Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Substack VS Select & Search

Compare Substack VS Select & Search 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.

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.

Select & Search logo Select & Search

Tired of rightโ€‘clicking, saving, opening tabs and uploading just to run an image search? Select & Search turns that 5โ€‘step pain into 1 instant action - one selection, get results from 40+ search engines.
  • Substack Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-10-26
  • Select & Search Capture Tool
    Capture Tool //
    2026-02-22
  • Select & Search Details Page
    Details Page //
    2026-02-22

Ever spotted a product in a video, a logo in a presentation, a pattern in a design, or a detail inside a locked-down image and wished you could search for it right away?

Traditional reverse-image search only works on standalone, clickable images. It breaks the moment you want to search inside a YouTube frame, a Zoom call, a PDF, a Figma canvas, or a protected image.

Select & Search fixes that by turning your cursor into a visual search superpower.

With a quick drag over any area of your screen, Select & Search captures exactly what youโ€™re looking at and sends it straight to the search engine of your choice, no screenshots, no saving files, no manual uploads.

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.

Select & Search features and specs

  • Selection Tool
    Drag a Screen Capture/Selection Tool Anywhere on your Browser Screen to Select that Area and Search it on Your Selected Search Engine
  • Shortcut (Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + S)
    Use this shortcut to instantly get the Screen Capture/Selection Tool without needing to open anything or click anywhere.
  • Context Menu Options
    There are some cool Context Menu (right-click menu) options, discover yourself!

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

Select & Search videos

Select & Search Browser Extension | 4vidit

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Substack and Select & Search)
Blogging
100 100%
0% 0
Chrome Extensions
0 0%
100% 100
CMS
100 100%
0% 0
Search Engine
0 0%
100% 100

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing Substack and Select & Search.

What's the story behind your product?

Select & Search's answer:

Many times while browsing, I just want to search a specific part of my screen, an image, a product, a logo, or even a small detail, But.. Existing tools either donโ€™t work on certain sites, are locked to one search engine, or simply miss results. Thatโ€™s why I built Select & Search.

It lets you instantly select anything on your screen and search it across nearly 50 different search engines, giving you control instead of relying on a single algorithm.

This idea came from a real problem I faced: Google Lens couldnโ€™t identify a product I was browsing, but searching the same image across multiple engines finally gave me the result. That moment made it clear that one engine isnโ€™t enough.

Along with screen selection search, the extension also includes: - Search history to revisit past finds - Upload an image manually to search - Find all images on a webpage and search them at once

If youโ€™ve ever felt stuck trying to identify or find something online, I hope this tool makes your browsing a lot more powerful.

Would love your feedback and ideas, happy to improve it further!

User comments

Share your experience with using Substack and Select & Search. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Reviews

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

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?

Select & Search Reviews

We have no reviews of Select & Search yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Substack seems to be more popular. 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 / 19 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 / 25 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 1 month 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

Select & Search mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Select & Search yet. Tracking of Select & Search recommendations started around Feb 2026.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Substack and Select & Search, 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.

Image Search for Google - Image Search for Google is a free image searching app by Risiner for Android devices only.

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.

WorldCompliance Search Tool - Anti Money Laundering

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

Reverse Image Search - Adds an option to the context menu to search with an image on Google, Bing, Yandex, TinEye, SauceNAO, IQDB or custom search engines. You can also choose more than one and they will be shown in a submenu!