UserTesting.com VS Substack

• Ease of Use
  The platform is user-friendly and easy to navigate, making it simple for users to set up tests and analyze results.
• Quality of Feedback
  Provides high-quality, detailed feedback from real users, which can be instrumental in improving user experience.
• Quick Turnaround Time
  Enables rapid collection of feedback, often providing results within hours, which is ideal for iterative testing and fast-paced development cycles.
• Diverse Participant Pool
  Offers access to a broad and diverse range of participants, ensuring that feedback is representative of different demographics and user types.
• Comprehensive Analytics
  Includes robust analytics tools that help users make sense of the data collected and draw actionable insights.
• Customizable Tests
  Allows for the creation of highly customizable tests to fit specific research needs and objectives.
• Video Feedback
  Participants provide video recordings of their sessions, offering visual and contextual insights into user interactions.

Possible disadvantages

• Cost
  The platform can be expensive, making it less accessible for smaller businesses or startups with limited budgets.
• Participant Dropout
  There can be instances of participants dropping out of tests, which may require rescheduling and cause delays.
• Limited Session Duration
  Testing sessions are often limited in duration, which might not be sufficient for more comprehensive or complex tests.
• Dependency on External Participants
  The quality and reliability of the feedback are dependent on the external participant pool, which can sometimes be inconsistent.
• Learning Curve
  While the platform is generally user-friendly, there can still be a learning curve for users unfamiliar with UX research methodologies.

• 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.

Testing out UserTesting.com (LEGIT SIDE HUSTLE?!?)

Monetizing Podcasts and Newsletters - Chris Best of Substack and Jonathan Gill of Backtracks

More videos

• 10 Best Canny Alternatives and Competitors in 2025
  clickup.com · Oct 2024

  The best way to understand your users is to put yourself in their shoes. With UserTesting, see what your customers see when they use your products and dive into user feedback to build products they’ll use daily. 🎯

• 11 Hotjar alternatives and competitors in 2024
  maze.co · Jan 2024

  UserTesting is a UX research tool that allows users to gain user insights via video feedback. UX teams can use the UserTesting panel to hire testers and delegate tasks to uncover how users interact with their product.

• 10 Best Hotjar Alternatives & Competitors in 2023
  www.socialpros.co · Nov 2022

  Plus, users can not reach any visualized data on the UserTesting dashboard and this makes it rather difficult to understand what exactly is going on on a website.

View more

• 25+ Medium Alternative Platforms for Publishing Articles
  forgefusion.io · Dec 2023

  Substack offers writers of all experience levels the ability to write an email newsletter that’s profitable through subscriptions. Substack provides purpose-built web and newsletter publishing tools to enable writers...

• 10 Best Medium Alternatives for Reading and Publishing
  www.geeksforgeeks.org · Nov 2023

  What sеts Substack apart is its sеamlеss intеgration of contеnt crеation and subscription-basеd monеtization. Substack’s usеr-friеndly intеrfacе, distribution tools, and support for various contеnt formats make it a...

• 9 Best Medium Alternatives for Making Money With Your Writing in 2023
  www.authorityhacker.com · Sep 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....

View more

• Low-cost, one-off unmoderated usability testing platforms

  Lookback, Usability Hub (now called Lyssna) and Validately but have been spoiled by former employers who had the budget for usertesting.com so I'm pretty out of the loop on low-budget options. TIA! Source: almost 3 years ago

• Interview recruiting?

  I need to recruit 5-6 parents/grandparents for a study and I'm having trouble finding a company I can use (aside from usertesting.com since they tailor to large companies and I'm doing freelance work). Every company I've come across... Source: almost 3 years ago

• iOS User Testing App Won't Open

  Anyone else having problems with the iOS UserTesting App? Mine just opens and shows the logo, and stays there. I can see multiple tests available on usertesting.com, but can't open the app. I have a iPhone 13, updated to 17.1. Source: almost 3 years ago

View more

• 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 / 7 days ago

• Effective Altruism Conquered the World

  Https://substack.com/@gurwinder/posts. - Source: Hacker News / 10 days ago

• Ask HN: Who wants to be hired? (October 2026)

  Substack: https://substack.com/@friedkielbasa. - Source: Hacker News / 13 days ago

View more