News & Media · head to head
Chartbeat vs Substack
Substack
News & Media
The newsletter platform for writers and publishers
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Substack has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Chartbeat pricing is customized by website and native app pageviews across four tiers, Essentials, Plus, Premium and Enterprise, and the pricing page publishes no figures, directing visitors to Talk to Sales or Get a Demo; Substack substack takes a 10% cut of subscription revenue (writers keep 90%), plus separate credit card processing fees
- They diverge on capability: Chartbeat covers Real-time analytics, Substack covers Newsletter publishing.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Chartbeat and Substack actually diverge.
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (News & Media).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Chartbeat
- Real-time analytics
- Audience insights
- Content metrics
- Traffic tracking
- Google Analytics
- GDPR
- Cloud deployment
- English language support
Only in Substack
- Newsletter publishing
- Subscriber management
- Paid subscriptions
- Email analytics
- Post scheduling
- Archive creation
- Free/paid tier split
- Comments & discussion
Both cover
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Chartbeat
- Publisher analyticsnot Substack
Substack
- Newsletter distributionnot Chartbeat
- Reader monetizationnot Chartbeat
- Community buildingnot Chartbeat
- Subscriber managementnot Chartbeat
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Chartbeat
- Pricing is customized by website and native app pageviews across four tiers, Essentials, Plus, Premium and Enterprise, and the pricing page publishes no figures, directing visitors to Talk to Sales or Get a Demo
Substack
- Substack takes a 10% cut of subscription revenue (writers keep 90%), plus separate credit card processing fees
Pricing, plan by plan
Chartbeat
$1000/month- Professional$1000/month
- Real-time analytics
- Audience insights
Substack
Free- FreeFree
- Unlimited newsletters
- Basic design
- Archive access
- Pro$12/month
- Custom domain
- Advanced analytics
- Member chat
Which should you pick?
Choose Substack if
- You need newsletter publishing.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Mobile.
- You also want subscriber management.
Questions people ask
- Is Chartbeat or Substack better?
- Neither clearly leads. Chartbeat starts at $1000/month and Substack at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Chartbeat or Substack?
- Substack has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $1000/month for Chartbeat and Free for Substack.
- Does Chartbeat or Substack run on more platforms?
- Chartbeat runs on Web. Substack runs on Web, Mobile.
- Can I use Substack for free?
- Yes. Substack has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Chartbeat starts at $1000/month.
- What is Chartbeat best used for?
- Chartbeat is most often used for publisher analytics. Of those, publisher analytics is not what Substack is typically brought in for.
- What can Chartbeat do that Substack cannot?
- Chartbeat covers Real-time analytics, Audience insights, Content metrics, Traffic tracking. Substack covers Newsletter publishing, Subscriber management, Paid subscriptions, Email analytics. Both handle Web support.