Softwr

E-commerce · head to head

Checkout.com vs Substack

C

Checkout.com

E-commerce

Your business deserves tailored pricing based on your needs

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Substack logo

Substack

News & Media

The newsletter platform for writers and publishers

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Substack has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Checkout.com checkout.com/pricing publishes no per-transaction percentage or fixed fee; pricing is set per business profile and risk category through direct sales contact, per the vendor's own pricing page (Aug 2026); Substack substack takes a 10% cut of subscription revenue (writers keep 90%), plus separate credit card processing fees

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Checkout.com and Substack actually diverge.

Attributes where Checkout.com and Substack differ
AttributeCheckout.comSubstack
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelquotefreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, Mobile
CategoryE-commerceNews & Media
FoundedUnknown2017

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Checkout.com

Nothing recorded that Substack does not also cover.

Only in Substack

  • Newsletter publishing
  • Subscriber management
  • Paid subscriptions
  • Email analytics
  • Post scheduling
  • Archive creation
  • Free/paid tier split
  • Comments & discussion

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Checkout.com

No use cases recorded yet. See the Checkout.com review.

Substack

  • Newsletter distributionnot Checkout.com
  • Reader monetizationnot Checkout.com
  • Community buildingnot Checkout.com
  • Subscriber managementnot Checkout.com

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Checkout.com

  • checkout.com/pricing publishes no per-transaction percentage or fixed fee; pricing is set per business profile and risk category through direct sales contact, per the vendor's own pricing page (Aug 2026)
  • Choosing between the flat-rate and Interchange++ pricing models requires contacting the sales team, since neither model's rate is quoted publicly on the page

Substack

  • Substack takes a 10% cut of subscription revenue (writers keep 90%), plus separate credit card processing fees

Pricing, plan by plan

Checkout.com

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Checkout.com review.

Substack

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited newsletters
    • Basic design
    • Archive access
  • Pro$12/month
    • Custom domain
    • Advanced analytics
    • Member chat

Which should you pick?

Choose Checkout.com if

Nothing in the data separates Checkout.com from Substack on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

Checkout.com review

Choose Substack if

  • You need newsletter publishing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile.
  • You also want subscriber management.
Substack review

Questions people ask

Is Checkout.com or Substack better?
Neither clearly leads. Checkout.com starts at On request and Substack at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Checkout.com or Substack?
Substack has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Checkout.com and Free for Substack.
Does Checkout.com or Substack run on more platforms?
Checkout.com 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. Checkout.com starts at On request.
What can Checkout.com do that Substack cannot?
Substack covers Newsletter publishing, Subscriber management, Paid subscriptions, Email analytics.
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Related pages

More on Checkout.com

More on Substack

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