Software Alternatives & Startups

Substack VS Theysaid

Compare Substack VS Theysaid 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
Theysaid

Conversational AI surveys, interviews, user tests, polls

Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Free trial $49 / Monthly ("Essential" "1 seat license" "1 Active AI project")
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?

Based on our record, Substack seems to be more popular. It has been mentioned 109 times since March 2021.

social mentions
109 vs 0
Blogging popularity
100% vs 0%
alternatives listed
240+ vs 191

Base details

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

Substack
Theysaid
Website substack.com theysaid.io
Pricing —
Free trial $49 / Monthly ("Essential" "1 seat license" "1 Active AI project") Official pricing
Company Startup from the United States Startup from the United States · 20 - 49 employees
Listed in

About Substack and Theysaid

In their own words, as submitted to SaaSHub.

Substack
Theysaid

No description of Substack yet.

TheySaid - The everything app for feedback, powered by AI and voice to gather, analyze, and act on feedback. Conduct interviews, user tests, surveys, polls, and funnel results into a single dashboard or your database via integrations. Popular use cases include onboarding, customer + employee...

Read more about Theysaid

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

Substack 6 features
Theysaid 13 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.
  • AI Surveys
    Conversational AI surveys that dig deeper to uncover the why behind every answer.
  • AI Interviews
    AI conducts adaptive interviews, asking smarter questions and adjusting in real time to uncover deeper insights.
  • 2-way voice
    Users speak to AI and complete their form with voice while AI reads questions aloud.
  • Usability Testing
    Ask users to do tasks, visit websites or prototypes, and get voice and video recordings.
  • AI Sidebar
    AI tells you what you've learned recently, suggests new projects, and answers questions.
  • AI Forms
    Now forms are beautiful with an optional AI assist mode to help users quickly fill out forms.
  • Conditional Logic
    Simple, intuitive branching logic still allows AI to ask follow-up questions.
  • Panel Recruiting
    Recruit feedback participants from our panel integrations, or bring your own panel.
  • Teach AI
    Give AI context about your company, pricing, and product by uploading any document.
  • Integrations
    Full-featured connectors with HubSpot, Salesforce, Slack, and more.
  • Free survey creator
    On the website, you can create or brainstorm your next project and then add it to your account.
  • Import surveys
    Import surveys from your ancient survey tools like Qualtrics, SurveyMonkey, or Typeform.
  • Templates
    The best templates for popular feedback types are available with one click.

Analysis

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

Substack
Theysaid

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

Overall verdict

  • TheySaid (theysaid.io) is a solid AI-powered survey and feedback platform that uses conversational, interactive surveys to gather deeper customer insights than traditional static forms, making it a good choice for teams focused on customer experience and product feedback.

Why this product is good

  • Uses AI-driven conversational surveys that feel more like a dialogue, encouraging higher response rates and richer qualitative feedback
  • Automatically follows up on responses to dig deeper into customer sentiment without manual effort
  • Provides AI-generated summaries and actionable insights, saving teams time in analyzing feedback
  • Easy to set up and deploy surveys across multiple touchpoints such as websites, emails, and products
  • Helps uncover the 'why' behind customer opinions rather than just collecting surface-level ratings

Recommended for

  • Product teams seeking qualitative user feedback to guide roadmap decisions
  • Customer success and experience teams measuring satisfaction and reducing churn
  • SaaS companies wanting to gather in-app feedback conversationally
  • Marketing teams looking for deeper audience insights beyond standard surveys
  • Small to mid-sized businesses that want AI-assisted feedback analysis without heavy manual work

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

Substack 5 videos + Add
Theysaid 2 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

TheySaid 3.0 Review – AI Customer Feedback Analysis & Voice-of-Customer Platform (2025)

More videos

  • - Customer Survey Tool product review | Theysaid AI

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
Theysaid
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%
100% 100%
CMS
0% 0%
0% 0%
AI
100% 100%

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing Substack and Theysaid.

What makes your product unique?

Theysaid's answer:

Most surveys are dull and only scratch the surface. TheySaid turns surveys into conversations, asking real-time follow-ups, revealing the why behind every answer. This gives revenue leaders sharper visibility into customer needs, fueling faster, more confident business decisions that drive growth.

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

Theysaid's answer:

Most survey tools stop at collecting answers, giving leaders surface-level data that’s hard to act on. TheySaid turns feedback into real conversations with smart follow-ups, capturing the why behind customer behavior. This means revenue leaders don’t just get data, they get clear action items: what to improve, where to double down, and how to reduce churn. And with insights delivered 10x faster, they can act quickly to capture growth opportunities and make confident business decisions.

How would you describe the primary audience of your product?

Theysaid's answer:

TheySaid is built for B2B leaders who rely on customer insights to drive growth. Our primary audience includes Customer Success teams, Revenue leaders, Product managers, and Marketing executives at SaaS and subscription-based businesses. They use TheySaid to uncover authentic customer sentiment, strengthen retention, and identify expansion opportunities.

What's the story behind your product?

Theysaid's answer:

Surveys were dead. Customers ignored them, response rates tanked, and leaders were left making decisions on scraps of data. Lihong Hicken and Chris Hicken saw the gap and built TheySaid, the first AI-powered conversational survey that actually listens. With AI interviews, live polls, and user testing alongside surveys, TheySaid captures the why behind every answer and instantly translates insights into clear action items. For revenue leaders, that means faster decisions, smarter growth moves, and insights delivered 10x quicker than any traditional tool.

Which are the primary technologies used for building your product?

Theysaid's answer:

TheySaid leverages advanced AI (natural language processing, machine learning, and generative AI), cloud infrastructure, and secure integrations with popular CRM and HR systems to deliver fast, scalable, and reliable insights.

User comments

Share your experience with using Substack and Theysaid. 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
Theysaid no reviews yet

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We have no reviews of Theysaid yet. Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

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

Substack 109 mentions
Theysaid 0 mentions

View more

Tracking Theysaid since Aug 2024.

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