News & Media · head to head
Substack vs EIN Presswire
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; EIN Presswire sold as prepaid release credits that expire 365 days after purchase, so unused releases are lost rather than carried
- They diverge on capability: Substack covers Newsletter publishing, EIN Presswire covers Press release distribution.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Substack and EIN Presswire actually diverge.
| Attribute | Substack | EIN Presswire |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | On request |
| Pricing model | freemium | usage-based |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Web, Mobile | Web |
| Founded | 2017 | 2003 |
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 EIN Presswire
- Press release distribution
- Industry targeting
- Google News inclusion
- Analytics
- Social distribution
- Google News
- Bing News
- Social media
Both cover
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Substack
- Newsletter distributionnot EIN Presswire
- Reader monetizationnot EIN Presswire
- Community buildingnot EIN Presswire
- Subscriber managementnot EIN Presswire
EIN Presswire
- Distributing press releases to news sites, newswires and journalistsnot Substack
- Getting company announcements indexed on news aggregatorsnot 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
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+
Pricing, plan by plan
Substack
Free- FreeFree
- Unlimited newsletters
- Basic design
- Archive access
- Pro$12/month
- Custom domain
- Advanced analytics
- Member chat
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
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 EIN Presswire if
- You need press release distribution.
- You also want industry targeting.
Questions people ask
- Is Substack or EIN Presswire better?
- Neither clearly leads. Substack starts at Free and EIN Presswire at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Substack or EIN Presswire?
- Substack has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Substack and On request for EIN Presswire.
- Does Substack or EIN Presswire run on more platforms?
- Substack runs on Web, Mobile. EIN Presswire runs on Web.
- 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 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 EIN Presswire is typically brought in for.
- What can Substack do that EIN Presswire cannot?
- Substack covers Newsletter publishing, Subscriber management, Paid subscriptions, Email analytics. EIN Presswire covers Press release distribution, Industry targeting, Google News inclusion, Analytics. Both handle Web support.