Substack
The home for independent voices — publish a newsletter, podcast, or community and get paid by subscribers.
Substack is the platform that mainstreamed paid newsletters, giving writers a complete stack — email publishing, a hosted website, podcasts, video, chat, and paid subscriptions — with zero upfront cost. Writers keep ownership of their mailing list and content, and Substack only makes money when they do, taking 10% of paid subscription revenue. Its biggest differentiator is the network: the Substack app, recommendations between publications, and Notes drive meaningful organic subscriber growth that standalone email tools can't match. Setup takes minutes and requires no technical skill, which is why many independent journalists, analysts, and creators start there. The trade-off is limited customization and that revenue cut: successful publications often weigh moving to flat-fee platforms like beehiiv or Ghost as their paid base grows.
Pros
- Completely free to start — Substack earns only when you do
- The recommendation network genuinely grows subscriber lists
- Dead-simple publishing with website, podcast, and community included
Cons
- 10% cut of paid subscription revenue gets expensive at scale
- Limited design customization and no real automation features