Terms
Many of you will know that Revue an online platform that focuses on building an audience through electronic newsletters as well as online publishing was shut down by the owner company Twitter. Revue was launched in 2015, and then purchased by Twitter in 2021.
15 December 2022 just days after new Twitter director Elon Musk expressed an desire to purchase Substack (another newsletter service), Twitter announced that they were sunsetting Revue. Which newsletter platform alternatives remain?
The first question is what exactly is Substack?
Substack is an online platform that revolutionized the way independent writers and journalists can earn money from their writing by allowing them to create and distribute newsletters, as well as other writing content.
substack.com home page (c) Substack
However, it is certainly not the only platform with its own features, and there are many Substack competitors that offer the same features. In this article we'll look at deeper review of several of the major competitors to Substack and compare their features and capabilities.
We'll go into the intricacies of various email software options to help you determine what suits your individual preferences. We'll also include the pricing for each one.
Substack's pricing model
It's free to post your content on Substack regardless of the number of subscribers you've got. If you choose to activate subscriptions paid for and begin charging your subscribers, Substack takes a 10% fee on each transaction , and their payment processing platform Stripe is charged 2.9% + 30C/ per transaction.
Ghost - great for blogging
One competitor to Substack is Ghost which is an open source blogging platform. Ghost is similar to Substack by allowing users to write and publish material, but Ghost has extra features Substack does not have that could be a good choice for more established independent bloggers or small publications.
The ghost.org homepage (c) Ghost
One of the major differences among Ghost and Substack is the level of control users have in their own content. Ghost permits users to carry out more of the heavy lifting in terms of customization with custom-designed templates and themes to edit the look and feel of their content, whereas Substack has a more limited selection of choices. Ghost also offers multi-author support, which allows multiple users to be able to make contributions to a single blog or website, which makes it a good option to work in teams.
Ghost's pricing strategy
Ghost cost starts at just $11/month and $108/year for the Starter plan, including the staff member, one user, no-cost Ghost website themes and standard built-in integrations, and the possibility of having up to 500 members. There are three higher tiers that begin at the creator plan which is 25 dollars per month for 1,000 members with additional features like custom integrations.
Medium is perfect for community publishing
Medium is another website that offers features similar to Substack. It's a writing and blogging platform which allows users to write stories, and boasts a vast audience of writers and readers. Medium is well-known for its clear, user-friendly interface, as well as its focus on quality content. The website encourages its users to find ideas, thoughts and knowledge on any subject.
medium.com homepage (c) medium.com
Medium is an ideal medium for journalists and writers who want to engage an public, which is why it easily qualifies as one of Substack's most popular competitors as it has a loyal built-in community of readers however, the audience is focused on online and the app, not in the form of email newsletters. Medium's membership program as well as paywall features allow writers to monetize their content.
Medium's pricing system
There is no charge for publishing on Medium for any number of members/subscribers you may have. Medium earns its revenue by charging people to view your story and other people's stories, at $5/month or $50/year.
Indeed, members of the Medium Partner Program can earn money via referrals. The successful referrals earn you the equivalent of half of a new member's subscription fee for the duration of time they're as a paid member, less the typical 2.9% + $0.30 in payment processing costs. In other words, if you enticed 100 people to sign up for a monthly Medium membership, you'd get $227 per month.
ConvertKit is great for automatizing
ConvertKit is an automated and marketing email platform designed for bloggers as well as journalists, podcasters and bloggers. ConvertKit is designed to aid people build an email list to automate email sequences and segment audiences for specifically targeted marketing. ConvertKit includes features like opt-in forms, landing pages and email comms , just like the similar Substack competitors.
The IxT1XhZ5oqe1jmreBgs The converkit.com home page (c) ConvertKit
One of the primary goals of Convertkit is the automation of the process of contacting new subscribers and converting the process of turning them into clients. Additionally, it has an automation builder which allows the creation of complex automation flows without coding. It also includes tools to manage affiliate relationships and providing exclusive content to paid subscribers.
Pricing model for ConvertKit's ConvertKit
for new creators, ConvertKit is completely free the first 300 customers. For those with a growing audience, ConvertKit costs from $15/month or $108/year with up to 300 customers, however, it also comes with access to email sequencesas well as automation builders, and third-party integrations and another team members.
MailChimp is great for emails
It is an email-marketing service which allows organizations and businesses to create and send mailers to (often massive) groups of. Mailchimp allows you to build custom templates for email, segment and target your target audience, monitor the results of your campaigns, and also integrate with a variety of other tools and services to create an Substack rival.
The mailchimp.com homepage (c) Mailchimp
Through Mailchimp it provides statistics and trackers to assist you to understand the effectiveness of your campaigns and to make informed decisions. It's not as focused on publishing and more for marketing via email or online; therefore, it offers integrations to website builders, platforms for e-commerce, as well as other tools to automate making and sending emails.
Pricing model for MailChimp
Mailchimp provides a no-cost package that allows you to access the fundamental features as little as 2,500 emails at up to 500 users with basic reporting. Plans that are paid for to have larger lists and more advanced features begin at $20 per month for up to 6000 sends to up to 500 people.
Patreon is a great way to support creators.
Patreon lets independent creators such as writers and musicians to gain financial assistance from their audience, to finance their efforts and to produce fresh content. Creators can create a profile through the Patreon platform, and their patrons, also known as "patrons," can choose to help them by making a regular monetary contribution. In return, patrons receive special content or perks.
The patreon.com home page (c) Patreon
Patreon is an subscription-based model. This means that patrons are charged a set amount over a regular basis (usually every month). Creators may choose to offer various levels of support, with different rewards for the different levels, meaning that patrons can choose to contribute either a small or large amount depending on their budget and the level of engagement they're seeking. It allows independent creators to create content and not being obligated to the traditional gatekeepers or advertisers.
Pricing model for Patreon
Patreon Lite costs 5% of the income per month you make through Patreon and payment processing fees,and offers a creator page, communication tools, as well as access to Patreon workshops. Patreon Pro is the most expensive plan. Patreon Pro plan takes 8 percent of your monthly earnings you earn , plus processing and offers in additional membership tiers, analytics and insight, as well as a tool to run promotions.
SendFox - great for campaigns
Sendfox is a program in software that lets users design tracks, distribute, and monitor email marketing campaigns. It offers a variety of options, including templates for emails as well as automation, segmentation and analytics. Sendfox is designed to suit businesses of all sizes and can be used to promote goods and services, build customer relationships, and increase sales.
The 0yeAR0hSBm3pjHsWmX The sendfox.com homepage (c) SendFox
There's a free version of SendFox which allows sending newsletters to 1000 contacts , with branding from SendFox and no automated messages. Lifetime Plan Lifetime Plan costs just one payment of $49 (not ongoing) and offers the use of up to 5000 subscribers and a less SendFox branding, and unlimited automatizations. This could be the cheapest of the Substack competitors.
Pricing model of SendFox
The Sendfox free plan permits unlimited sending to up 1000 members, however email messages bear SendFox branding. The Lifetime Plan costs just $49 for a single payment - it's currently reduced from $480. It also allows for the possibility of 5,000 members as well as enhanced delivery capabilities.
- great for membership
We would be remiss if we didn't mention ourselves! Membership management software allows creators to manage membership programs with custom price tiers and access levels in order to make their content monetizable. It is ideal for online course (eCourse) creators or podcast hosts as well as other creators of content who wish to grow their audience.
The .com homepage
In particular, we recommend Particularly relevant is our Posts feature, which is a replica of Substack's "combined email and on-line method! lets you publish exclusive only to members via newsletters as well as a -hosted website. The user can include text as well as images, pick which of your members you want to reach, then publish the post or schedule the post for later. Visit our help documents for more information.
The pricing model of's
Our Starter plan is free with a 10% fee for transactions. It allows you to create two membership packages with unlimited membersand web-only integrations. For access to the Posts service, you'll need the Pro plan for $25 per month (or premium plan for $100 per month, but the fee for transactions reduces to 4.9 percent. This also allows for unlimited plans and members and all integrations, and upgrades, including the ability to sell private podcasts.
Conclusion
This is a fantastic option when you're looking for Substack competition: there's a plethora of platfroms that let you create and distribute email newsletters for an audience, as well as earn revenue doing so.
If you're interested in a platfrom that focuses on email or the concept of community publishing, or membership or something else, will depend on the type of content that you'd like to produce and other factors such as the frequency your publishing and your desired level of customization.
We hope that this helps with your publishing needs.