Creator Tools

10 Substack Alternatives that Work for Me in 2025

written by

Victoria Kurichenko

updated on

April 15, 2025

I started writing online back in 2020.

At the time, Substack was the platform all the big-name writers and bloggers were using to grow their email lists and stay in touch with their audience.

Since I was already a top writer on Medium and had a solid SEO experience to share, I thought, “Why not give Substack a try?”

But honestly, it didn’t really work for me. The SEO capabilities were super limited, and they take a 10% cut from any paid subscriptions. So, it just wasn’t the right fit.

I started searching for other options. I tested different platforms and paid attention to what fellow content creators were saying about Substack competitors on Twitter.

No, I didn’t want to spend money on pricey courses just to learn how others use Substack. I’d already made that mistake with Medium courses before. It turns out their approach didn’t work for me at all.

Honestly, it’s frustrating how much time you have to spend researching and testing tools just to figure out what actually works.

And yes, I had to go through that whole process myself to discover the best alternatives to Substack.

In fact, I tried different newsletter platforms before finally settling on beehiiv, but more on that later.

In this article, I’ll walk you through 10 free and paid Substack alternatives I’ve personally tested, plus a few recommended by other content creators.

My top 10 Substack alternatives for content creators

Alright, let me walk you through some alternative solutions you could use instead of the Substack app.

beehiiv – Best for growing and monetizing newsletters with built-in SEO, referral programs, and ad tools.
Kit (former Convertkit) – Suitable for creators who are looking for robust email marketing automation.
MailerLite – Great for small businesses or creators looking for an affordable, easy-to-use email marketing tool.
Mighty Networks – Use it to build online communities with courses, memberships, and events under one roof.
Gumroad – Free Substack alternative for selling digital products and memberships with no monthly fees.
Medium – Suitable for writers who want built-in audience exposure.
Mailchimp – A solid email marketing tool with strong integrations for ecommerce.
Campaign Monitor – Stands out with its drag-and-drop email builder and advanced segmentation
Ghost – Ideal for independent writers and publishers who want full control over their content and membership sites.
Memberful – Great for creators who want to add memberships to an existing site.

1. beehiiv

Best for: Turning your newsletter into a website and monetizing your content
Pricing: From $49 per month
Free trial: 14 days for beehiiv Scale; you can register here

beehiiv is a newer player in the newsletter space (launched in 2021), but honestly, it’s been one of the best Substack alternatives I’ve used.

Here’s what makes it stand out:

It’s a true all-in-one platform designed for creators and businesses to build, grow, and actually make money from their content.
You get an easy and no-code website builder.
Built-in SEO tools to help your site show up on Google and perform organically.
And unlike Substack, beehiiv doesn’t take a 10% cut from your paid subscriptions.
On top of that, there are multiple ways to earn, like sponsored ads, Boosts, paid subs, and more.

Here’s what I achieved after a year on beehiiv in 2024:

Email list size: roughly 1,000 subscribers
Boosts and sponsored ad revenue: $940.32
Beehiiv Partner Program earnings: $1583.75
Monthly payment: $69

Not bad, right?

I did this while running my newsletter on the side since most of my time goes into managing my client business.

With beehiiv, you can quickly grow your email list using boosts, segment your audience, measure and improve your newsletter performance, create paid subscriptions, and more!

I was particularly impressed by the boost feature, which lets content creators pay to acquire new email subscribers. Besides, a boosts feature can be an additional income source for those eager to promote other newsletters.

Beehiiv says $2.25 is the average CPA (cost per acquisition) you can expect if you help others grow their email lists.

I’ve activated boosts for my newsletter, earning $1 to $3 for each referred subscriber.

Here is my in-depth beehiiv review if you want to learn more about the platform.

Curious about trying beehiiv but want a good deal? 🐝✨

2. Kit (Former Convertkit)

Best for: Creating powerful email automation
Pricing: From $15 per month for up to 300 subscribers
Free trial: 14 days for the Convertkit Creator plan; you can start a free trial here

A few years ago, I switched from Mailchimp to Kit (formerly ConvertKit), and I’ve never looked back. The platform is super easy to use, so instead of wasting time figuring things out, I could focus on actually getting stuff done.

As an SEO specialist, I used Kit to grow and monetize my email list. I was on the Kit Creator plan, which cost me around $30 a month. One of my favorite features was visual automation—it made it effortless to nurture my audience and sell my products on autopilot.

With Kit, you can set up email campaigns, choose who gets them and when, and automate the whole process so it runs in the background while you focus on other things.

Here’s an example of how I used automation in Kit:

One thing I really appreciate about Kit is its fair pricing for creators selling products through Kit Commerce. The transaction fee is just 3.5% + $0.30, which is much lower than Gumroad (10%) and even PayPal (4.75%+).

Plus, they offer a free plan for up to 10,000 subscribers with one email automation—something I could only dream of when I first started.

Here is my in-depth Kit review if you want to learn more about the platform.

3. MailerLite

Best for: Businesses of all shapes looking for an affordable all-in-one email software
Pricing: From $10 for up to 500 subscribers
Free trial: Free for up to 1,000 subscribers. 30-day trial for Mailer Lite Advanced

If you’re looking for an alternative to manage email subscriptions and connect with your audience, MailerLite is worth considering.

Unlike Substack, which is mainly about newsletters, MailerLite gives you a full email marketing platform. You get customizable templates, automation tools, and subscriber segmentation to help you send targeted emails. It’s a solid choice for businesses and creators who want to build strong relationships with their audience.

That said, MailerLite is more focused on email marketing, while Substack is designed specifically for writing and monetizing newsletters.

However, it’s important to note that Mailer Lite’s primary emphasis is on email marketing, whereas Substack provides a more specialized environment for creating and monetizing newsletters.

4. Mighty Networks

Best for: Growing an online community
Pricing: From $49 per month
Free trial: 14 days free trial for a Business Plan; no credit card required

Mighty Networks is super easy to use, making it a breeze to host discussions, build online communities, and set up paid memberships. Plus, it’s budget-friendly and even helps with domain setup, so getting started is hassle-free.

With Mighty’s flexible Spaces, you can blend your paid content with cool features like live streaming, events, interactive courses, forums, and messaging—all in one place.

It does everything Substack does…and even more!

Here is my in-depth Mighty Networks review if you want to learn more about the platform.

5. Gumroad

Best for: Selling digital and physical products online
Pricing: Free to use, but charges a 10% fee for every sale you make
Free trial: not available

Gumroad isn’t exactly an email platform, but with its features, it’s a solid free substack alternative.

I’ve been using Gumroad since April 2021 to sell my SEO ebook and other services. It’s super easy to use and gives content creators everything they need to build an audience and sell products—all in one place.

So far, I’ve made over $14,000 selling ebooks on Gumroad! If you’re curious about the platform, check out my in-depth Gumroad review.

Here’s a look at my sales page on Gumroad.

The customization options are a bit limited, but that’s actually a plus. Most sales pages follow a clean, simple layout, making it easy for potential buyers to focus on what matters and make a decision without distractions.

Besides selling your products and services on Gumroad, you can also offer freebies (free lead magnets) to grow your email list.

That’s the power of Gumroad as a platform similar to Substack.

6. Medium

Best for: Making money writing online and building a personal brand
Pricing: Free to use, you can get access to all Medium stories for $5/m
Free trial: Not available

Substack vs. Medium – What’s best?

Medium could be a solid alternative if you know how to make the most of it.

I’ve been writing on Medium for five years now, publishing over 350 articles and growing my audience to 20,000+ followers. Along the way, I’ve earned more than $25K from the platform.

If you’re curious about my full experience and monthly earnings on Medium, I shared everything in my Medium writing post.

Medium’s model is simple: readers pay $5/month for unlimited access, and writers earn a share of that based on how much time people spend reading their stories.

Unlike Substack, where you have to do all the heavy lifting to find your audience, Medium has a built-in content distribution system. If your content meets their guidelines, they’ll likely recommend it to readers who are already interested in your topics.

The platform has evolved a lot in the past years. They’ve rolled out new features for creators, like tools to grow your email list. These updates make it easier to earn money and build an audience beyond Medium.

For example, Medium lets you collect email subscribers directly from your profile.

My subscriber report shows how many people signed up to get my stories, and I can even export that list to use elsewhere. Plus, every time I publish a new piece, my subscribers automatically get an email—no extra work needed.

7. Mailchimp

Best for: Startups, businesses, and individual creators who need all-in-one email marketing software with ecommerce
Pricing: From $13 per month for up to 500 subscribers
Free trial: 14-day free trial for the Mailchimp Standard plan

Mailchimp has been around since 2001, making it one of the go-to platforms for email marketing and automation.

For over 20 years, it has helped businesses tackle complex email marketing needs.

When I started writing on Medium in 2020, Mailchimp was the first email platform I tried. I signed up because they offered a 30-day free trial and a free plan for up to 500 subscribers—more than what most other platforms provided at no cost.

The free version has its limitations, but if you’re just starting out and don’t want to spend money on email marketing, Mailchimp is a solid alternative to Substack. It’s a great way to test your ideas before committing to a paid plan.

Unlike Substack, Mailchimp isn’t just for email. It’s a full-fledged marketing tool. You can build a website, grow your email list with embedded forms, and even sell products and services.

Here’s a snapshot from one of my Mailchimp reports, showing my website stats, welcome email performance, and campaign results.

Overall, I liked using Mailchimp, though some features were tricky to figure out at first.

But if you’ve tried Mailchimp and are looking for other options, I’ve published a post on my favorite Mailchimp alternatives.

8. Campaign Monitor

Best for: Agencies, retail, nonprofit, and publishing businesses that need advanced email features
Pricing: From $11 per month for up to 500 subscribers
Free trial: 30-day free trial; no credit card required. 500 email limit and 500 contracts limits are applied

Campaign Monitor is a solid email marketing tool that works as a great substitute for Substack.

While Substack is mainly about creating newsletters and managing subscriptions, Campaign Monitor goes beyond that. It offers advanced features like segmentation, automation, and personalization—perfect for businesses and organizations that want to send targeted, customized emails.

It’s easy to use, comes with powerful analytics, and helps users create engaging emails while tracking performance to improve their overall email marketing strategy.

I also came across a great tweet from a successful content creator who runs three newsletters, explaining why they prefer Campaign Monitor over other tools.

9. Ghost

Best for: New-media content creators to publish and share content
Pricing: From $11 per month for up to 500 subscribers
Free trial: 14 days

Ghost is a blogging platform similar to Medium. It can work for you if you want more control over your content and a dedicated space for publishing.

While Substack is mainly built for newsletters, Ghost is a full-on content management system designed for blogging and publishing. It comes with customizable themes, built-in SEO tools, and a flexible editor, making it a great choice for more than just newsletters.

With Ghost, you can segment your audience, send paid newsletters, and even set up paid memberships. Plus, if you like the idea of hosting your content on your own servers, Ghost gives you that freedom.

One big advantage? Ghost doesn’t take a cut of your earnings, while Substack takes 10%.

So, if you wonder what’s better Ghost vs. Substack for blogging and premium memberships, I’d probably go with Ghost to save those 10% commission fee and have a robust SEO toolkit for blogging.

10. Memberful

Best for: Creating, growing, and monetizing memberships
Pricing: From $49 per month for an unlimited number of members
Free trial: Memberful Pro is free for as long as you need until you connect your Stripe account and turn on live payments

Memberful is a great option for content creators looking to make money through memberships.

While Substack is mainly built for newsletters, Memberful gives you more control over how you set up and sell subscriptions. You can create different membership tiers, offer exclusive content, and add perks for your audience—all in one place.

It also works smoothly with platforms like WordPress, making it easy to add membership features to an existing website.

That said, Memberful shines when it comes to managing memberships, whereas Substack keeps things simple by focusing on newsletters.

FAQ

I’ve collected a few more questions about Subtack, its performance, and alternatives you might want to review as well.

Why creators look for sites similar to Substack

I’d mention a few risk factors here.

1. Substack’s organic traffic hasn’t really grown in the past few years

The chart below shows Substack’s organic traffic over the last two years.

And if you’ve read my Semrush review, you know their traffic estimates are pretty reliable.

If Substack isn’t growing through organic search, that means most of its traffic comes from users bringing in their own audience.

Long term, that’s not ideal. You probably want the platform to help you grow, not just rely on your existing network.

2. Substack relies on direct traffic as a major user acquisition source

In January 2025, most of Substack’s traffic, 67.05%, came from direct visits, up from 52.17% in 2023.

What does this mean for you as a content creator?

Substack depends on you to grow.

People visit Substack because creators share their links. The platform itself isn’t doing much to boost its organic reach or bring in new users. It counts on its existing community to do the heavy lifting.

But what happens if some creators switch to other platforms? Fewer links get shared, and Substack’s direct traffic takes a hit.

Considering Substack’s limited functionality and a traffic drop caused by a decline in popularity, I’d consider looking for an alternative solution.

If you are looking for the best alternative to Substack, I am sure you’ve found plenty of great options after reading this article.

What are free Substack alternatives?

Here are some free alternatives to Substack you might want to check out:

Gumroad – Free forever, but they take a 10% cut from each sale.
beehiiv – Free for up to 2,500 subscribers, though with limited features.
Kit – Free for up to 10,000 subscribers, though with limited features.
Medium – Completely free to use.
MailerLite – Free for up to 1,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails per month.

Since you’ll be using your email platform regularly, I recommend choosing it carefully.

Many key features, like visual email campaign automations, are locked behind paid plans. So, instead of just going for the free option, pick the one that feels easy and convenient to use.

What is better beehiiv or Substack?

I see people debating beehiiv vs. Substack every single day—seriously, it’s nonstop!

So, let me throw in my two cents.

Substack has been around since 2017, while beehiiv launched in 2021.

This makes beehiiv the newer kid on the block, but it comes packed with features designed for content creators.

Here’s what beehiiv offers that Substack doesn’t:

Boosts and sponsored ads: Promote your newsletter to other Beehiiv users and even make money promoting others’ newsletters. I made roughly $1k with my small email list on beehiiv last year.
One-click subscriptions: Make it ridiculously easy for readers to sign up.
Advanced audience segmentation: Target the right people with the right content.
A/B testing: Test different subject lines or email formats to see what works best.
Fully customizable emails: More control over your branding and design.
Referral programs: Encourage readers to spread the word with built-in incentives.

If these features sound like they’d help your business, beehiiv might be worth a shot as a Substack alternative!

Is Substack similar to Mailchimp?

Substack and Mailchimp can both help you build an email list and stay in touch with your audience through newsletters, but they work a little differently.

Substack is simple, easy to customize, and great for writers. Mailchimp, on the other hand, is more budget-friendly and packed with tools, from ecommerce and website building to advanced audience segmentation.

At the end of the day, the best platform for you comes down to what you need and what works best for your workflow.

Hello there!

My name is Victoria.
I am an SEO expert, Medium top writer, solopreneur, and the founder of Self Made Millennials. I help companies create optimized content and attract potential customers through organic search results. In addition, I share how content creators can monetize their writing skills.

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10 Substack Alternatives that Work for Me in 2025