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News & Media · head to head

Prowly vs Substack

Prowly logo

Prowly

News & Media

PR software to tell your story and track results

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: Prowly the vendor's own pricing page as captured by the Internet Archive on 22 November 2021 named two paid tiers, Essential and Professional (referenced in a 'Buy Essential, Get Professional' promotion), plus a free 7 day trial with no credit card required; no dollar figures were present in the fetched markup, which is client-rendered; Substack substack takes a 10% cut of subscription revenue (writers keep 90%), plus separate credit card processing fees
  • They diverge on capability: Prowly covers Media database, Substack covers Newsletter publishing.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Prowly and Substack actually diverge.

Attributes where Prowly and Substack differ
AttributeProwlySubstack
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, Mobile
Founded20132017

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 Prowly

  • Media database
  • Press release builder
  • Online newsroom
  • Email pitching
  • Coverage tracking
  • Semrush
  • 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.

Prowly

  • Media outreachnot Substack
  • Press release creationnot Substack
  • Journalist discoverynot Substack
  • PR measurementnot Substack

Substack

  • Newsletter distributionnot Prowly
  • Reader monetizationnot Prowly
  • Community buildingnot Prowly
  • Subscriber managementnot Prowly

Where each one falls short

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

Prowly

  • The vendor's own pricing page as captured by the Internet Archive on 22 November 2021 named two paid tiers, Essential and Professional (referenced in a 'Buy Essential, Get Professional' promotion), plus a free 7 day trial with no credit card required; no dollar figures were present in the fetched markup, which is client-rendered

Substack

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

Pricing, plan by plan

Prowly

On request
  • Essential$369/month
    • Media database
    • Press release creator
    • Online newsroom
  • Professional$589/month
    • All Essential features
    • Coverage tracking
    • Advanced analytics
  • EnterpriseFree
    • Unlimited features
    • API access
    • 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 Prowly if

  • You need media database.
  • You also want press release builder.
Prowly 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 Prowly or Substack better?
Neither clearly leads. Prowly 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, Prowly or Substack?
Substack has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Prowly and Free for Substack.
Does Prowly or Substack run on more platforms?
Prowly 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. Prowly starts at On request.
What is Prowly best used for?
Prowly is most often used for media outreach, press release creation, journalist discovery, pr measurement. Of those, media outreach and press release creation are not what Substack is typically brought in for.
What can Prowly do that Substack cannot?
Prowly covers Media database, Press release builder, Online newsroom, Email pitching. Substack covers Newsletter publishing, Subscriber management, Paid subscriptions, Email analytics. Both handle Web support.
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Related pages

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