News & Media · head to head
CrowdTangle vs Substack
C
CrowdTangle
News & Media
Social media insights and content monitoring platform
- 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: CrowdTangle crowdTangle was retired by Meta on 14 August 2024, per Meta's own transparency page (Internet Archive capture, 12 December 2024), with Meta Content Library and Content Library API offered as replacements; Substack substack takes a 10% cut of subscription revenue (writers keep 90%), plus separate credit card processing fees
- They diverge on capability: CrowdTangle covers Social listening, Substack covers Newsletter publishing.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which CrowdTangle and Substack actually diverge.
| Attribute | CrowdTangle | Substack |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | On request | Free |
| Pricing model | quote | freemium |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Web | Web, Mobile |
| Founded | 2011 | 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 CrowdTangle
- Social listening
- Viral content tracking
- Competitor monitoring
- Brand mention tracking
- Trending alerts
- Custom dashboards
- Team collaboration
- Report generation
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.
CrowdTangle
- Viral content trackingnot Substack
- Social listeningnot Substack
- Competitor analysisnot Substack
- Trend identificationnot Substack
Substack
- Newsletter distributionnot CrowdTangle
- Reader monetizationnot CrowdTangle
- Community buildingnot CrowdTangle
- Subscriber managementnot CrowdTangle
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
CrowdTangle
- CrowdTangle was retired by Meta on 14 August 2024, per Meta's own transparency page (Internet Archive capture, 12 December 2024), with Meta Content Library and Content Library API offered as replacements
Substack
- Substack takes a 10% cut of subscription revenue (writers keep 90%), plus separate credit card processing fees
Pricing, plan by plan
CrowdTangle
On request- Custom Plan$undefined/custom
- Social monitoring
- Competitor analysis
- Trending content tracking
Substack
Free- FreeFree
- Unlimited newsletters
- Basic design
- Archive access
- Pro$12/month
- Custom domain
- Advanced analytics
- Member chat
Which should you pick?
Choose CrowdTangle if
- You need social listening.
- You also want viral content tracking.
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 CrowdTangle or Substack better?
- Neither clearly leads. CrowdTangle 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, CrowdTangle or Substack?
- Substack has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for CrowdTangle and Free for Substack.
- Does CrowdTangle or Substack run on more platforms?
- CrowdTangle 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. CrowdTangle starts at On request.
- What is CrowdTangle best used for?
- CrowdTangle is most often used for viral content tracking, social listening, competitor analysis, trend identification. Of those, viral content tracking and social listening are not what Substack is typically brought in for.
- What can CrowdTangle do that Substack cannot?
- CrowdTangle covers Social listening, Viral content tracking, Competitor monitoring, Brand mention tracking. Substack covers Newsletter publishing, Subscriber management, Paid subscriptions, Email analytics. Both handle Twitter, Web support.