Software Alternatives & Startups

Affise VS Substack

Compare Affise VS Substack and see what are their differences

Affise

Affiliate marketing and mobile attribution platform built to manage, attribute, and scale performance marketing across web and mobile.

Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Paid
Substack

With Substack, anyone can start a publication that combines a personal website, blog, and email newsletter or podcast. It's quick and simple.

Rating
0 reviews
Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, Substack seems to be more popular. It has been mentioned 108 times since March 2021.

social mentions
0 vs 108
Advertising popularity
100% vs 0%
alternatives listed
195 vs 240+

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

Affise
Substack
Website affise.com substack.com
Pricing —
Company Startup from Lithuania · 100 - 249 employees · 2016 Startup from the United States
Listed in

About Affise and Substack

In their own words, as submitted to SaaSHub.

Affise
Substack

Affiliate marketing and mobile attribution platform built to manage, attribute, and scale performance marketing across web and mobile. Trusted by 1,000+ companies since 2017, Affise offers two core products: Affise Performance – Built for affiliate networks to track, optimize, and scale with...

Read more about Affise

No description of Substack yet.

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

Affise 7 features
Substack 6 features
  • Comprehensive Tracking
    Affise offers robust tracking capabilities, enabling users to monitor a wide array of performance metrics, from clicks and conversions to detailed user behavior.
  • Customizable Interface
    The platform provides a highly customizable interface, allowing users to tailor dashboards and reports to suit their specific needs.
  • API Access
    Affise offers extensive API access for advanced integrations, making it easier to connect with other tools and systems used by businesses.
  • Affiliate Management
    The tool includes comprehensive affiliate management features, enabling easy onboarding, management, and payout of affiliates.
  • Real-Time Reporting
    Users can access real-time data and insights, which is essential for making timely and informed decisions in fast-paced marketing environments.
  • Customer Support
    Affise provides 24/7 customer support, ensuring that users can get help whenever they need it.
  • Fraud Detection
    The platform includes fraud detection mechanisms, helping to identify and mitigate fraudulent activities.
  • Ease of Use
    Substack offers a user-friendly interface that makes it easy for writers to publish and monetize their newsletters.
  • Built-in Monetization
    Writers can easily charge readers for subscriptions, allowing for straightforward monetization.
  • Direct Audience Connection
    Substack allows writers to build a direct relationship with their audience via email, which can lead to a more engaged readership.
  • Discovery and Community
    Features like staff picks and recommendations help writers get discovered by new readers.
  • No Upfront Costs
    Substack does not charge upfront fees; instead, it takes a percentage of subscription revenues, making it easier to start.
  • Content Ownership
    Writers retain full ownership of their content, giving them more control over their work.

Possible disadvantages

  • Revenue Share
    Substack takes a 10% cut of subscription revenues, which can add up for writers with a large subscriber base.
  • Limited Customization
    The platform has limited customization options compared to building a custom website or using more flexible CMS options.
  • Dependency on Platform
    Relying on Substack means depending on its policies and infrastructure, which could pose risks if the platform changes its terms or features.
  • Competition
    As more writers join Substack, it can become challenging to stand out amidst the growing competition.
  • Email Deliverability
    Writers may face issues with email deliverability, as some newsletters may end up in spam folders.
  • Payment Processing Fees
    Besides Substack's fee, payment processors like Stripe also take a percentage, further reducing net earnings for writers.

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

Affise
Substack

Overall verdict

  • Affise is generally considered a good platform for those seeking in-depth analytics and customizable solutions in the affiliate marketing space. Its strength lies in its adaptability to different business needs and effective campaign management tools. However, the complexity of its features may present a learning curve for new users.

Why this product is good

  • Affise is a performance marketing platform that offers a comprehensive suite of tools for managing affiliate marketing, partnerships, and advertising campaigns. It is known for its robust tracking capabilities, customizable dashboard, and integration options, which can help businesses optimize their marketing efforts. The platform also provides analytics and detailed reporting features to give insights into campaign performance.

Recommended for

    Businesses and marketers who require advanced tracking, reporting, and customization abilities in their affiliate marketing campaigns will benefit most from Affise. The platform is particularly well-suited for medium to large enterprises and agencies looking to effectively manage a high volume of affiliate partnerships and campaigns.

Overall verdict

  • Substack is a good choice for writers seeking autonomy and a straightforward way to monetize their content. However, it may not be the best fit for those who prefer working within the framework of a larger publication or those unfamiliar with the challenges of building and maintaining a subscriber base.

Why this product is good

  • Substack is a platform that allows writers, journalists, and content creators to publish and monetize their newsletters. It is praised for its ease of use, built-in subscription system, and direct-to-consumer model which enables writers to retain control over their audience and content. The platform has attracted both independent writers and established journalists seeking the freedom to monetize their work without traditional media constraints.

Recommended for

  • Independent writers and journalists
  • Content creators looking to monetize their work
  • Individuals seeking a direct relationship with their audience
  • Those who appreciate simplicity in publishing

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

Affise 2 videos + Add
Substack 5 videos + Add

Affise, tracking platform for more than 1000 affiliate networks

More videos

  • - Affise - SaaS Marketing Platform, where you can grow your affiliate business

Monetizing Podcasts and Newsletters - Chris Best of Substack and Jonathan Gill of Backtracks

More videos

  • - E1016 Substack CEO Chris Best empowers writers via email newsletter platform, raised $15M from a16z
  • - Why EVERYONE should be on Substack | What it is, How it Works, $$$
  • - Beehiiv vs Substack (2024) - Which is Better?
  • - My Experience with SUBSTACK: An Honest Review of Substack

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
Affise
Substack
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
CMS
100% 100%

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing Affise and Substack.

What makes your product unique?

Affise's answer

Affise distinguishes itself in the performance marketing space through four core differentiators:

  1. Conversion-Based Pricing: Unlike competitors that charge by clicks, impressions, or monthly tracked users (MTU), Affise uses a predictable model where you only pay for actual, successful conversions.

  2. Unified Ecosystem: It combines mobile measurement (MMP) and partner management into a single system, meaning app attribution data and affiliate payouts are managed natively in one place rather than across synced tools.

  3. All-Inclusive Capabilities: Essential tools like fraud filtering, advanced web attribution, and dynamic web-to-app tracking are built directly into the base platform, rather than sold as separate premium add-ons.

4.API-First Architecture: It provides a highly customizable REST API that allows teams to build custom automated workflows, export raw data seamlessly (to S3 or BigQuery without per-row meters), and manage complex multi-postback rules.

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

Affise's answer

  1. Intuitive User Experience: Users consistently praise its smooth, easy-to-navigate interface, which reduces onboarding friction and simplifies daily campaign management.

  2. Comprehensive Built-In Tools: Essential capabilities like advanced conversion tracking, real-time reporting, and native fraud detection are included alongside robust targeting controls like GEO tracking and smart capping.

  3. Powerful API & Integrations: Affise provides a highly customizable API for offer syncing, automated workflows, and seamless connection to major third-party platforms like AppsFlyer, Google Ads, and HubSpot.

  4. Competitive Pricing: Many reviewers find Affise's cost structure to be fairer and more affordable than its immediate rivals, delivering strong value for performance marketing agencies and networks. Responsive Support: The platform backs its technology with fast, reliable chat support and extensive team training resources, including live sessions and self-paced video guides.

How would you describe the primary audience of your product?

Affise's answer

Affise primarily targets professionals and organizations operating in the performance and affiliate marketing spaces who need robust tools to track, manage, and scale their campaigns. Its core audience can be broken down into a few main segments:

  1. Performance Marketing Networks & Agencies: Ad networks and media buying teams that need to manage thousands of affiliates, automate billing, prevent fraud, and optimize offers using real-time data.

  2. Direct Brands & Advertisers: Companies looking to run their own in-house affiliate programs, track partner performance, and ensure maximum return on ad spend (ROAS) without relying on third-party networks.

  3. Mobile App Marketers & Developers: Teams focused on mobile attribution that need to track in-app events, user engagement, and the overall effectiveness of their mobile advertising campaigns across different channels.

  4. iGaming Operators: A specialized segment within Affise's user base that uses the platform to manage complex payout structures, track player deposits, and optimize partner commissions in the fast-paced iGaming and betting industries.

Which are the primary technologies used for building your product?

Affise's answer

Based on Affise's engineering roles and infrastructure details, its platform is built on a modern, high-performance tech stack tailored for handling large volumes of traffic and real-time data:

  1. Programming Languages: The backend logic is primarily written in Golang and PHP. For the user interface, the frontend utilizes ReactJS and AngularJS.

2.Databases: To manage real-time analytics and massive data pipelines efficiently, Affise relies on a diverse database ecosystem that includes ClickHouse, MongoDB, PostgreSQL, ScyllaDB, Aerospike, and ElasticSearch.

  1. Infrastructure & Hosting: The platform operates using Google Cloud Platform (GCP) (utilizing Kubernetes Engine, Compute Engine, and Cloud SQL), alongside Amazon AWS components.

  2. DevOps & Containerization: Continuous integration and deployment are managed using Docker, Drone, Ansible, and Nomad.

  3. Message Queues & Monitoring: High-speed data messaging is handled by Kafka and NSQ, while system performance is tracked using Prometheus and Grafana.

What's the story behind your product?

Affise's answer

The story of Affise begins around 2013, when co-founders Dmitrii Zotov (CTO) and Stanislau Litvinau (CEO) met while running their own affiliate networks. They experienced firsthand that existing tracking platforms were difficult to scale and lacked the technology to meet modern market challenges.

To solve their own operational bottlenecks, they built a new tracking solution designed to automate campaign data pipelines and introduce a transparent, cost-per-conversion pricing model. This allowed marketers to pay only for actual results, rather than raw clicks.

Realizing the broader affiliate marketing industry needed this exact solution, they officially launched Affise as a SaaS platform in 2016. Since its founding, the company has grown into a major global player, raising an $8M Series A funding round in 2021. Today, Affise has expanded beyond traditional affiliate tracking to offer a complete performance marketing ecosystem, launching specialized tools for influencer partnerships (Affise Reach) and mobile measurement (Affise MMP).

Who are some of the biggest customers of your product?

Affise's answer

Based on official case studies and success stories, here are some of the notable organizations and agencies that use Affise:

  1. AdStart Media
  2. Kismia
  3. AppricotAds
  4. ADXmaster
  5. Mobavenue Media Pvt. Ltd.
  6. Amundro
  7. GetApNGo LTD
  8. Kultra Agency
  9. Lumin Partners
  10. Leadfin.Tech
  11. 4.partners
  12. Roundler
  13. GameHub

User comments

Share your experience with using Affise and Substack. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

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Reviews and articles

External articles and on-site reviews we used to compare the two products.

Affise no reviews yet
Substack no reviews yet

We have no reviews of Affise yet. Be the first one to post

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Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

Affise 0 mentions
Substack 108 mentions

Tracking Affise since Mar 2021.

  • Effective Altruism Conquered the World
    Https://substack.com/@gurwinder/posts. - Source: Hacker News / 3 days ago
  • Ask HN: Who wants to be hired? (October 2026)
    Substack: https://substack.com/@friedkielbasa. - Source: Hacker News / 6 days ago
  • Sync any blog via API to Substack in one-click
    Name Type Required Description Cookie String Yes Substack.sid= (browser session cookie) Accept String Yes Application/json Origin String Yes Publication origin, e.g.... - Source: dev.to / 9 days ago

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Alternatives to Affise and Substack

When comparing Affise and Substack, you can also consider the following products.