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Top 8 Substack Alternatives for Creating Paid Newsletters
8 Best Substack Alternatives to Create Paid Newsletters
salmasyed
salmasyed
9 min read
·
Feb 5
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Are you looking for the best Substack alternatives to make money from email signups?
With over a million active users, Substack has become one of the most popular email newsletter platforms on the market. It has a user-friendly interface so even beginners can create free and paid newsletters with just a few clicks.
However, there are some limitations on this platform that make users want to look for other newsletter services.
In this post, we will explain these limitations and also look at the best Substack alternatives to monetize your content.
Why do you need a substack alternative?
Substack is a fairly new newsletter building platform that was founded in 2018. It has gained popularity in a short time due to its simplicity and the ability to sell content online.
substack
With Substack, you can send out paid newsletters and even create blog posts with your Substack domain. This platform is specially designed for writers, content creators, and bloggers.
That being said, Substack is not the best newsletter platform for everyone. If you explore its features in detail, you will find some downsides, such as fewer customization options to style and design your posts.
Also, it allows you to send newsletters for free, but when you start monetizing them, it takes 10% of your income. You will also need to pay the transaction fee for your Stripe payments. This may not be profitable in the long run.
Having an interactive community is important for writers and companies that create content online. But Substack focuses more on creating content and subscriptions than building communities.
Also, there are a few more things that make users opt for Substack’s competitors. Lack of built-in analytics and integration with third-party apps are some of them.
That is why we have curated a list of the best Substack alternatives that you can use to create paid newsletters.
So let’s dive in!
Best Substack Alternatives
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
- Ghost
ghost
Ghost is an open source platform that writers and media creators can use to build a website and publish their content. It also allows you to get paid subscriptions with members-only option so that you can earn income from your newsletters.
Ghost is self-hosted, which means you can download and install it on your web hosting service. This gives you full control over designing your website, publishing content, and creating membership services to your liking.
With Ghost, it’s easy to track and manage your earnings. This is because it does not offer many monetization options except for the recurring subscription fee.
For those users who are not into the technical side, it offers a simpler paid service called Ghost Pro. This is a great Substack alternative that handles hosting and other aspects of your website. So all you have to do is sign up and create your newsletters.
Reflexes:
Unlimited email newsletter creation
Custom email address and layout options
fully customizable
Integration with more than 1000 third-party applications
Multiple payment options with Stripe, PayPal and more
Developer Friendly
Ghost vs Substack
The main reason to choose Ghost over Substack is that it doesn’t charge you any transaction fees or keep your revenue. But it is a paid service that costs you $9 per month. As you grow, this platform becomes more beneficial to your business.
Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash
2.MemberPress
MemberPress is the best membership plugin for WordPress sites. If you are a WordPress user, you can use this plugin to create a fully functional membership site without any coding knowledge.
With MemberPress, you can set up multiple membership levels and set up subscription fees. It allows you to restrict your content behind a paywall so that you can earn a stable and consistent income.
You can even send newsletters to your paying members to update them on new content and send them direct links. Additionally, the plugin allows you to connect email marketing services like Constant Contact, AWeber, and more so you can grow your email list.
To accept payments, MemberPress allows you to integrate with major payment gateways like Stripe, PayPal, and Authorize. You get options to set up one-time and recurring payments for your plans
subscription.
Reflexes:
Unlimited subscription levels
Restriction rules to give access to paying members
Content drip feature to post content at different intervals
Generation and management of coupons.
Integrated analytics and statistics
Dynamic Pricing Page Templates
MemberPress vs substack
Any type of user or company can use MemberPress to sell their content online. One of the main reasons to choose this plugin over Substack is that it integrates with bbPress so you can easily build a strong online community.
Another benefit of using MemberPress is that it does not take any commission on your earnings. There are no additional fees as well.
Photo by Nick Morrison on Unsplash
3.ConvertKit
ConvertKit website
ConvertKit is one of the best email marketing services that allows you to create free and paid newsletters with ease. It’s also a solid alternative to Substack as it focuses on creators and how to help them sell content.
This hosted platform comes with a suite of marketing, automation, and commerce tools that will make it easy for you to grow your audience. It allows you to segment your list and send personalized emails to different subscribers.
With Convertkit’s visual automation builder, you can schedule your newsletters and automate your email funnels for a better user experience.
Reflexes:
Easy to use and intuitive email editor
Powerful subscriber segmentation and targeting options
Integration with many marketing applications.
Options for payment methods like Stripe and PayPal
Email and Sales Funnel Builder
integrated reports
Automation rules to trigger emails
ConvertKit vs. substack
While Substack allows you to publish posts and send newsletters, ConvertKit only allows you to create premium newsletters. It is more of an email marketing tool that offers a wide range of features for creating emails and building your email list.
One of the advantages of ConvertKit is that it gives you more customization options with pre-built templates for newsletters, signup forms, landing pages, and more.
If you start with their free plan, you will only be charged a 3.5% + 30c transaction fee for selling subscriptions.
- Patreon
Patreon substack alternative
Patreon is a membership-based content platform where creators can set up subscriptions and get paid for their content. It allows you to create different subscription levels that include bonuses.
When subscribers sign up for these subscriptions, you can offer bonuses like a newsletter, premium video content, and more. You can charge subscribers every month or every time you post new content.
So Patreon gives you the freedom to manage your subscriptions and how you want to get paid. Plus, you’ll get access to various business tools to experiment with your content.
Reflexes:
Easy transfer of funds with PayPal or bank connection
Workshops and guides to help creators grow their brand
Multiple subscription levels
Option to sell music, videos, newsletters and more
Patreon vs substack
Patreon is a perfect platform for all types of creators, such as bloggers, artists, YouTubers, and more. Whereas Substack is primarily designed for writers.
One of the disadvantages of Patreon is that it has a lot of hidden costs and also takes commission from your earnings. You also have no options to boost your SEO ranking, so it’s hard to get organic traffic to your page.
5.WPForms
WPForms is next on our list of the best Substack alternatives as it offers an easy way to create paid newsletters on your site.
WPForms is a powerful WordPress form builder plugin that allows you to create all kinds of forms for your site, including a newsletter signup form. You can have users register and make payments right in your WordPress forms.
To send paid newsletters to your subscribers, WPForms allows you to set up push email notifications. Here you can add your content or a download link to your content. And these emails are sent to subscribers after they add their payment details and submit the form on your site.
With WPForms, you can add multiple payment options since not all users use the same payment provider. The plugin integrates with different payment gateways like PayPal, Stripe, Square, and Authorize.net.
Plus, it lets you connect with popular email marketing services like Constant Contact, AWeber, and Drip. so i can
segment your email list and send autoresponder emails and drip campaigns to your subscribers.
Reflexes:
Easy drag and drop builder
Pre-built registration templates
Integrated entrance management system.
Easy integration with payment services
No hidden costs or fees
customization options
Currency and payment settings
WPForms vs substack
WPForms is a useful tool that allows you to create newsletters and accept payments on your WordPress site. It does not offer writing and blogging options like Substack.
With that being said, WPForms is more cost-effective as it takes no transaction fees or additional fees from your earnings. So you can sell your content without problems.
6.Medium
Medium is a popular blogging platform that you can use to publish your content, gain a following, and earn income. It allows you to publish blogs, guides and other content on the platform.
Like Substack, it’s perfect for writers who want to make money from their content. The problem is that you will need to have at least 100 followers to monetize your posts.
Along with posts and blogs, Medium allows you to send personalized newsletters to your subscribers with its new newsletter feature. You can use this to send subscribers links to your recent posts.
Reflexes:
Easy to set up and use
Unlimited publications and newsletters
Threaded comments section
Monetization option at no cost
Medium vs Substack
The best thing about Medium is that it is completely free. You can publish posts and send newsletters without any additional charge or fee.
Compared to other platforms on this list, Medium does not offer many monetization options for authors. They get paid based on the total time spent reading their posts.
One of the other drawbacks of Medium is that you can suspend your account at any time if you violate any rules and conditions.
- Revue
best alternative magazine substack
Another Substack alternative is Revue. It is a free newsletter platform that is now acquired by Twitter. This allows you to reach new users and get promotions on the social networking site.
Revue has a simple interface that anyone can learn to use in no time. You will also get access to their powerful newsletter editor that allows you to freely customize and create content. You can even add your custom branding at no additional cost.
It also offers scheduling options so you can send your newsletter at any time depending on your requirements. To accept payments, you’ll need to connect to your Stripe account.
Reflexes:
Options to set the currency for your payments
Configuring monthly subscription fees
Generate Member Coupons
Analytics to see open and click rates
Integrations with Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and more
Journal vs Substack
When it comes to creating newsletters and customizing your own domain, Revue has the upper hand. It is also cheaper compared to Substack as it only takes 5% of your profit.
8.Buttondown
button substack alternative
If you want a simple alternative to Substack, check out Buttondown. It is a lightweight newsletter tool that allows you to create multiple newsletters without any hassle.
Buttondown offers a minimalist interface with editing and review tools that help you create optimized content. You can correct spelling, typos, missing links, and more. Therefore, it is the perfect platform for writers and beginners.
Reflexes:
friendly interface
built-in editorial assistant
Subscription widget for users to sign up
API support for professional plans
Options to migrate newsletter from other platforms
Buttondown vs substack
The advantage Buttondown has over Substack is that it doesn’t charge a dime for your transactions. So everything you earn goes straight to your pocket.
But it lacks the community-building feature that is important for creators and writers.
That’s our list of the best alternatives to Substack. If you are still wondering which one to choose, here are our recommendations.