Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Substack VS Forestry.io

Compare Substack VS Forestry.io and see what are their differences

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.

Forestry.io logo Forestry.io

A simple CMS for Jekyll and Hugo sites.
  • Substack Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-10-26
  • Forestry.io Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-08

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.

Forestry.io features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Forestry.io offers an intuitive interface that is easy to navigate, making it accessible for both technical and non-technical users.
  • Git Integration
    Seamless integration with Git repositories allows for version control and collaboration, ensuring content consistency and traceability.
  • Static Site Generator Compatibility
    Supports a variety of static site generators such as Jekyll, Hugo, and Gatsby, providing flexibility in choosing the best framework for your needs.
  • Real-Time Preview
    Provides real-time previews of content changes, enabling users to see how updates will look before they are published.
  • Markdown Support
    Offers robust support for Markdown, making it easier to format and manage content.
  • Customizable
    Highly customizable, allowing users to define content models, fields, and custom workflows to fit their specific needs.
  • Collaborative Editing
    Supports collaborative editing, enabling multiple users to work on the same content simultaneously.

Possible disadvantages of Forestry.io

  • Learning Curve for Non-Technical Users
    While the interface is user-friendly, non-technical users might initially struggle with concepts like Git and static site generators.
  • Dependency on External Tools
    Relies heavily on Git and static site generators, meaning you need to have these set up and integrated properly for optimal use.
  • Performance Issues
    Some users have reported performance issues, particularly with larger repositories or more complex site setups.
  • Limited Built-In Hosting
    Forestry.io focuses on content management and does not provide its own hosting solution, so you'll need a separate provider for deploying your site.
  • Pricing
    Might be considered expensive for smaller projects or individual users, especially when compared to other content management systems.
  • Support and Documentation
    While generally good, some users have found the available support and documentation lacking in certain areas, making it harder to troubleshoot issues.
  • Security
    As with any third-party service, there are inherent security risks. Ensuring the security of your Git repositories and sensitive data requires additional vigilance.

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

Analysis of Forestry.io

Overall verdict

  • Forestry.io is a solid choice for developers and content teams looking for a Git-based CMS that facilitates static site generation workflows. It streamlines the process of managing and pushing updates to static sites, particularly for those who appreciate working within a robust and flexible environment.

Why this product is good

  • Forestry.io is a content management system (CMS) that's particularly beneficial for static site generators, such as Jekyll, Hugo, and Gatsby. It provides a user-friendly interface, allowing developers and content creators to manage site content through an intuitive dashboard. The platform supports seamless integration with Git-based workflows, enabling version control, collaboration, and automated deployments. Moreover, it offers features like custom previews, front matter editing, and media management, making it easy to handle various content types.

Recommended for

  • Developers using static site generators
  • Content teams seeking a Git-based CMS workflow
  • Teams requiring easy set up and integration with popular static site tools
  • Those who prefer a friendly interface for non-technical users while maintaining a powerful backend.

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

Forestry.io videos

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

Add video

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Substack and Forestry.io)
Blogging
66 66%
34% 34
CMS
51 51%
49% 49
Creators
100 100%
0% 0
Blogging Platform
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 Forestry.io

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?

Forestry.io Reviews

Best Headless CMS for 2020
Forestry.io is a Git-backed CMS for websites and web products built using static site generators. Forestry bridges the gap between developers and their teams, by making development fun and easy while providing powerful content management for their teams. Visit site here
Source: dev.to

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Substack should be more popular than Forestry.io. 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.

Substack mentions (101)

  • Ask HN: What are your favorite blogs not about AI?
    Https://substack.com/@yelluwcomedy. - Source: Hacker News / 3 days 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 / 11 days ago
  • Financing the AI boom: from cash flows to debt [pdf]
    Manhattan Project: $36B, 5 years โ–ซ Apollo Program: $257B, 14 years โ–ซ Interstate Highway System: $620B, 37 years โ–ซ AI data centers: $930B, 6 years and still accelerating From: https://substack.com/@rubendominguez/note/c-244929068. - Source: Hacker News / 8 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 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 / 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
View more

Forestry.io mentions (36)

  • WordPress vs Hugo: Which Should You Self-Host?
    Not easily without additional tooling. Hugo has no admin panel โ€” content is Markdown files in a Git repository. You can add a headless CMS like Decap CMS, Tina, or Forestry to provide a web-based editor backed by Git. This adds complexity but makes Hugo accessible to non-developers. - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
  • Show HN: Self-hosted CMS on Cloudflare for podcast/blog/images/videos/docs/URLs
    Forestry has been on my radar for a long time but never had a need to use it https://forestry.io/ The big draw for me is it's just Hugo/Gatsby/Jekyll underneath, and the output files can be delivered anywhere that will host static files (CloudFlare pages does this really well, as does Netlify). - Source: Hacker News / over 3 years ago
  • How would you build a website for someone who would like to update it often?
    I've done this before using Forestry.io, though I'm sure there's other similar solutions. Source: over 3 years ago
  • free-for.dev
    Forestry.io โ€” Headless CMS. Give your editors the power of Git. Create and edit Markdown-based content with ease. Comes with three free sites that includes 3 editors, Instant Previews. Integrates with blogs hosted on Netlify/GitHubpages/ elsewhere. - Source: dev.to / over 3 years ago
  • Easier way to publish changes for hugo static blog?
    (Sorry. Bit late to the party) If you have github and don't mind external services (for content management) you could look at this via https://forestry.io. Source: over 3 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Substack and Forestry.io, you can also consider the following 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.

VuePress - A static site generator by Vue.js ๐Ÿ› ๏ธ

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

Publii - Open Source CMS for Static Websites

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

Sanity.io - Sanity.io a platform for structured content that comes with an open-source editor that you can customize with React.js.