Craft CMS VS Substack

Compare Craft CMS VS Substack and see what are their differences

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Craft CMS

Content management system built on Yii PHP Framework

Substack

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

Landing page //
2023-10-22

Landing page //
2022-10-26

Craft CMS

Website: craftcms.com
Pricing URL: Official Craft CMS Pricing
$ Details
Startup details
Country: United States

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Substack

Website: substack.com
Pricing URL: -
$ Details: -
Startup details
Country: United States

Edit details

Craft CMS features and specs

Customizability
Craft CMS offers extensive customization options, making it ideal for complex and unique projects. Developers have full control over HTML and can use Craft's robust content modeling features.
User-Friendly Interface
The admin panel is intuitive and user-friendly, which makes content management easy for non-technical users. The experience is smooth and modern, enhancing productivity.
High Performance
Craft CMS is designed to be fast and efficient, offering excellent performance even with complex and data-rich websites.
Security
It offers strong security features, regularly updates for vulnerabilities, and has built-in protection against common threats like SQL injection and XSS attacks.
Support and Community
Craft CMS has a strong community and excellent support. Users have access to thorough documentation, a vibrant forum, and a Slack channel where they can get help and share knowledge.

Possible disadvantages of Craft CMS

Cost
Craft CMS is not free and can be relatively expensive compared to other CMS options, especially for smaller projects or businesses with limited budgets.
Development Skills Required
While it's user-friendly for content creators, setting up and customizing Craft CMS requires development skills, which might not be ideal for users without technical expertise.
Learning Curve
For new users, particularly those without a background in web development, there can be a steep learning curve to fully utilize Craft CMS's features and capabilities.
Limited Plugins
While the plugin ecosystem is growing, Craft CMS has fewer plugins available compared to more established CMS platforms like WordPress. This may limit functionality out-of-the-box.
Hosting Requirements
Craft CMS has specific server requirements, and not all hosting providers may easily accommodate them. This can limit hosting options and potentially increase costs.

Substack features and specs

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 of Substack

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 of Substack

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

Craft CMS videos

+ Add

What is Craft CMS 3?

Substack videos

+ Add

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

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Craft CMS and Substack)

Substack

CMS

63 63%

CMS

37% 37

Blogging

46 46%

Blogging

54% 54

Blogging Platform

100 100%

Blogging Platform

0% 0

Creators

0 0%

Creators

100% 100

User comments

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

Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Craft CMS and Substack

Craft CMS Reviews

Top 10 Web Content Management Systems

If you are not satisfied with non of these options, I encourage you to check out Craft CMS. An open-source powered all-in-one CMS, with highly active community for your needs. Cloudzy’s Craft CMS hosting, is a go to solution for all web admins and content publishers who are willing to manage their website with Craft CMS.

Source: cloudzy.com

34 Headless CMS That Should Be On Your Radar

Craft CMS features custom fields, drag-and-drop layout management, multi-site management, localization, asset management, live content previews, and a built-in image editor. Each user can also attain their own customizable dashboard.

Source: www.cmswire.com

9 Reasons I Think Craft is the Best CMS on the Market Today

Craft CMS is simple, minimalistic, agile and has every capability a modern CMS framework needs. Over the past ten years we have worked with every CMS you could think of (Wordpress, Drupal, Rails+ActiveAdmin, Ghost, Weebly, DjangoCMS, Jekyll, Joomla, Tumblr, Squarespace, Expression Engine, Statamic, Blogger)… here are the reasons why we’ve landed firmly with Craft as our №1...

Source: hackernoon.com

Substack Reviews

25+ Medium Alternative Platforms for Publishing Articles

Substack offers writers of all experience levels the ability to write an email newsletter that’s profitable through subscriptions. Substack provides purpose-built web and newsletter publishing tools to enable writers to monetize their newsletters. It is a service often favoured by readers because it’s a convenient all-in-one solution for writing a successful podcast that...

Source: forgefusion.io

10 Best Medium Alternatives for Reading and Publishing

What sеts Substack apart is its sеamlеss intеgration of contеnt crеation and subscription-basеd monеtization. Substack’s usеr-friеndly intеrfacе, distribution tools, and support for various contеnt formats make it a popular choice for indеpеndеnt crеators looking to connеct dirеctly with thеir audiеncе and turn thеir passion into a sustainablе incomе strеam.

Source: www.geeksforgeeks.org

9 Best Medium Alternatives for Making Money With Your Writing in 2023

Substack and Medium differ primarily in their monetization methods. Medium pays creators based on reader engagement, while Substack enables writers to monetize directly through paid subscriptions to their newsletters. This business model allows Substack users to build a direct relationship with their readers via their email inboxes, whereas Medium interactions primarily...

Source: www.authorityhacker.com

11 Patreon Alternatives for Audience Monetization in 2023

Like a few of the other platforms we’ve looked at, Substack takes a cut of your earnings rather than charging a 10% platform fee.

Source: www.uscreen.tv

Any good Mailchimp alternatives?

My question for you is, what is keeping you from making $31 per month from your list? Are you using any feature that Substack (free until you get paid) can't handle?

Source: www.indiehackers.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Substack should be more popular than Craft CMS. It has been mentiond 101 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Craft CMS mentions (33)

16 Best CMS Platforms for Websites in 2025
Craft CMS is a flexible and developer-friendly platform that focuses on custom design and structured content. It’s best for agencies and designers building tailored websites, offering complete control over content modeling and front-end rendering. - Source: dev.to / 12 months ago
Matt Mullenweg Asks What Drama to Create in 2025, Community Reacts
There was a whole rash of them a few years back. I'm not sure if any of them took off or what. https://ghost.org/ https://strapi.io/ https://getgrav.org/ https://craftcms.com/. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
Different flavors of content management
The most typical approach is having a CMS admin panel sit somewhere on the server; everyone with an account uses this. This is a very convenient approach, especially when working with a team. This way, many people can work on different articles simultaneously without worrying about potential conflicts or overwriting stuff. The only con is related to security - everyone can try to get inside, and if you forget to... - Source: dev.to / almost 3 years ago
Go with PHP
PHP has a lot of top tier CMSes. IMHO bunch of them are even better than Statamic. Craft CMS (https://craftcms.com/) is a lot more mature database based CMS. Kirby (https://getkirby.com/) is better at flat-file and has a lot better admin interface. Twill (https://twillcms.com/) is better integrated in Laravel and is fully open-source. Statamic mostly feels like it's sitting besides Laravel and they call themselves... - Source: Hacker News / about 3 years ago
Stack to build and deploy a fully functional personal blog?
You're basically looking for any CMS that supports headless mode. E.g. Strapi (https://strapi.io/, NodeJS based), CraftCMS (https://craftcms.com/, PHP based) or countless others. Source: about 3 years ago

Substack mentions (101)

Ask HN: What are your favorite blogs not about AI?
Https://substack.com/@yelluwcomedy. - Source: Hacker News / about 24 hours ago
Kids (With Phones) Are Alright
Sure there was basically a cartel in social media. You saw coordinated censorship campaigns to ban the former president of the United States for example. But I wouldn't discount the amount of political interference there as well. The last administration admitted to flagging individual posts for the social media companies. But it's also true there is a lot of coordinated censorship even without state interference.... - Source: Hacker News / 10 days ago
Financing the AI boom: from cash flows to debt [pdf]
Manhattan Project: $36B, 5 years ▫ Apollo Program: $257B, 14 years ▫ Interstate Highway System: $620B, 37 years ▫ AI data centers: $930B, 6 years and still accelerating From: https://substack.com/@rubendominguez/note/c-244929068. - Source: Hacker News / 6 days ago
SpaceX to buy Cursor AI coding agent operator Anysphere for $60B
The thing is, even the center of the road academics who refrain from such comparisons are noting the similarity. The MAGA movement meets the traditional defining characteristics of fascio. We can be rigid and say that only Mussolini‘s political movement can be properly be called fascist. But if we call Hitler and the Nazis fascists as well, then we open the door to any movement that meets the criteria. And Trump... - Source: Hacker News / about 1 month ago
AMA: I'm Eric Ries (The Lean Startup) & Author of New Bestseller Incorruptible
Yes, it's much different in other countries. See https://substack.com/@doks/p-198191751. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 month ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Craft CMS and Substack, you can also consider the following products

WordPress - WordPress is web software you can use to create a beautiful website or blog. We like to say that WordPress is both free and priceless at the same time.

Ghost - Ghost is a fully open source, adaptable platform for building and running a modern online publication. We power blogs, magazines and journalists from Zappos to Sky News.

Drupal - Drupal - the leading open-source CMS for ambitious digital experiences that reach your audience across multiple channels. Because we all have different needs, Drupal allows you to create a unique space in a world of cookie-cutter solutions.

Medium - Welcome to Medium, a place to read, write, and interact with the stories that matter most to you.

Statamic - Build better, easier to manage websites. Enjoy radical efficiency. It's everything you never knew you always wanted in a CMS.

MailChimp - MailChimp is the best way to design, send, and share email newsletters.

WordPress vs Craft CMS

WordPress vs Substack

Statamic vs Craft CMS