News & Media · head to head
Substack vs CrowdTangle
Substack
News & Media
The newsletter platform for writers and publishers
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
C
CrowdTangle
News & Media
Social media insights and content monitoring platform
- From
- On request
- 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; CrowdTangle crowdTangle was retired by Meta on 14 August 2024, per Meta's own transparency page (Internet Archive capture, 12 December 2024), with Meta Content Library and Content Library API offered as replacements
- They diverge on capability: Substack covers Newsletter publishing, CrowdTangle covers Social listening.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Substack and CrowdTangle actually diverge.
| Attribute | Substack | CrowdTangle |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | On request |
| Pricing model | freemium | quote |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Web, Mobile | Web |
| Founded | 2017 | 2011 |
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 CrowdTangle
- Social listening
- Viral content tracking
- Competitor monitoring
- Brand mention tracking
- Trending alerts
- Custom dashboards
- Team collaboration
- Report generation
Both cover
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Substack
- Newsletter distributionnot CrowdTangle
- Reader monetizationnot CrowdTangle
- Community buildingnot CrowdTangle
- Subscriber managementnot CrowdTangle
CrowdTangle
- Viral content trackingnot Substack
- Social listeningnot Substack
- Competitor analysisnot Substack
- Trend identificationnot 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
CrowdTangle
- CrowdTangle was retired by Meta on 14 August 2024, per Meta's own transparency page (Internet Archive capture, 12 December 2024), with Meta Content Library and Content Library API offered as replacements
Pricing, plan by plan
Substack
Free- FreeFree
- Unlimited newsletters
- Basic design
- Archive access
- Pro$12/month
- Custom domain
- Advanced analytics
- Member chat
CrowdTangle
On request- Custom Plan$undefined/custom
- Social monitoring
- Competitor analysis
- Trending content tracking
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.
Choose CrowdTangle if
- You need social listening.
- You also want viral content tracking.
Questions people ask
- Is Substack or CrowdTangle better?
- Neither clearly leads. Substack starts at Free and CrowdTangle at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Substack or CrowdTangle?
- Substack has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Substack and On request for CrowdTangle.
- Does Substack or CrowdTangle run on more platforms?
- Substack runs on Web, Mobile. CrowdTangle runs on Web.
- Can I use Substack for free?
- Yes. Substack has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. CrowdTangle starts at On request.
- 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 CrowdTangle is typically brought in for.
- What can Substack do that CrowdTangle cannot?
- Substack covers Newsletter publishing, Subscriber management, Paid subscriptions, Email analytics. CrowdTangle covers Social listening, Viral content tracking, Competitor monitoring, Brand mention tracking. Both handle Twitter, Web support.