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Marketing · head to head

Customer.io vs Substack

Customer.io logo

Customer.io

Marketing

Data-driven messaging for teams getting started, scaling and beyond

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: Customer.io essentials plan caps at 5,000 profiles (people and objects) and 1,000,000 monthly emails, with overages billed at $0.12 per 1,000 emails beyond that; 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 Customer.io and Substack actually diverge.

Attributes where Customer.io and Substack differ
AttributeCustomer.ioSubstack
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, Mobile
CategoryMarketingNews & 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 Customer.io

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.

Customer.io

No use cases recorded yet. See the Customer.io review.

Substack

  • Newsletter distributionnot Customer.io
  • Reader monetizationnot Customer.io
  • Community buildingnot Customer.io
  • Subscriber managementnot Customer.io

Where each one falls short

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

Customer.io

  • Essentials plan caps at 5,000 profiles (people and objects) and 1,000,000 monthly emails, with overages billed at $0.12 per 1,000 emails beyond that
  • Standard and Premium tiers show custom pricing only, and Enterprise is negotiated rate, so three of the four published tiers require a sales conversation
  • Monthly plans accept credit card only; annual billing via invoice (ACH/wire) requires the annual commitment

Substack

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

Pricing, plan by plan

Customer.io

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Customer.io review.

Substack

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

Which should you pick?

Choose Customer.io if

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

Customer.io 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 Customer.io or Substack better?
Neither clearly leads. Customer.io 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, Customer.io or Substack?
Substack has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Customer.io and Free for Substack.
Does Customer.io or Substack run on more platforms?
Customer.io 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. Customer.io starts at On request.
What can Customer.io do that Substack cannot?
Substack covers Newsletter publishing, Subscriber management, Paid subscriptions, Email analytics.
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Related pages

More on Customer.io

More on Substack

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