{"id":113247,"date":"2026-11-04T13:03:28","date_gmt":"2026-11-04T13:03:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailrelay.com\/glossary\/substack\/"},"modified":"2026-11-04T13:03:31","modified_gmt":"2026-11-04T13:03:31","slug":"substack","status":"publish","type":"glossary","link":"https:\/\/mailrelay.com\/en\/glossary\/substack\/","title":{"rendered":"Substack"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Substack is a platform for publishing a newsletter<\/a> and charging for it: each post is sent by email to your subscribers and published on a website of its own.<\/p>\n\n

Here’s how it works, how much it costs, its pros and limits, and when an email marketing tool suits you better.<\/p>\n\n

What is Substack?<\/h2>\n\n

It’s a mix of blog, newsletter and social network built for writers, journalists and creators who make a living from content marketing<\/a>. It was founded in 2017 in San Francisco by Chris Best, Hamish McKenzie and Jairaj Sethi.<\/p>\n\n

Its pitch is simple: you write, your readers subscribe for free or pay, and the platform takes care of sending, payments and the website. In March 2025 it announced five million paid subscriptions.<\/p>\n\n

Over the years it has added podcasts, video, live streams, a subscriber chat and Notes, a feed of short posts similar to a social network.<\/p>\n\n

How does Substack work?<\/h2>\n\n

Starting a publication takes a few minutes:<\/p>\n\n

    \n
  1. You create an account and give your publication a name.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. You write in its editor and publish: the post goes out by email and stays on your Substack site.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Your readers subscribe from the website, the app or other writers’ recommendations.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. If you want to charge, you connect Stripe and decide which posts are for paid subscribers only.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n
    \"How<\/figure>\n\n

    The difference from a blog is distribution. Your posts land in your readers’ inbox<\/a>, and the platform recommends you inside its app to readers who don’t know you yet.<\/p>\n\n

    \n

    Is your newsletter for your business?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    With Mailrelay you send from your own domain, with your own design, automations and stats for every link. Free account with up to 80,000 emails a month, no commissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
    Create a free account<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

    How much does Substack cost?<\/h2>\n\n

    Publishing is free, however many subscribers<\/a> you have. The platform only makes money if you charge.<\/p>\n\n

    Item<\/th>What you pay<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
    Free newsletter<\/td>Nothing<\/td><\/tr>
    Paid subscriptions<\/td>A commission on what you charge<\/td><\/tr>
    Card payments<\/td>Stripe fees, on top<\/td><\/tr>
    Custom domain<\/td>A one-time fee, optional<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n

    If your newsletter is free, you pay nothing. If you charge, the more you earn, the more you pay. Check the current terms in Substack’s help center.<\/p>\n\n

    Pros and cons of Substack<\/h2>\n\n
    Pros<\/th>Cons<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
    Getting started is free and quick<\/td>Little room for design: all publications look alike<\/td><\/tr>
    Built-in payments with Stripe<\/td>The commission grows with your revenue<\/td><\/tr>
    Recommendation network and app to help you grow<\/td>No automations or email sequences<\/td><\/tr>
    Website, podcast and video in one place<\/td>Very basic segmentation<\/a> and stats<\/td><\/tr>
    Chat and comments that boost engagement<\/a><\/td>Your readers live on a platform you don’t control<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n

    For a writer who wants to monetize their writing<\/a>, it’s a good fit. For a business that wants to sell, it falls short.<\/p>\n\n

    Substack or an email marketing tool<\/h2>\n\n

    Substack is designed for you to subscribe to a person. An email marketing<\/a> tool is designed for a company to talk to its customers.<\/p>\n\n

    If you want to\u2026<\/th>Go with<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
    Write and charge for your writing<\/td>Substack<\/td><\/tr>
    Get discovered by other readers<\/td>Substack<\/td><\/tr>
    Send your business’s promotions and newsletters<\/td>Email marketing tool<\/td><\/tr>
    Automate welcome, abandoned cart or birthday emails<\/td>Email marketing tool<\/td><\/tr>
    Design your emails with your brand<\/td>Email marketing tool<\/td><\/tr>
    Send from your own domain and control your list<\/td>Email marketing tool<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n

    With a tool you get templates<\/a>, automations<\/a>, segments, A\/B testing<\/a> and the CTR<\/a> of every link. And you send from your sending domain<\/a>, not the platform’s.<\/p>\n\n

    How do you move from Substack to Mailrelay?<\/h2>\n\n

    Your mailing list<\/a> is yours and you can take it with you:<\/p>\n\n

      \n
    1. In your publication’s settings, create an export.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. Download your subscribers’ CSV.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. In Mailrelay, import the contacts<\/a> into a new group.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    4. Set up your domain and create a subscription form<\/a> to keep gaining readers.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n
      \"Substack<\/figure>\n\n

      Keep one thing in mind: Mailrelay doesn’t handle paid subscriptions. If you charge your readers, you’ll need to keep payments on another platform or on your website.<\/p>\n\n

      Other Substack alternatives<\/h2>\n\n