
Compare Best AI may earn a commission when you click links on this page. This does not influence our editorial scores or recommendations. Advertiser disclosure