Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Wise VS Substack

Compare Wise VS Substack and see what are their differences

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Wise logo Wise

Currency exchange Banks and other providers could charge you up to 5% in hidden costs when sending ...

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.
  • Wise Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-02
  • Substack Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-10-26

Wise features and specs

  • Low Fees
    Wise offers competitive and transparent fees compared to traditional banks and many other money transfer services.
  • Real Exchange Rates
    Wise uses the mid-market exchange rate, meaning users get the real exchange rate without any hidden markups.
  • Fast Transfers
    Many transfers through Wise are processed quickly, often within a few hours or a day, depending on the destination country and payment method.
  • Multi-Currency Accounts
    Users can hold and manage money in multiple currencies with Wise's Borderless Account, making it easier for those who deal with international payments regularly.
  • Transparent Pricing
    Wise is upfront about their fees and the total cost of a transfer, so users know exactly how much they'll pay and how much the recipient will receive.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    Wise offers a clean and intuitive application and web interface, making it easy for users to navigate and complete transactions.

Possible disadvantages of Wise

  • Limited Customer Support
    Wise's customer support is primarily online, and some users report difficulties in reaching live assistance or having slow response times.
  • Transfer Limits
    There are limits on how much money can be transferred in a single transaction or over a period of time, which might be restrictive for some users.
  • Lack of Physical Locations
    Unlike traditional banks, Wise doesn't have physical branches, which can be an inconvenience for those who prefer in-person banking services.
  • Verification Process
    New users or those making large transfers may have to go through a lengthy verification process, which can delay the initial transaction.
  • Not Available in All Countries
    Wise does not operate in every country, limiting its accessibility for some users looking to send or receive international payments.
  • Occasional Delays
    While generally fast, some transfers may experience delays due to various factors, such as banking hours, holiday schedules, or compliance checks.

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.

Analysis of Wise

Overall verdict

  • Overall, Wise is highly regarded as one of the top options for international money transfers. It is praised for its transparency, cost-effectiveness, and ease of use, making it a preferred choice for many users.

Why this product is good

  • Wise is considered a reliable and efficient service for international money transfers due to its transparent fee structure and competitive exchange rates. The platform uses a mid-market exchange rate with no hidden fees, making it a popular choice for individuals and businesses looking to transfer money across borders. Additionally, Wise is known for its user-friendly interface and fast transfer speeds.

Recommended for

  • Individuals needing to send money abroad frequently.
  • Expats living in foreign countries who need to transfer money to home accounts.
  • Freelancers and remote workers receiving payments from international clients.
  • Businesses conducting international transactions.

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

Wise videos

TransferWise Review - 3 Must Knows (2020)

More videos:

  • Review - TransferWise in detail
  • Review - Transferwise Review

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

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Wise and Substack)
Online Payments
100 100%
0% 0
Blogging
0 0%
100% 100
Money Transfer
100 100%
0% 0
CMS
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 Wise and Substack

Wise Reviews

The 8 Best Payment Processing Systems
Wise is a payments system specifically geared at cross-border payments. You can benefit from transparent pricing and its broad reach. It does focus on international payments, so if you're looking for recurring payments or integration capabilities, other options could be a good bet.
Source: gocardless.com
6 Cheaper Payoneer Alternatives for Your Online Transcations
Wise is a well-known alternative to traditional banking and offers competitive rates for international money transfers. It operates on a peer-to-peer system, ensuring low fees by matching individuals who want to exchange currency in different countries.
Top 5 Payoneer Alternatives [2024]
Wise offers fast, convenient transfers with transparent fees based on mid-market exchange rates, as well as a multi-currency account for both individual and business customers. While Wise offers several tools for business customers, such as expense cards, it is not as extensive as those offered by Payoneer. On the other hand, Payoneerโ€™s fee structure is only transparent on...
Source: www.exiap.com
Top 5 Payoneer Alternatives for Seamless Online Transactions
Both offer global transactions, but Wise shines with competitive exchange rates and transparent fees, while Payoneer focuses on receiving payments with features like virtual cards. Choose Wise for cost-effectiveness, Payoneer for easy receiving.
Source: www.doola.com
Best money transfer apps of 2021
TransferWise does also offer Business pricing, which adds in extra features that are free, including the ability to receive money in EUR, USD, GBP, PLN, AUD and NZD currencies without charge. However, this comes with a 0.33%-3.56% fee to convert currencies. The supporting TransferWise debit Mastercard comes free too, with the same currency conversion fee of 0.33%-3.56% plus...

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?

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Substack should be more popular than Wise. 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.

Wise mentions (24)

  • Which bank in vietnam have the lowest fee for overseas remittance?
    I don't think you need to be a holder of both. I put my mom on my Wells Fargo account and she sent to my account. There is also https://wise.com/us/ . This one I have used to send to someones account in Vietnam. It does have slightly higher fee. But it goes straight into their account. From Wells Fargo I would have to go and get USD then exchange it to Vietnamese currency. Source: about 3 years ago
  • We are happy to welcome you to Auction 88 โ€” Coins of The World.
    They invoice in Euros (Czech Republic) so also be aware of fees on payments. I've successfully used TransferWise (https://wise.com/us/). Source: about 3 years ago
  • Recommend me a first credit card with 0 foreign tx fee
    It's not a credit card. It's just a way to convert currency w/o a fee. https://wise.com/us/. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Renting an apartment without a US Bank account?
    Get a Wise account. Open one in your local currency, and one in US currency. I was doing that for the first few months. Source: over 3 years ago
  • My New Client Is Asking Me For My Bank Info
    Iโ€™ve used Wise for bank payments from international clients before: https://wise.com/us/ that way youโ€™re not giving them your actual bank info but the process is similar on the clientโ€™s end. Source: over 3 years ago
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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 / 2 days ago
  • Ask HN: What are your favorite blogs not about AI?
    Https://substack.com/@yelluwcomedy. - Source: Hacker News / 5 days 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 / 14 days 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 / 11 days 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 / about 1 month ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Wise and Substack, you can also consider the following products

Bill.com - Your financial operations platform. The intelligent way to create and pay bills, send invoices, manage expenses, control budgets, and access the credit your business needs to growโ€”all on one platform.

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.

Zoho Invoice - 100% free online invoicing software for small businesses.

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

The Invoice Machine - The Invoice Machine is an online invoicing service with a simple and elegant user interface.

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