Software Alternatives & Startups

Substack VS Tiny Tiny RSS

Compare Substack VS Tiny Tiny RSS 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
Tiny Tiny RSS

Web-based news feed aggregator, designed to allow you to read news from any location, while feeling...

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?

Based on our record, Substack should be more popular than Tiny Tiny RSS. It has been mentioned 111 times since March 2021.

social mentions
111 vs 49
Blogging popularity
100% vs 0%

Base details

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

Substack
Tiny Tiny RSS
Website substack.com tt-rss.org
Pricing —
Open source
Company Startup from the United States —
Listed in

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

Substack 6 features
Tiny Tiny RSS 5 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.
  • Open Source
    Tiny Tiny RSS (TTRSS) is open-source software, meaning it is free to use, customize, and distribute. Users benefit from a collaborative development environment.
  • Self-Hosting
    Being self-hosted, TTRSS offers greater control over your data and privacy, as you're not relying on third-party services to aggregate your RSS feeds.
  • Extensible
    TTRSS supports plugins and extensions, allowing users to add custom features and functionality to suit their needs.
  • Web-Based
    As a web-based application, TTRSS can be accessed from any device with a web browser, offering cross-platform compatibility.
  • Frequent Updates
    The TTRSS project is actively maintained with regular updates and improvements, which helps in keeping the platform secure and up-to-date with new features.

Possible disadvantages

  • Installation Complexity
    Setting up TTRSS requires a degree of technical expertise, including knowledge of web servers, databases, and potentially command line usage.
  • Maintenance
    As it is a self-hosted solution, users are responsible for maintaining the server and the software, including handling updates, backups, and security patches.
  • Server Costs
    Running TTRSS requires server resources, which might involve monetary costs if using a paid hosting service or investing in personal server infrastructure.
  • Performance Issues
    Depending on the server configuration and number of feeds, performance may degrade, requiring more advanced server management skills.
  • Limited Official Support
    While the community around TTRSS is active, official support is limited compared to commercial products, which might be an issue for users who need professional support.

Analysis

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

Substack
Tiny Tiny RSS

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

  • Tiny Tiny RSS (tt-rss) is generally considered a good self-hosted RSS feed reader for users who value control and customization.

Why this product is good

  • It is open-source and allows users to host their own instance, offering greater control over data privacy. tt-rss supports a wide range of plugins and themes for customization. It provides a robust feature set including filtering options, tags, and a mobile-friendly interface. The community and developer support are active, ensuring regular updates and improvements.

Recommended for

  • Tech-savvy users who are comfortable setting up a web server.
  • Privacy-conscious individuals wanting control over their data.
  • Users who seek extensive customization options.
  • Those who prefer an ad-free, streamlined RSS experience.

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

Substack 5 videos + Add
Tiny Tiny RSS 1 video + 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

Install Tiny Tiny RSS on Ubuntu Server

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
Tiny Tiny RSS
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%
100% 100%
CMS
0% 0%
0% 0%
RSS
100% 100%

User comments

Share your experience with using Substack and Tiny Tiny RSS. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

Log in or Post with

Reviews and articles

External articles and on-site reviews we used to compare the two products.

Substack no reviews yet
Tiny Tiny RSS no reviews yet

View more

Social recommendations and mentions

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

Substack 111 mentions
Tiny Tiny RSS 49 mentions
  • 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 / 3 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 / 6 days ago
  • Why Isn't the Industry Freaking Out About DeepSeek 4.1 Flash?
    Https://substack.com/@rubenafo/note/c-332218129?r=26y5kn&utm_source=notes-share-action&utm_medium=web. - Source: Hacker News / 16 days ago

View more

  • Why do RSS readers look like email clients?
    Funny that this pops up now, yesterday I was looking into using rss2email [1] and migrate all my RSS reading workflow inside mutt. Ultimately I decided against it because I like being able to use a web-app based reader (Tiny Tiny RSS... - Source: Hacker News / 9 months ago
  • Ask HN: Who do you follow via RSS feed?
    Hello there! I just set up TinyTinyRSS (https://tt-rss.org/) at home and I'm looking into interesting things to read as well as people/website publishing interesting stuff. This, among the other things, to reduce the daily... - Source: Hacker News / 9 months ago
  • Avoiding Outrage Fatigue While Staying Informed
    Tiny Tiny RSS is still awesome, twelve years later. It is super-easy to self-host: https://tt-rss.org/. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago

View more

Alternatives to Substack and Tiny Tiny RSS

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