Kit vs Substack (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Substack grades higher than Kit: 3.2 against 2.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Nov 9, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 9, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Kit grades higher on features. Substack grades higher on value for money and ease of use. They get the same grade on the free plan and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Substack
Newsletter, podcast and video publishing with paid subscriptions
Which one is for you
Pick Kit if
- Fits if you're a writer, podcaster or musician building a list and not ready to pay yet
- Works for big lists that only ever get broadcasts, or for selling an ebook or paid newsletter to subscribers
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you need a welcome series on the free plan, as automations start at $33 a month
- Pricey if you sell a lot, since every sale costs 3.5% plus 30 cents
- Tight if two of you share the free account, which allows 1 user and keeps Kit branding
- Watch out: earnings from Paid Recommendations carry a 23.5% Kit fee
- Watch out: Pro's $50 first-year offer ends November 30, 2026, then it renews at $790 a year for 1,000 subscribers
Pick Substack if
- Fits if you want to start writing for free and let readers find you in the network
- Works for writers who plan to charge, as no monthly fee applies
Look elsewhere if
- Watch out: Substack keeps 10% of paid-subscription revenue, on top of card fees
- Skip it if you want drip sequences or segmentation, which the pages read do not describe
- Not for you if you want a custom site or heavy design control
- Watch out: there are no paid plans, so features and limits are the same for every publication
- Skip it if you want a desktop app, as only web and phone apps are listed
How we grade them
| 2.6GPAKitGood | 3.2GPASubstackVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DCreator is $33 a month for 1,000 subscribers on yearly billing, or $39 monthly, about two and a half times the middle of this category, and it's the plan you need for automations and sequences. Pro is $66, or $50 for the first year if you sign up by November 30, 2026. | AFree to start with no tiers, and no cost until you charge subscribers. Then Substack keeps 10% of paid-subscription revenue, and card fees come out of your share too. |
| Free plan and trial | AUp to 10,000 subscribers, unlimited broadcasts, landing pages and forms, and sales of digital products and paid newsletters, all free. That's more subscribers than any other free plan here. What's missing is automations and sequences, and it's 1 user with Kit branding. | AFree outright, with no paid plans or tiers listed and the same features for every publication. |
| Features | BVisual automations, sequences, landing pages, a newsletter site, tags, segments, paid newsletters, products and a recommendation network. It covers a creator's whole email job. Each sale costs 3.5% plus 30 cents, and Paid Recommendations carry a 23.5% fee. | CPaid subscriptions, newsletter, podcast and video, a reader network and subscriber chats. The pages read describe no drip sequences or list segmentation. |
| Ease of use | CNo App Store rating on record. It's a web app where you build the forms, pages and automations yourself, so expect some setting up before it runs on its own. | BNo rating on record, but nothing to set up: sign up, write and publish. Apps are listed for iPhone and Android. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb only, with Shopify, Wix, Fourthwall, Facebook and SparkLoop, 100+ apps on Creator, and an API. No desktop or phone app is listed. | BWeb, iPhone and Android, with no desktop app and no integration list on the pages read. |
| Best for | creators building a list before they pay | writers who want to start a paid newsletter free |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Kit and Substack. How we grade
Price against what you get
Kit starts at $33 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Substack has no paid plan and scores 2.7.
They score the same, and Substack starts $33 a month lower. Of the other email marketing and newsletter tools on the chart, 3 score higher than Kit for less, and none scores higher than Substack for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Kit also covers marketing automation and forms.
- Substack also covers community.
At a glance
| Kit | Substack | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $33 per month for up to 1,000 subscribers, billed yearly ($39 monthly) | Free |
| Free plan | Up to 10,000 subscribers, 1 user, unlimited landing pages, forms and broadcasts, tagging and segments, and sales of digital products. No automations. | Free to start, with no platform fees or tiers; Substack keeps 10% of paid-subscription revenue. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of Creator or Pro, no credit card required | None listed |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Kit | Substack Inc. |
| Price read from | kit.com | substack.com |
| Checked | Nov 9, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Kit
- The Free plan has no automations or email sequences, allows 1 user and keeps Kit branding.
- Product and subscription sales cost 3.5% plus 30 cents each on every plan, card processing included.
- Earnings from Paid Recommendations carry a 23.5% Kit fee.
- The Pro first-year discount ends November 30, 2026; the plan then renews at $790 a year for 1,000 subscribers.
Substack
- Substack keeps 10% of paid-subscription revenue, and credit card processing fees come out of the writer's share as well.
- There are no paid plans or add-on tiers listed, so features and limits are the same for every publication.
- It is a publishing platform rather than a marketing-automation tool; the pages read do not describe drip sequences or list segmentation workflows.
Key features
Kit
- Visual automations and sequences
- Creator and Pro include unlimited visual automations and email sequences for welcome series, launches and nurture campaigns. The Free plan has neither.
- Landing pages, forms and newsletter site
- Unlimited landing pages and opt-in forms, a newsletter feed and website, and automatic delivery of opt-in freebies on every plan.
- Commerce
- Sell digital products, paid newsletters, recurring subscriptions and tips on any plan, for 3.5% plus 30 cents per sale including card processing.
- Recommendations and sponsorships
- Free creator-to-creator recommendations on every plan. Paid recommendations (Kit keeps 23.5%) and newsletter sponsorships start at Creator.
- Tags, segments and conditional content
- Tag subscribers by entry point or interest, group tags into segments, and use Liquid to show different content to different subscribers.
- Pro audience analytics
- Pro adds engagement scoring, Subscriber Signals audience research, deliverability reporting, an insights dashboard and a SparkLoop referral program.
Substack
- Paid subscriptions
- Writers choose which posts are free and which are for paid subscribers only, and Substack handles the sign-up and payment side.
- Newsletter, podcast and video
- A publication can carry written posts, podcasts and video shows, with live video available for creators who want it.
- Built-in reader network
- Substack publishes a reader app and a discovery network, and says more than half of new subscribers arrive through that network.
- Subscriber chats and community
- The app includes discussions and chats hosted by writers, so subscribers can talk with the writer and each other.
- Own your list
- Substack states that writers own their content and their subscriber list, and that the platform is free to leave.
Plans
Kit
Free$0
Up to 10,000 subscribers, 1 user, unlimited landing pages, forms and broadcasts. No automations or sequences; Kit branding stays.
Creator$33
per month for up to 1,000 subscribers, billed yearly ($39 monthly)
2 users, unlimited visual automations and sequences, no Kit branding, SMS, RSS campaigns and 100+ apps. $1,390 a year at 10,000 subscribers.
Pro$66
per month for up to 1,000 subscribers, billed yearly ($79 monthly)
Unlimited users, engagement scoring, Subscriber Signals, deliverability reports. First year $50 a month under an offer ending Nov 30, 2026. $1,890 a year at 10,000.
Substack
Substack$0
Free to start with no tiers or contracts. Writers keep 90% of paid-subscription revenue, minus credit card fees.
Ways to pay less
Kit
- Annual discount
Save 17% with yearly billing
Yearly billing costs the same as 10 months: Creator at 1,000 subscribers is $390 a year instead of $468 paid monthly, and Pro is $790 instead of $948.
- Other savings
25% off the first year of annual Pro
Annual Pro is 25% off its first year for lists up to 75,000 ($593 at 1,000 subscribers) and 10% off up to 500,000. Ends November 30, 2026; renews at the standard rate.
Substack
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Kit or Substack?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Substack is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $33 a month for Kit. Kit starts at $33 per month for up to 1,000 subscribers, billed yearly ($39 monthly), and Substack is free.
Which has a free plan, Kit or Substack?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both Kit and Substack have a free plan.
Which platforms do Kit and Substack run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Substack lists iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.