Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

HiCyou VS Substack

Compare HiCyou VS Substack and see what are their differences

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HiCyou logo HiCyou

A free, open-source directory platform helping SaaS products get discovered. Submit your product for free and get dofollow backlinks. Open source and available for commercial use.

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.
  • HiCyou
    Image date //
    2025-11-28
  • HiCyou
    Image date //
    2025-11-28
  • HiCyou
    Image date //
    2025-11-28

HiCyou makes your directory smarter! This modern open-source platform is powered by AI to auto-categorize sites and generate content, with built-in semantic search for pinpoint discovery. User submissions are auto-verified via backlink checks, saving you time. Built with Next.js 14 and Tailwind, it’s fast, easy to deploy, and fully customizable—perfect for SaaS founders and developers to discover or showcase tools. Open source, self-hostable, and commercially usable—it’s your smart directory.

  • Substack Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-10-26

HiCyou

Website
hicyou.com
$ Details
free
Platforms
Vercel Cloudflare Supabase
Release Date
2025 November
Startup details
Country
Singapore

Substack

Pricing URL
-
$ Details
-
Platforms
-
Release Date
-
Startup details
Country
United States

HiCyou features and specs

  • AI-Powered Categorization
    Hi Cyou uses large language models to automatically generate product descriptions and intelligently classify submissions into relevant categories—saving time and ensuring better discoverability.
  • Semantic Search Engine
    Powered by Exa, Hi Cyou’s semantic search goes beyond keywords, helping users find tools based on intent and meaning—ideal for navigating a growing directory of SaaS products.
  • Verified User Submissions
    Every user submission is verified through automatic backlink detection, ensuring listings are authentic, live, and not spam—maintaining high-quality content across the platform.

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 HiCyou

Overall verdict

  • HiCyou appears to be a niche online service, but there is limited publicly available, verified information to confirm its reliability, security, and overall quality. Without independent reviews, transparent company details, or established reputation, it's difficult to firmly recommend it. Users should exercise caution and do their own due diligence before sharing personal information or making payments.

Why this product is good

  • It may offer specialized features tailored to a specific audience or use case
  • Potentially competitive pricing compared to more established alternatives
  • Could provide a simple, focused user experience if it delivers on its core promise

Recommended for

  • Users comfortable trying newer or lesser-known platforms
  • People who verify a service's legitimacy and security before committing
  • Those who first test with limited personal or financial information
  • Customers whose specific needs align closely with the platform's stated features

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

HiCyou videos

No HiCyou videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

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 HiCyou and Substack)
Software Recommendations
100 100%
0% 0
Blogging
0 0%
100% 100
Directory
100 100%
0% 0
CMS
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

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

HiCyou Reviews

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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 HiCyou. While we know about 103 links to Substack, we've tracked only 2 mentions of HiCyou. 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.

HiCyou mentions (2)

  • Cloudflare R2 Hands-On Guide: Set Up Free 10GB Storage, Zero-Egress Object Storage, and S3-Compatible API Keys
    In a modern full-stack (or vibe coding) stack, even though Supabase ships with Storage and Vercel offers free Blob quotas, many developers (including HiCyou) still prefer Cloudflare R2 as the primary storage layer for SaaS projects. - Source: dev.to / 9 months ago
  • A Practical Guide to Supabase: Setting up a Database, Auth, and Integrating Resend
    That’s why HiCyou uses Supabase as both its database and Auth solution. - Source: dev.to / 9 months ago

Substack mentions (103)

  • How accurate have Ed Zitron's AI skeptic predictions been?
    Valid criticisms of AI - safety critics who think AI can take over the world like Yud (I find this the least credible but still valid) - Bernie type of critics who think AI can cause widespread job losses - Ruxandra Teslo who thinks AI can remove meaning which I feel is the most serious one [1] What are not valid - environmental like emissions and water usage - AI is useless and it will take the economy with it... - Source: Hacker News / 1 day ago
  • Writing by Hand is Good for your Brain
    It's ironic that the article that caused him to write this post (https://substack.com/@justindeschamps/note/c-261265212?utm_source=notes-share-action&r=7y05q) is written by AI. I see this style of informational writing all over the place now. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 month ago
  • Ask HN: What are your favorite blogs not about AI?
    Https://substack.com/@yelluwcomedy. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 month 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 / about 2 months 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 / about 2 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

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

Product Hunt - A website that lets users share and discover new products

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.

aat.ee - A simple way to showcase your product and find what’s next.

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

SaaSHub - Find and promote software that will help you grow your business or to be more productive.

Buttondown - Buttondown is the best way to start and run your newsletter