Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Flodesk VS Substack

Compare Flodesk VS Substack and see what are their differences

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.

Flodesk logo Flodesk

Simple, Flat rate, Unlimited, All-in-one newsletter solution.

Substack logo Substack

With Substack, anyone can start a publication that combines a personal website, blog, and email newsletter or podcast. It's quick and simple.
  • Flodesk Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-13
  • Substack Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-10-26

Flodesk features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Flodesk offers an intuitive, drag-and-drop email builder that is easy for beginners to use, allowing quick creation of visually appealing emails without technical skills.
  • Beautiful Templates
    The platform provides a variety of aesthetically pleasing templates that help users create professional-looking emails effortlessly, which can save time on design work.
  • Flat Pricing Model
    Flodesk's pricing is simple and does not scale per subscriber count, making it predictable and potentially cost-effective for growing email lists.
  • Strong Branding Focus
    The tool is designed to help users maintain consistent brand visuals, supporting customized fonts, colors, and logo integration to match a brand’s aesthetic.
  • Integrated Form Builder
    Flodesk includes a form builder that allows users to create custom opt-in forms, enhancing lead capture directly through the same interface.

Possible disadvantages of Flodesk

  • Lack of Advanced Features
    Flodesk may lack some advanced email marketing features such as A/B testing and detailed automation workflows, which may not suit the needs of more experienced users.
  • Integration Limitations
    Flodesk's integration options are somewhat limited compared to competitors, potentially requiring additional tools or workarounds to connect with other platforms.
  • Performance Analytics
    The platform provides basic analytics, but lacks in-depth data analysis or reporting features, which could hinder those who need detailed campaign performance insights.
  • No Free Plan
    Flodesk does not offer a free plan, only a free trial, which might deter users who are looking for a cost-free option to start their email marketing journey.
  • Mobile Optimization Limitations
    While it offers mobile-responsive templates, some users may find the level of mobile optimization less refined in comparison to competitors that offer more customization in this area.

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.

Flodesk videos

Flodesk Review & Walk-through: The best email marketing tool for VISUAL PERSON?

More videos:

  • Review - Honest Flodesk Review + Top 3 Email Marketing Providers
  • Review - Convertkit vs. Flodesk: Which Email Marketing Software We Use and WHY

Substack videos

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

More videos:

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

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Flodesk and Substack)
Email Marketing
100 100%
0% 0
Blogging
0 0%
100% 100
Email Newsletters
100 100%
0% 0
Blogging Platform
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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

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

Flodesk Reviews

9 best link in bio tools for Instagram 
You can personalize your form in less than five minutes. From custom links to your brand colors, fonts, and images, add your unique touch effortlessly. To top it off, Flodesk Link in bio automatically integrates with email and e-commerce capabilities and provides powerful analytics to help you grow, nurture, and sell online. Together, this makes it the perfect choice for any...
Source: flodesk.com
10 top Linktree alternatives for a personalized link in bio
A Link in bio lets you redirect followers to the places that matter most to your business, like your online store and email list—where you can continue communicating, nurturing, and selling to your subscribers, all from your Flodesk account.
Source: flodesk.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.
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...
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?

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Substack seems to be a lot more popular than Flodesk. While we know about 89 links to Substack, we've tracked only 3 mentions of Flodesk. 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.

Flodesk mentions (3)

  • How to achieve this effect? (link in desc)
    Hi, I'm creating an elementor site and I'm wondering if it's possible to just use Elementor Pro to achieve the scrolling effects like this website? https://flodesk.com/. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Is there a service (paid or free) where I can create email designs and download the entire mailer as an HTML file?
    Here's the URL for Flodesk without the affiliate link: https://flodesk.com. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Flodesk vs Klaviyo for the most sleek aesthetic email templates?
    I am considering Flodesk or Klaviyo as I am looking for a simple drag-n-drop email marketing tool with beautiful templates strictly focused on extremely sleek, editorial-like, aesthetically-polished design. Source: almost 3 years ago

Substack mentions (89)

View more

What are some alternatives?

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

Pico - A stupidly simple and blazing fast, flat file CMS

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.

Zoho Campaigns - Smart email marketing software that helps you reach your target audiences, engage in a personalized way, and grow your brand presence.

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

EmailOctopus - Email marketing for less, via Amazon SES

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.