News & Media · head to head
Substack vs Chartbeat
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: Substack substack takes a 10% cut of subscription revenue (writers keep 90%), plus separate credit card processing fees; Chartbeat pricing is customized by website and native app pageviews across four tiers, Essentials, Plus, Premium and Enterprise, and the pricing page publishes no figures, directing visitors to Talk to Sales or Get a Demo
- They diverge on capability: Substack covers Newsletter publishing, Chartbeat covers Real-time analytics.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Substack and Chartbeat actually diverge.
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 Substack
- Newsletter publishing
- Subscriber management
- Paid subscriptions
- Email analytics
- Post scheduling
- Archive creation
- Free/paid tier split
- Comments & discussion
Only in Chartbeat
- Real-time analytics
- Audience insights
- Content metrics
- Traffic tracking
- Google Analytics
- GDPR
- Cloud deployment
- English language support
Both cover
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Substack
- Newsletter distributionnot Chartbeat
- Reader monetizationnot Chartbeat
- Community buildingnot Chartbeat
- Subscriber managementnot Chartbeat
Chartbeat
- Publisher analyticsnot Substack
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Substack
- Substack takes a 10% cut of subscription revenue (writers keep 90%), plus separate credit card processing fees
Chartbeat
- Pricing is customized by website and native app pageviews across four tiers, Essentials, Plus, Premium and Enterprise, and the pricing page publishes no figures, directing visitors to Talk to Sales or Get a Demo
Pricing, plan by plan
Substack
Free- FreeFree
- Unlimited newsletters
- Basic design
- Archive access
- Pro$12/month
- Custom domain
- Advanced analytics
- Member chat
Chartbeat
$1000/month- Professional$1000/month
- Real-time analytics
- Audience insights
Which should you pick?
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 Substack or Chartbeat better?
- Neither clearly leads. Substack starts at Free and Chartbeat at $1000/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Substack or Chartbeat?
- Substack has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Substack and $1000/month for Chartbeat.
- Does Substack or Chartbeat run on more platforms?
- Substack runs on Web, Mobile. Chartbeat runs on Web.
- Can I use Substack for free?
- Yes. Substack has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Chartbeat starts at $1000/month.
- What is Substack best used for?
- Substack is most often used for newsletter distribution, reader monetization, community building, subscriber management. Of those, newsletter distribution and reader monetization are not what Chartbeat is typically brought in for.
- What can Substack do that Chartbeat cannot?
- Substack covers Newsletter publishing, Subscriber management, Paid subscriptions, Email analytics. Chartbeat covers Real-time analytics, Audience insights, Content metrics, Traffic tracking. Both handle Web support.