# Substack review (2026): is it any good? > Newsletter, podcast and video publishing with paid subscriptions Checked Nov 12, 2026 ยท graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA. Substack is a publishing platform where writers and creators run a newsletter, podcast or video show and can charge readers for paid subscriptions. It costs nothing to start; the company takes a share of paid-subscription revenue instead of a monthly fee. Posts also appear in Substack's own app and network, which the company says brings in more than half of new subscribers. - **Category:** Email Marketing & Newsletters - **Made by:** Substack Inc. - **Website:** https://substack.com - **Runs on:** Web, iOS, Android - **Who should skip it:** Watch out: Substack keeps 10% of paid-subscription revenue, on top of card fees. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 12, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 12, 2026, Substack is free to use. - **Pricing model:** Free - **Free plan:** Free to start, with no platform fees or tiers; Substack keeps 10% of paid-subscription revenue. - **Free trial:** None listed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | Substack | $0 | Free to start with no tiers or contracts. Writers keep 90% of paid-subscription revenue, minus credit card fees. | Read from https://substack.com/about on Nov 12, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Substack before buying. ## Key features - **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. ## Good for - Writers who want to start a paid newsletter with no upfront cost - Creators publishing text, podcasts and video in one place - Writers who value built-in discovery over full design control ## Worth knowing - 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. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 3.2 out of 4**, graded Nov 12, 2026. Substack lets you publish a newsletter, podcast or video with no upfront fee and takes 10% of paid-subscription income. It has apps for iPhone and Android as well as the web. It is a publishing platform, not an automation tool: the pages read describe no drip sequences or segmentation. - **Value for money: A.** Free 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: A.** Free outright, with no paid plans or tiers listed and the same features for every publication. - **Features: C.** Paid subscriptions, newsletter, podcast and video, a reader network and subscriber chats. The pages read describe no drip sequences or list segmentation. - **Ease of use: B.** No rating on record, but nothing to set up: sign up, write and publish. Apps are listed for iPhone and Android. - **Platforms and integrations: B.** Web, iPhone and Android, with no desktop app and no integration list on the pages read. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Substack's own pages on 12 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among email marketing and newsletter tools - Substack's GPA of 3.2 is higher than 57 of the 57 other email marketing and newsletter tools we grade. - It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 56 of 57) and worst on features (C, above 3). - Substack has no paid plan. - On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4, and no tool on the category's chart scores higher without costing more. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/email-marketing ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** Substack is free, so making your own would save you nothing. And it is not the kind of software a weekend replaces. It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 3.2 is higher than 57 of the 57 other email marketing and newsletter tools we grade. - You could make: Paid newsletters: an app builder makes this well. - You could not: Newsletters sent to thousands of people that still reach the inbox. - You could not: A members' space with posts, chat and events that people keep coming back to. - You could not: A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. **Tags:** Paid newsletters, Email campaigns, Community ## Alternatives - [beehiiv](https://toolgpa.com/tools/beehiiv): Newsletter platform with paid subscriptions, ads, website and podcast. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/beehiiv-vs-substack) - [Ghost](https://toolgpa.com/tools/ghost): Open source publishing with newsletters and paid memberships. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/ghost-vs-substack) - [Kit](https://toolgpa.com/tools/kit): Email marketing and paid newsletters for creators. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/kit-vs-substack) - [Buttondown](https://toolgpa.com/tools/buttondown): Newsletter software priced by active subscribers, with add-ons. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/buttondown-vs-substack) - [MailerLite](https://toolgpa.com/tools/mailerlite): Email newsletters, automations, sites and paid subscriptions. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/mailerlite-vs-substack) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 12, 2026: - https://substack.com - https://substack.com/about - https://substack.com/going-paid - https://substack.com/app Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/substack Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).