Software Alternatives & Startups

Substack VS Bulma

Compare Substack VS Bulma and see what are their differences

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
Bulma

Bulma is an open source CSS framework based on Flexbox and built with Sass. It's 100% responsive, fully modular, and available for free.

Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Open source
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?

Bulma might be a bit more popular than Substack. We know about 118 links to it since March 2021 and only 112 links to Substack.

social mentions
112 vs 118
Blogging popularity
100% vs 0%

Base details

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

Substack
Bulma
Website substack.com bulma.io
Pricing —
Open source
Company Startup from the United States Startup from France
Listed in

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

Substack 6 features
Bulma 7 features
  • 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.
  • Simple and Elegant Design
    Bulma offers a clean, modern aesthetic that looks great out of the box. This eliminates much of the need for extensive customization to achieve a professional look.
  • Responsive Layouts
    Bulma is built with a flexible grid system that ensures your designs are responsive. This makes it straightforward to create web pages that look great on both desktop and mobile devices.
  • Ease of Use
    Bulma has a straightforward class-based syntax that is easy to understand and implement. This simplifies the development process, especially for newcomers.
  • BEM Methodology
    Bulma employs Block Element Modifier (BEM) methodology for CSS, which helps in writing clean, understandable, and scalable code.
  • No JavaScript Dependencies
    Bulma is purely a CSS framework, meaning it doesn't come bundled with JavaScript. This allows you to integrate it with any JavaScript framework of your choice, like React or Vue.js, without any conflicts.
  • Well-Documented
    The official Bulma website has extensive documentation, including examples and code snippets, which makes it easier to learn and implement.
  • Active Community
    Bulma has an active community of developers who contribute to its development and are available for support, which can be helpful when facing issues or needing guidance.

Possible disadvantages

  • Limited Customizability
    While Bulma is designed to be easy to use, its simplicity can sometimes limit your ability to customize components as deeply as you might be able to with other frameworks.
  • Lack of Components
    Bulma does not come with as many built-in components as some other CSS frameworks like Bootstrap. You might find yourself needing to create custom components for some features.
  • No JavaScript
    The lack of built-in JavaScript functionality means you will need to write or integrate JavaScript separately for more interactive elements, such as modals or carousels.
  • Performance Overhead
    Like most CSS frameworks, using Bulma can introduce some performance overhead due to unused CSS. You'll need to use a tool like PurgeCSS to remove unused styles for optimal performance.
  • Learning Curve
    Despite its simplicity, there can still be a learning curve for developers who are accustomed to other frameworks like Bootstrap or Tailwind CSS.
  • Small Community compared to Others
    While the community is active, it is smaller compared to more established frameworks like Bootstrap, potentially making it harder to find solutions to less common issues.
  • Semantic Class Names
    Bulma emphasizes semantic class names following the BEM methodology, which can be verbose and may require a change in practice for some developers.

Analysis

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

Substack
Bulma

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

No analysis of Bulma yet.

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

Substack 5 videos + Add
Bulma 3 videos + Add

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

S.H. Figuarts BULMA Dragon Ball Action Figure Review

More videos

  • - S.H. Figuarts Dragon Ball Adventure Begins Bulma Review
  • - Bandai SH Figuarts BULMA Review BR / DiegoHDM

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
Substack
Bulma
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%
100% 100%
CMS
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%

User comments

Share your experience with using Substack and Bulma. 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.

Substack no reviews yet
Bulma no reviews yet

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Social recommendations and mentions

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

Substack 112 mentions
Bulma 118 mentions
  • Ask HN: What are you working on? (November 2026)
    A free comedy newsletter that has nothing to do with technology yet mentions it from time to time. https://substack.com/@yelluwcomedy. - Source: Hacker News / 3 days ago
  • UK Defence Startups Are Being Denied Banking Services Under ESG Rules
    Books have already been written on this, some as early as 1945 (That Hideous Strength, C.S. Lewis). Otherwise I can recommend basically everything by Curtis Yarvin and Kevin Dolan (https://substack.com/@exitgroup,... - Source: Hacker News / 22 days ago
  • Show HN: Sphinx – a hook that quizzes you on your AI agent's code before push
    We built something quite similar 6 months ago called PEAK (Proof of Effort And Knowledge). Blog post and YT video here: https://substack.com/@jeffksmithjr/p-195763168 Our version has its own TUI and was intended for semi-adversarial... - Source: Hacker News / 24 days ago

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  • Building Plus Ultra: How Antigravity Helped Me Bring Material Design to Bulma CSS 🎨
    Today I want to share something I've been working on that combines two things I love: clean CSS frameworks and Material Design aesthetics. I just launched Plus Ultra, an open-source CSS library that brings Material Design components to... - Source: dev.to / 9 months ago
  • JavaScript Awesome Package
    Bulma - CSS framework based on Flexbox. - Source: dev.to / 9 months ago
  • Mistakes Were Made
    Sure, why not use Blazor? It makes life easier for the developers who are primarily backend, to work on the frontend as well. Seems like the better choice. So what's next? The UI library. No shade to the long-time standing Bootstrap, but... - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago

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Alternatives to Substack and Bulma

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