Software Alternatives & Startups

Substack

With Substack, anyone can start a publication that combines a personal website, blog, and email newsletter or podcast. It's quick and simple.

Substack

Substack Reviews and Details

This page is designed to help you find out whether Substack is good and if it is the right choice for you.

Screenshots and images

  • Landing page //
    2022-10-26

Features & Specs

  1. Ease of Use

    Substack offers a user-friendly interface that makes it easy for writers to publish and monetize their newsletters.

  2. Built-in Monetization

    Writers can easily charge readers for subscriptions, allowing for straightforward monetization.

  3. Direct Audience Connection

    Substack allows writers to build a direct relationship with their audience via email, which can lead to a more engaged readership.

  4. Discovery and Community

    Features like staff picks and recommendations help writers get discovered by new readers.

  5. No Upfront Costs

    Substack does not charge upfront fees; instead, it takes a percentage of subscription revenues, making it easier to start.

  6. Content Ownership

    Writers retain full ownership of their content, giving them more control over their work.

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Videos

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

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, $$$

Social recommendations and mentions

We have tracked the following product recommendations or mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you see what people think about Substack and what they use it for.
  • 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 scenarios like OSS contribution and enterprise. Thus a lot of anti-cheat tech under the covers (including invalid questions). My guess is that a lot of folks have built something in... - Source: Hacker News / 1 day 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 / 11 days ago
  • Effective Altruism Conquered the World
    Https://substack.com/@gurwinder/posts. - Source: Hacker News / 15 days ago
  • Ask HN: Who wants to be hired? (October 2026)
    Substack: https://substack.com/@friedkielbasa. - Source: Hacker News / 18 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. https://yourname.substack.com Referer String Yes Https://substack.com/ (same as get_profile_self) User-Agent String Yes Browser User-Agent string (client sends a Chrome UA by default) Content-Type String Yes Application/json. - Source: dev.to / 21 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 / about 1 month ago
  • Discovery of a new OpenAI agent message board
    Reminds me of this meme: https://substack.com/@tomasbjartur/note/c-323840878?r=6cjtqn. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 month ago
  • How accurate have Ed Zitron's AI skeptic predictions been?
    Valid criticisms of AI - safety critics who think AI can take over the world like Yud (I find this the least credible but still valid) - Bernie type of critics who think AI can cause widespread job losses - Ruxandra Teslo who thinks AI can remove meaning which I feel is the most serious one [1] What are not valid - environmental like emissions and water usage - AI is useless and it will take the economy with it... - Source: Hacker News / about 2 months ago
  • 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 / 3 months ago
  • Ask HN: What are your favorite blogs not about AI?
    Https://substack.com/@yelluwcomedy. - Source: Hacker News / 3 months 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 / 3 months ago
  • Financing the AI boom: from cash flows to debt [pdf]
    Manhattan Project: $36B, 5 years ▫ Apollo Program: $257B, 14 years ▫ Interstate Highway System: $620B, 37 years ▫ AI data centers: $930B, 6 years and still accelerating From: https://substack.com/@rubendominguez/note/c-244929068. - Source: Hacker News / 3 months 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 Mussolini‘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 / 4 months ago
  • AMA: I'm Eric Ries (The Lean Startup) & Author of New Bestseller Incorruptible
    Yes, it's much different in other countries. See https://substack.com/@doks/p-198191751. - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • Show HN: Playing with genomics foundation model tutorial/explainer article
    Hi folks, I got curious about how genomics foundation models work and wrote an article explaining how they are trained + can be used. Feel free to use the following as learning resources if you wish to jump into ML for comp bio stuff, it may help: - Code: https://github.com/dillondesilva/nt-promoter-region-classification - Article/Tutorial:... - Source: Hacker News / 5 months ago
  • CBP Directive 3340-049B: Border Search of Electronic Devices
    The vast majority of people from the developed world have no problems going through any border in the developed world. Your experience is probably representative, but that's not what we're talking about. My understanding is that de facto you have no rights at all in China. The Americans take this sort of thing very seriously, which is why it's in the news and talked about. Some guy gets imprisoned for 37... - Source: Hacker News / 5 months ago
  • GitHub – DOS 1.0: Transcription of Tim Paterson's DOS Printouts
    There was never a serious claim DOS copied CP/M code. The controversy was mostly about legality of reimplementation of the API, plus some pretty vague claims about copying the design: https://substack.com/@nemanjatrifunovic/note/p-178321556. - Source: Hacker News / 6 months ago
  • Third Editor Fired in Elsevier's Citation Cartel Crackdown
    [2] https://substack.com/@chrisbrunet/note/c-244102564. - Source: Hacker News / 6 months ago
  • US – Iran negotiations end with no deal reached
    > There's nothing Israelis want more than give up their military. Watch this and tell me that your statement still holds true. Israel has descended to the level of the worst of its enemies. There is no moral high ground left. https://substack.com/@teeashby/note/p-193468370. - Source: Hacker News / 6 months ago
  • Nasdaq's Shame
    See also https://substack.com/@georgenoble/note/c-226667679 , which should be clearer as it has an example scenario spelled out. - Source: Hacker News / 7 months ago
  • Nasdaq Proposes New "Fast Entry" Rule for the Nasdaq-100 Index
    Https://substack.com/@georgenoble/note/c-226667679?r=4repfn&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-share-action. - Source: Hacker News / 7 months ago

Summary of the public mentions of Substack

Substack has emerged as a prominent player in the domains of blogging and paid newsletters, offering unique features that cater to creators of varying experience levels. The platform’s integration of content creation and subscription-based monetization sets it apart from competitors like Medium, TinyLetter, and WordPress. Substack enables writers to generate a profit from their email newsletters through subscriber funding, offering purpose-built web and newsletter publishing tools. This model allows for a direct relationship between writers and their readers, fostering community engagement, which is increasingly appealing in the modern digital landscape.

One of the major advantages of Substack is its user-friendly interface and seamless distribution tools. These features make it a popular choice for independent creators seeking to connect directly with their audiences and transform their passion into a sustainable income stream. The platform supports various content formats, which broadens its appeal beyond just text-based content, accommodating multimedia and podcast creators as well.

In terms of monetization, Substack distinguishes itself by offering a straightforward revenue model. Writers have the option to monetize directly via paid subscriptions, with Substack taking a cut of the earnings rather than imposing a flat platform fee, a feature it shares with some similar services. This model contrasts with competitors like Medium, which compensates creators based on reader engagement on the platform.

The convenience of Substack is further underscored by its ecosystem's ability to import newsletters from other platforms like Mailchimp, facilitating an easy transition for users looking to switch services. This ease of use, paired with free starting services—such as unlimited free newsletter publication until revenue is generated—endears Substack to burgeoning creators and those averse to technical intricacies.

Despite its benefits, some skepticism exists around Substack’s competitive durability and future in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. The platform’s simplicity and reliance on subscription-based monetization have led to concerns over whether it can sustain its model as competitors potentially integrate similar features. Critics also point to the aesthetics of Substack's templates, which, while functional, do not offer a significantly superior design compared to other services.

Nevertheless, Substack has cultivated a strong brand identity and wields a respectable reputation, partly due to its active role in reviving blogging culture. The platform’s appeal is further amplified by its attempt to alleviate the algorithm-driven challenges prevalent in the digital content space. By facilitating a direct line of communication between writers and subscribers via email, Substack sidesteps many of the distribution issues encountered on platforms heavily reliant on algorithms.

Overall, Substack represents a potent option for writers intending to build a dedicated subscriber base while simplifying the technical aspects of newsletter creation and monetization. Its emphasis on direct engagement and revenue potential continues to attract a diverse range of creators, solidifying its position in the competitive landscape of blogging and content monetization platforms.

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Is Substack good? This is an informative page that will help you find out. Moreover, you can review and discuss Substack here. The primary details have not been verified within the last quarter, and they might be outdated. If you think we are missing something, please use the means on this page to comment or suggest changes. All reviews and comments are highly encouranged and appreciated as they help everyone in the community to make an informed choice. Please always be kind and objective when evaluating a product and sharing your opinion.