Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Substack VS Write.as

Compare Substack VS Write.as 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.

Write.as logo Write.as

Publish a thought in seconds
  • Substack Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-10-26
  • Write.as Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-01-19

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.

Write.as features and specs

  • Simplicity
    Write.as provides a minimalist and distraction-free writing experience, focusing solely on the content without the usual clutter of other blogging platforms.
  • Anonymity
    Users can post content anonymously, which is ideal for those who want to share thoughts without revealing their identity.
  • Privacy
    The platform emphasizes privacy, with no tracking, ads, or third-party cookies, giving users peace of mind.
  • Markdown Support
    Write.as uses Markdown for formatting, making it easy for users familiar with Markdown to format their posts quickly.
  • Speed
    The platform is lightweight and fast, ensuring a quick and seamless writing and reading experience.

Possible disadvantages of Write.as

  • Limited Features
    Due to its minimalist approach, it lacks many features found in other blogging platforms, such as custom themes, plugins, or advanced SEO tools.
  • Subscription Cost
    While Write.as offers a free version, some of the more desirable features, like custom domains and multiple blogs, require a paid subscription.
  • Customization
    Users have limited options for customizing the appearance of their blogs, which might be a drawback for those who want a highly personalized site.
  • Limited Community Interaction
    Unlike some other blogging platforms, Write.as does not have features like comments or community engagement tools out of the box.
  • Learning Curve with Markdown
    Users unfamiliar with Markdown may find it challenging to format their posts initially, requiring a learning curve.

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 Write.as

Overall verdict

  • Overall, Write.as is a good choice for users who value simplicity and privacy in a blogging platform. It may not be suitable for those looking for advanced features, extensive customization, or robust multimedia integration, but it excels in delivering a straightforward and user-friendly writing experience.

Why this product is good

  • Write.as is a minimalist blogging platform designed to provide a distraction-free writing experience. It focuses on simplicity, privacy, and ease of use, making it appealing for users who want to write and publish content without dealing with complex features or ads. The platform supports Markdown, enables anonymous posting, and offers a clean, unobtrusive design.

Recommended for

  • Writers seeking a minimalist and distraction-free environment
  • Privacy-conscious individuals who want to blog anonymously
  • Users who prefer a simple and clean interface
  • Bloggers interested in focusing solely on content creation

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

Write.as videos

Write.as & Why I Use elementary OS

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Substack and Write.as)
Blogging
41 41%
59% 59
CMS
36 36%
64% 64
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 Write.as

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?

Write.as Reviews

25+ Medium Alternative Platforms for Publishing Articles
Write.as is a proprietary blogging platform for people who love to write and have no intentions of building a brand. Anonymous writers can hide their identity via the service, which only holds on to minimal information about its publishers. This new system weeds away marketers or those who want to build perception, so if you just enjoy the joy of writing without worrying...
Source: forgefusion.io
9 Best Medium Alternatives for Making Money With Your Writing in 2023
Write.as offers a clean, ultra-minimalistic, and ad-free user experience where the content takes center stage. Even the author can take a backseat, as one of the main features of the platform is anonymous posting without creating an account. That said, account-less posts only stay live for 1 hour.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Substack should be more popular than Write.as. It has been mentiond 102 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 (102)

  • Writing by Hand is Good for your Brain
    It's ironic that the article that caused him to write this post (https://substack.com/@justindeschamps/note/c-261265212?utm_source=notes-share-action&r=7y05q) is written by AI. I see this style of informational writing all over the place now. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 month ago
  • Ask HN: What are your favorite blogs not about AI?
    Https://substack.com/@yelluwcomedy. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 month 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 / about 2 months 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 / about 1 month 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 / 2 months ago
View more

Write.as mentions (60)

  • ActivityPub Fuzzer: Improving Testing in the Fediverse
    There's a lot of it on the Fediverse tech circles. I find a lot of it through following the #Fediverse tag on Mastodon. Bandwagon.fm: A federated platform for musicians and fans: https://bandwagon.fm/ Bonfire: A modular server for building communities with a wide variety of services: https://bonfirenetworks.org/ write.as: "Type words, put them on the internet." https://write.as/. - Source: Hacker News / 9 months ago
  • Personal blogs are back, should niche blogs be next?
    And it's very easy to start with something that is also "social": - https://write.as - a https://writefreely.org instance that also syncs with Mastodon, so people can see/discover/subscribe/ comment on your posts without extra hassle of setting up comments or other privacy invading tools. - https://bearblog.dev - just text, very simple and quick to get started. - Source: Hacker News / 9 months ago
  • Introducing the Write.as MCP Server: Anonymous Publishing Gets AI Superpowers
    The Write.as MCP Server transforms how AI systems interact with Write.as, the minimalist blogging platform beloved for its simplicity and privacy-first approach. By implementing the Model Context Protocol (MCP), this server enables LLMs, agents, and applications to create, retrieve, and manage anonymous posts without requiring any credentials whatsoever. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Show HN: LinkedIn sucks, so I built a better one
    There's a ton of those platforms, varying from extremely unknown to fairly well established. I'm pretty sure multiple of them end up as a Show HN every year. The only thing on your list they generally don't do is domain registration, but keeping that separate is generally a good thing. Sibling mentioned bearblog.dev, I'll mention write.as[1]. [1]: https://write.as/. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • WriteFreely: An open source platform for building a writing space on the web
    I'd noticed some years back that this project seems to have started with a pretty strong anonymity story: https://write.as/ That seemed to diminish in emphasis a few years ago, stopped accepting accounts that didn't give you a credit card end of 2021, and some year recently (last year? I forgetโ€ฆ) seemed as though the warrant canary missed a couple updates. (It's up to date now, with an assertion of no warrants... - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Substack and Write.as, 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.

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

WordPress - WordPress is web software you can use to create a beautiful website or blog. We like to say that WordPress is both free and priceless at the same time.

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

Blogger - Publish your passions, your way. Create a unique and beautiful blog. Itโ€™s easy and free.

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