News & Media · head to head
ConvertKit vs Substack
ConvertKit
News & Media
The creator platform for digital professionals
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
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: ConvertKit the free Newsletter plan allows only one basic visual automation, so sequences beyond a single flow require paying; Substack substack takes a 10% cut of subscription revenue (writers keep 90%), plus separate credit card processing fees
- They diverge on capability: ConvertKit covers Email marketing, Substack covers Newsletter publishing.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which ConvertKit and Substack actually diverge.
| Attribute | ConvertKit | Substack |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | On request | Free |
| Pricing model | subscription | freemium |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Web | Web, Mobile |
| Founded | 2013 | 2017 |
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 ConvertKit
- Email marketing
- Landing pages
- Subscriber tagging
- Automation workflows
- Digital product sales
- Broadcast emails
- Subscriber segments
- Email templates
Only in Substack
- Newsletter publishing
- Subscriber management
- Paid subscriptions
- Email analytics
- Post scheduling
- Archive creation
- Free/paid tier split
- Comments & discussion
Both cover
- Stripe
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
ConvertKit
- Sending newsletters and email sequences to an audiencenot Substack
- Selling paid subscriptions and digital products to a mailing listnot Substack
Substack
- Newsletter distributionnot ConvertKit
- Reader monetizationnot ConvertKit
- Community buildingnot ConvertKit
- Subscriber managementnot ConvertKit
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
ConvertKit
- The free Newsletter plan allows only one basic visual automation, so sequences beyond a single flow require paying
- The free plan is a single user, and the Creator plan at $33 a month allows two
- Subscriber signals, engagement analytics and paid recommendations are Pro only, at $66 a month
- A/B testing is capped at 2 subject lines below Pro, which allows 5
- Paid pricing is banded by subscriber count, so the published figures apply only at the smallest band
Substack
- Substack takes a 10% cut of subscription revenue (writers keep 90%), plus separate credit card processing fees
Pricing, plan by plan
ConvertKit
On request- Creator$29/month
- Up to 10K subscribers
- Email campaigns
- Landing pages
- Creator Pro$79/month
- Unlimited subscribers
- Advanced automation
- Digital products
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 ConvertKit or Substack better?
- Neither clearly leads. ConvertKit 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, ConvertKit or Substack?
- Substack has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for ConvertKit and Free for Substack.
- Does ConvertKit or Substack run on more platforms?
- ConvertKit 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. ConvertKit starts at On request.
- What is ConvertKit best used for?
- ConvertKit is most often used for sending newsletters and email sequences to an audience, selling paid subscriptions and digital products to a mailing list. Of those, sending newsletters and email sequences to an audience and selling paid subscriptions and digital products to a mailing list are not what Substack is typically brought in for.
- What can ConvertKit do that Substack cannot?
- ConvertKit covers Email marketing, Landing pages, Subscriber tagging, Automation workflows. Substack covers Newsletter publishing, Subscriber management, Paid subscriptions, Email analytics. Both handle Stripe, Web support.