Terms
Many of you will know the news that Revue an online platform that focuses on building an audience through electronic newsletters as well as online publishing was shut and shut down by its main company Twitter. Revue was founded in the year 2015 before being acquired by Twitter in 2021.
On 15 December 2022, only a few days after the new Twitter chief Elon Musk had expressed desire to purchase Substack (another subscription platform), Twitter announced that they would be ending Revue. Which newsletter platform alternatives do we have left?
First, what is Substack?
Substack is a platform that has revolutionized how independent authors and journalists monetize their work through the ability to write and distribute newsletters and other written material.
Substack.com Home Page substack.com homepage (c) Substack
It is not the only one of its kind, and there are many Substack alternatives that have similar features. In this piece we'll take a closer review of some of the main competitors to Substack and then compare their features and capabilities.
We'll go into the intricacies of various tools for newsletters in order to decide which one best suits your personal requirements. We'll also include the pricing of each platform.
Pricing model for Substack
It's free to post your content on Substack, no matter the number of subscribers you've got. When you enable paid subscriptions and start charging your audience, Substack takes a 10 percent fee for each purchase and their processing platform Stripe is charged 2.9% + 30C/ each transaction.
Ghost - great for blogging
A alternative that is similar to Substack is Ghost, an open-source blogging platform. Ghost is similar to Substack by allowing users to publish and create articles, however it has other features Substack lacks that may provide a compelling alternative for more established independent bloggers or smaller publications.
The ghost.org home page (c) Ghost
One of the major distinctions between Ghost and Substack is the amount of control the users enjoy on their content. Ghost allows users to carry out more of the heavy lifting when it comes to customization by offering customized templates and themes to modify the appearance and style of their publications, while Substack is more restricted in its set of options. Ghost provides multi-author support, which allows multiple users to be able to make contributions to a single blog or website, making Ghost a great choice for teams.
Ghost's pricing model
Ghost cost starts at just $11/month and $108/year for the Starter plan. It includes one staff user, free Ghost websites themes, integrated integrations that are standard, as well as up to 500 users. There are three different tiers starting at the creator plan, which costs 25 dollars per month for 1,000 members and extra functionality such as customization of integrations.
Medium is perfect for publishing in a community
Medium is another website with features that are similar to Substack. Medium is a writing and blogging platform that allows users to publish stories and boasts a vast audience of writers and readers. Medium is well-known for its clear, user-friendly interface, as well as its focus on quality content. It encourages readers to discover stories, thinking, and expertise on any topic.
The medium.com homepage (c) medium.com
Medium is a great platform for journalists and writers seeking to connect with an active audience, and so can easily be considered one of Substack's most popular competitors since it's got a readership built into the platform - but the readership is focussed online or on the app and not on the form of email newsletters. The membership as well as paywall features allow writers to make money from their work.
Medium's pricing system
There is no charge for publishing on Medium regardless of how many members or subscribers you may have. Medium makes its money by charging users to read your stories and other people's stories, at $5/month or $50/year.
Indeed, members of the Medium Partner Program can earn money by referring others. The successful referrals earn you 50% of the membership fee of a new member for the duration of time they're as a paid member, less the usual 2.9 percentage plus $0.30 for processing fees. So, if you got 100 readers to enroll in a monthly Medium membership, you'd get $227 per month.
ConvertKit - great for automation
ConvertKit is an automation and email marketing platform specifically designed for bloggers as well as journalists, podcasters and bloggers. It's designed to help people build an email list, automate email sequences, and create segments for audiences to be specifically targeted marketing. ConvertKit includes features like the opt-in form, landing page, as well as email communications, similar to other Substack rivals.
It's IXT1XhZ5oqe1jmreB The converkit.com homepage (c) ConvertKit
One of the major goals of Convertkit is to automate the process of contacting new potential subscribers and nurturing the process of turning them into clients. Additionally, it has an automation builder that permits users to build complicated automation flow without programming. It also includes tools for managing affiliate relationships as well as providing exclusive content to customers who pay.
The pricing model used by ConvertKit
New creators can take advantage of the free service. ConvertKit can be used for free, with as many as 300 customers. For those with a growing audience, ConvertKit costs from $15/month or $108/year, again for up to 300 customers, however, it also comes with access to email sequencesas well as automation builders and third-party integrations as well as an additional team members.
MailChimp - great for email
It is an email-marketing tool that allows companies and other organizations to design and distribute email campaigns to (often massive) audiences. Mailchimp allows you to build custom templates for email as well as segment and focus your audience, track the performance of your campaigns, and also integrate with various other applications and tools for a replica of the performance of a Substack competitor.
The
home page. The mailchimp.com home page (c) Mailchimp
Through Mailchimp You get statistics and trackers to help you understand the performance of your marketing campaigns and take data-driven decision making. The company is less focused on publishing , and is more focused on emails that are CRM-related or for e-commerce, therefore, it offers integrations with website builders, e-commerce platforms and other software that help with the process of creating and sending out email messages.
The pricing model of MailChimp
Mailchimp provides a no-cost planthat allows users to use most of the fundamental features up to 2,500 emails sent to up to 500 people with basic reporting. Plans that are paid for to have bigger lists and advanced features begin at $20 per month for up to 6000 emails sent for up to 500 recipients.
Patreon is great for creators.
Patreon allows independent creators such as writers and musicians to gain financial assistance by their supporters, which helps fund their work and continue creating new content. Creators set up a page in the Patreon platform. Their patrons, also known as "patrons," can choose to give them regularly scheduled monetary contributions. In return, patrons receive unique content or other rewards.
The patreon.com home page (c) Patreon
Patreon is a subscription model, so patrons are charged a set amount on a recurring basis (usually each month). Creators can choose to offer various levels of support, with distinct rewards for every level. This means that customers can contribute a little or a lot in accordance with their budget and the degree of engagement they're seeking. The independent creator is able to create content and not having to rely on the traditional gatekeepers or advertisers.
The pricing model of Patreon
Patreon Lite costs 5% of the monthly income that you make on Patreon and payment processing fees,and offers the creator's page, social media tools and the ability to attend Patreon workshops. Its Patreon Pro plan takes 8% of the monthly income you earn plus payment processing and provides other membership levels, as well as analytics and insights and a tool to run campaigns.
SendFox - great for campaigns
Sendfox is a program in software which lets users create email marketing campaigns, track, and send emails for marketing. It provides a range of options, including templates for emails and automation as well as segmentation, segmentation and analytics. Sendfox is designed to suit businesses regardless of size and be used to promote products and services, grow the customer relationship, and improve conversions.
The 0yeAR0hSBm3pjHsWmX The sendfox.com home page (c) SendFox
There's a trial version of SendFox which allows sending newsletters to 1000 contacts with the SendFox brand and without automations. The Lifetime Plan costs just one payment of $49 (not ongoing) and provides as many as 5000 members, reduced SendFox branding and unlimited automations. It could be the most affordable of the Substack rivals.
SendFox's pricing model
The Sendfox free plan permits unlimited sending to up to 1,000 members but messages are branded with SendFox branding. Its Lifetime Plan costs just $49 for one payment it's currently reduced from $480 - and allows the possibility of 5,000 members as well as enhanced deliverability.
- great for membership
We'd be remiss not to mention us! This software for managing memberships lets creators manage membership programmes with customized price levels and access levels in order to monetize their content. It is ideal for online course (eCourse) creators or podcast hosts as well as other content creators who want to grow their audience.
The .com home page
In particular, we recommend Particularly relevant is our Posts feature, which is a replica of Substack's 'combined email and online strategy! lets you publish exclusive members-only content via newsletter as well as a -hosted website. It is possible to add text or images, select the members you want are to be targeted, and then either publish the post or schedule it for the future. Check out our help documentation to find out more details.
Pricing model for's
Our Starter plan is completely free, with an additional 10% cost for transactions. There are two membership plans that allow unlimited members, and website-only integrations. If you want to use Posts, our Posts service, you'll require the Pro plan which costs $25/month (or you can choose the premium option at $100 per month), but the transaction cost is reduced to 4.9%. It also grants unlimited membership and plans along with all integrations along with upgrades like selling private podcasts.
Conclusion
This is a fantastic option to anyone seeking Substack competition: there's a plethora of platfroms that let you create and distribute email newsletters to an audience, and generate revenue from the process.
Whether you're more interested in a platfrom that focuses on email, or community publishing or membership, or another, will depend on the type of content that you'd like to create, as well as factors such as the frequency of publication and the desired degree of personalization.
Hope this will help to make publishing more enjoyable!