Software Alternatives & Startups

The Pudding VS Substack

Compare The Pudding VS Substack and see what are their differences

The Pudding

A Weekly Journal of Visual Essays

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Rating
0 reviews
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
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 a lot more popular than The Pudding. While we know about 107 links to Substack, we've tracked only 5 mentions of The Pudding.

social mentions
5 vs 107
Productivity popularity
100% vs 0%
alternatives listed
74 vs 240+

Base details

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

The Pudding
Substack
Website pudding.cool substack.com
Company — Startup from the United States
Listed in

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

The Pudding 0 features
Substack 6 features

No features have been listed yet.

  • 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.

Analysis

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

The Pudding
Substack

Overall verdict

  • The Pudding is an excellent digital publication that stands out for its innovative approach to visual, data-driven journalism, making complex topics accessible and engaging through interactive storytelling.

Why this product is good

  • Produces high-quality visual essays that combine data analysis with compelling narratives
  • Covers a wide range of culturally relevant and thought-provoking topics, from music and film to language and society
  • Features interactive graphics and visualizations that let readers explore data themselves
  • Content is free to access and known for its rigorous research and creative presentation
  • Has earned industry recognition for pioneering the visual journalism format

Recommended for

  • Data visualization enthusiasts and designers looking for inspiration
  • Journalists and content creators interested in interactive storytelling
  • Curious readers who enjoy pop culture and society analyzed through data
  • Educators and students studying media, statistics, or communication
  • Anyone who appreciates thoughtful, engaging long-form digital content

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

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

The Pudding 0 videos + Add
Substack 5 videos + Add

No The Pudding videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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

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
The Pudding
Substack
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%
100% 100%
AI
0% 0%
0% 0%
CMS
100% 100%

User comments

Share your experience with using The Pudding and Substack. 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.

The Pudding no reviews yet
Substack no reviews yet

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

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Social recommendations and mentions

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

The Pudding 5 mentions
Substack 107 mentions
  • A faster way to calculate the day-of-the-week
    You should consider publishing some of your work at https://pudding.cool/ - I think it would fit in well there. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 months ago
  • How did the H1B visa become the 'Indian' visa
    Honestly in regards to data visualizations just look at others and copy them. For inspiration I heavily go to these two sites: https://pudding.cool/ https://www.datasketch.es/ One of the people behind data sketches recently came out with... - Source: Hacker News / 2 months ago
  • An SVG is all you need
    SVG has been transforming web-experiences (particularly for viz) for quite some time now, see: - https://mlu-explain.github.io/neural-networks/ - https://www.nytimes.com/spotlight/graphics - https://pudding.cool/. - Source: Hacker News / 10 months ago

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  • Ask HN: Who wants to be hired? (October 2026)
    Substack: https://substack.com/@friedkielbasa. - Source: Hacker News / 2 days ago
  • Sync any blog via API to Substack in one-click
    Name Type Required Description Cookie String Yes Substack.sid= (browser session cookie) Accept String Yes Application/json Origin String Yes Publication origin, e.g.... - Source: dev.to / 5 days ago
  • Benchmarking Qwen3.8 27B quantizations: 4-bit holds up, 1-bit collapses
    For anyone that would like to see more quantizations tested, I can highly recommend paying a few bucks for oobabooga's testing, which is published on his Substack: https://substack.com/@oobabooga. - Source: Hacker News / 25 days ago

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Alternatives to The Pudding and Substack

When comparing The Pudding and Substack, you can also consider the following products.