News & Media · head to head
Cision 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.
- They diverge on capability: Cision covers Media monitoring, Substack covers Newsletter publishing.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Cision 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 Cision
- Media monitoring
- PR Newswire distribution
- Media database
- Analytics & reporting
- Influencer identification
- Salesforce
- Google Analytics
- Slack
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.
Cision
- Press release distributionnot Substack
- Media monitoringnot Substack
- PR measurementnot Substack
- Media outreachnot Substack
- Crisis communicationsnot Substack
Substack
- Newsletter distributionnot Cision
- Reader monetizationnot Cision
- Community buildingnot Cision
- Subscriber managementnot Cision
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Cision
Nothing recorded yet. See the Cision review.
Substack
- Substack takes a 10% cut of subscription revenue (writers keep 90%), plus separate credit card processing fees
Pricing, plan by plan
Cision
On request- Cision Communications CloudFree
- Media monitoring
- Media database
- PR analytics
- EnterpriseFree
- Full platform access
- PR Newswire distribution
- Custom integrations
Substack
Free- FreeFree
- Unlimited newsletters
- Basic design
- Archive access
- Pro$12/month
- Custom domain
- Advanced analytics
- Member chat
Which should you pick?
Choose Cision if
- You need media monitoring.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want pr newswire distribution.
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 Cision or Substack better?
- Neither clearly leads. Cision 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, Cision or Substack?
- Substack has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Cision and Free for Substack.
- Does Cision or Substack run on more platforms?
- Cision runs on Web, Ios, Android. Substack runs on Web, Mobile.
- Can I use Substack for free?
- Yes. Substack has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Cision starts at On request.
- What is Cision best used for?
- Cision is most often used for press release distribution, media monitoring, pr measurement, media outreach. Of those, press release distribution and media monitoring are not what Substack is typically brought in for.
- What can Cision do that Substack cannot?
- Cision covers Media monitoring, PR Newswire distribution, Media database, Analytics & reporting. Substack covers Newsletter publishing, Subscriber management, Paid subscriptions, Email analytics. Both handle Web support.