Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Substack VS Awwwards

Compare Substack VS Awwwards and see what are their differences

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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.

Awwwards logo Awwwards

Awwards focuses on web design and has an awards system that highlights exceptional design.
  • Substack Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-10-26
  • Awwwards Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-23

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.

Awwwards features and specs

  • Recognition
    Awwwards provides recognition to web designers and developers by showcasing their work to a global audience, which can lead to increased visibility and career opportunities.
  • Inspiration
    The platform features a wide array of innovative and creative designs, serving as a source of inspiration for designers seeking new ideas and trends.
  • Community
    Awwwards fosters a community of designers, developers, and other creative professionals, enabling networking and collaboration opportunities.
  • Feedback
    Participants can receive valuable feedback from a panel of peers and industry experts, which can help them improve their work and skills.
  • Educational Content
    Awwwards offers educational resources, articles, and case studies that can help users learn new techniques and stay updated with industry standards.

Possible disadvantages of Awwwards

  • Entry Fees
    Submitting work to Awwwards requires a fee, which can be a barrier for independent designers or smaller agencies with limited budgets.
  • Subjective Judging
    The judging process can be quite subjective, sometimes leading to disagreements over which aspects of design should be prioritized or awarded.
  • Focus on Aesthetics
    The platform tends to emphasize aesthetic appeal over functionality or user experience, which might not align with the priorities of all designers.
  • Competition
    The large number of submissions and the competitive nature of the awards can make it difficult for individual entrants to stand out.
  • Industry Bias
    Awwwards can sometimes demonstrate a bias towards certain design styles or trends, potentially marginalizing innovative work that doesn't fit the norm.

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

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

Awwwards videos

Awwwards Live Websites Reviews

More videos:

  • Review - 100 Awwwards Websites Deconstructed

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Substack and Awwwards)
Blogging
100 100%
0% 0
Social Networks
0 0%
100% 100
CMS
100 100%
0% 0
Design Inspiration
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 Substack and Awwwards

Substack Reviews

25+ Medium Alternative Platforms for Publishing Articles
Substack offers writers of all experience levels the ability to write an email newsletter thatโ€™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 itโ€™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 sะตts Substack apart is its sะตamlะตss intะตgration of contะตnt crะตation and subscription-basะตd monะตtization. Substackโ€™s usะตr-friะตndly intะตrfacะต, distribution tools, and support for various contะตnt formats make it a popular choice for indะตpะตndะตnt crะตators looking to connะตct dirะตctly with thะตir audiะตncะต and turn thะตir passion into a sustainablะต incomะต strะตam.
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 weโ€™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?

Awwwards Reviews

10+ Best Places to Find Free Fonts
Awwwards is a site well-known among web designers. Itโ€™s where designers go to find inspiration and showcase their best work. The site also has a free fonts collection which features some of the most unique and uncommon fonts youโ€™ll ever see.
Source: designshack.net

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Substack should be more popular than Awwwards. It has been mentiond 98 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.

Substack mentions (98)

  • 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 Mussoliniโ€˜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 / 23 days 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 / 29 days ago
  • Show HN: Playing with genomics foundation model tutorial/explainer article
    Hi folks, I got curious about how genomics foundation models work and wrote an article explaining how they are trained + can be used. Feel free to use the following as learning resources if you wish to jump into ML for comp bio stuff, it may help: - Code: https://github.com/dillondesilva/nt-promoter-region-classification - Article/Tutorial:... - Source: Hacker News / about 1 month ago
  • CBP Directive 3340-049B: Border Search of Electronic Devices
    The vast majority of people from the developed world have no problems going through any border in the developed world. Your experience is probably representative, but that's not what we're talking about. My understanding is that de facto you have no rights at all in China. The Americans take this sort of thing very seriously, which is why it's in the news and talked about. Some guy gets imprisoned for 37... - Source: Hacker News / about 2 months ago
  • GitHub โ€“ DOS 1.0: Transcription of Tim Paterson's DOS Printouts
    There was never a serious claim DOS copied CP/M code. The controversy was mostly about legality of reimplementation of the API, plus some pretty vague claims about copying the design: https://substack.com/@nemanjatrifunovic/note/p-178321556. - Source: Hacker News / 2 months ago
View more

Awwwards mentions (21)

  • GD Trends
    Awwwards.com/ (shameless plug, im a judge there). Source: about 3 years ago
  • I don't really like the cards, but I dont know what to change. Any suggestions?
    Ps: if you don't know about them, you might check out awwwards.com, dribbble.com, and behance.net for more inspiration. Source: about 3 years ago
  • What should I learn before learning three.js?
    Learn html/css if you want to integrate threejs with websites. If you look at awwwards it's usually 50/50, they mix layout, typography, page transitions with webgl. Source: over 3 years ago
  • USE ME
    You could look on awwwards.com for whats trending in web design. Source: over 3 years ago
  • I wish web dev was more fun
    What are you talking about just coz you haven't seen doesn't mean there aren't check out awwwards.com thousands of creative websites submitted by agencies I work for a creative agency as well!!! Source: over 3 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

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

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

Dribbble - Shots from popular and up and coming designers in the Dribbble community, your best resource to discover and connect with designers worldwide.

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.

Behance - The Creative Professional Platform.

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

Smashingmagazine - Smashing Magazine delivers useful and innovative information to Web designers and developers. Their aim is to inform about the latest trends and techniques in Web development.