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Software · head to head

Razorpay vs Substack

R

Razorpay

Software

Accept, process and disburse payments with India's leading payments platform

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Substack logo

Substack

Software

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: Razorpay international card payments cost up to 3% per transaction versus 2% domestically, per razorpay.com/pricing (Aug 2026), and an 18% GST is added on top of the platform fee; 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 Razorpay and Substack actually diverge.

Attributes where Razorpay and Substack differ
AttributeRazorpaySubstack
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modeltransactionfreemium
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, Mobile
FoundedUnknown2017

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 Razorpay

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.

Razorpay

No use cases recorded yet. See the Razorpay review.

Substack

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

Where each one falls short

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

Razorpay

  • International card payments cost up to 3% per transaction versus 2% domestically, per razorpay.com/pricing (Aug 2026), and an 18% GST is added on top of the platform fee
  • Instant refunds cost between Rs. 7.99 and Rs. 14.99 per refund on top of the transaction fee, per Razorpay's own pricing page; standard refunds are free but instant ones are not

Substack

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

Pricing, plan by plan

Razorpay

On request

No published plan breakdown. See the Razorpay review.

Substack

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

Which should you pick?

Choose Razorpay if

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

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

More on Razorpay

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