News & Media · head to head
EIN Presswire 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.
- Each has a real cost: EIN Presswire sold as prepaid release credits that expire 365 days after purchase, so unused releases are lost rather than carried; Substack substack takes a 10% cut of subscription revenue (writers keep 90%), plus separate credit card processing fees
- They diverge on capability: EIN Presswire covers Press release distribution, Substack covers Newsletter publishing.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which EIN Presswire and Substack actually diverge.
| Attribute | EIN Presswire | Substack |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | On request | Free |
| Pricing model | usage-based | freemium |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Web | Web, Mobile |
| Founded | 2003 | 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 EIN Presswire
- Press release distribution
- Industry targeting
- Google News inclusion
- Analytics
- Social distribution
- Google News
- Bing News
- Social media
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.
EIN Presswire
- Distributing press releases to news sites, newswires and journalistsnot Substack
- Getting company announcements indexed on news aggregatorsnot Substack
Substack
- Newsletter distributionnot EIN Presswire
- Reader monetizationnot EIN Presswire
- Community buildingnot EIN Presswire
- Subscriber managementnot EIN Presswire
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
EIN Presswire
- Sold as prepaid release credits that expire 365 days after purchase, so unused releases are lost rather than carried
- A single release is $149, and the lower per release rates require buying 5 or 15 up front
- Word limits are tied to the package, from 700 words on Basic to 2,500 on Corporate
- Geographic and industry targeting is rationed by package, at 2 country and 5 industry targets on Pro+
Substack
- Substack takes a 10% cut of subscription revenue (writers keep 90%), plus separate credit card processing fees
Pricing, plan by plan
EIN Presswire
On request- Basic$49.95/one-time
- Online distribution
- Google News
- Basic targeting
- Standard$99.95/one-time
- Enhanced distribution
- Industry targeting
- Social sharing
- Premium$249.95/one-time
- Maximum distribution
- All industries
- Multimedia
Substack
Free- FreeFree
- Unlimited newsletters
- Basic design
- Archive access
- Pro$12/month
- Custom domain
- Advanced analytics
- Member chat
Which should you pick?
Choose EIN Presswire if
- You need press release distribution.
- You also want industry targeting.
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 EIN Presswire or Substack better?
- Neither clearly leads. EIN Presswire 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, EIN Presswire or Substack?
- Substack has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for EIN Presswire and Free for Substack.
- Does EIN Presswire or Substack run on more platforms?
- EIN Presswire 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. EIN Presswire starts at On request.
- What is EIN Presswire best used for?
- EIN Presswire is most often used for distributing press releases to news sites, newswires and journalists, getting company announcements indexed on news aggregators. Of those, distributing press releases to news sites, newswires and journalists and getting company announcements indexed on news aggregators are not what Substack is typically brought in for.
- What can EIN Presswire do that Substack cannot?
- EIN Presswire covers Press release distribution, Industry targeting, Google News inclusion, Analytics. Substack covers Newsletter publishing, Subscriber management, Paid subscriptions, Email analytics. Both handle Web support.