News & Media · head to head
Substack vs Feedbin
Substack
News & Media
The newsletter platform for writers and publishers
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Feedbin
News & Media
A fast, simple RSS reader focused on readability
- 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; Feedbin there is no free tier: after a 30 day trial the service costs $7 a month or $70 a year
- They diverge on capability: Substack covers Newsletter publishing, Feedbin covers RSS feeds.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Substack and Feedbin 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 Feedbin
- RSS feeds
- Email newsletters
- Twitter integration
- YouTube subscriptions
- Full-text search
- Instapaper
- Pinboard
Both cover
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Substack
- Newsletter distributionnot Feedbin
- Reader monetizationnot Feedbin
- Community buildingnot Feedbin
- Subscriber managementnot Feedbin
Feedbin
- Reading and syncing RSS feeds across devicesnot Substack
- Subscribing to email newsletters at a dedicated addressnot Substack
- Following YouTube channels and podcasts in a readernot 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
Feedbin
- There is no free tier: after a 30 day trial the service costs $7 a month or $70 a year
- The service is a paid hosted account only, with no free reader mode
Pricing, plan by plan
Substack
Free- FreeFree
- Unlimited newsletters
- Basic design
- Archive access
- Pro$12/month
- Custom domain
- Advanced analytics
- Member chat
Feedbin
On request- Monthly$5/month
- Unlimited feeds
- Email newsletters
- Twitter feeds
- Yearly$50/year
- All monthly features
- 2 months free
- Priority support
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 Feedbin if
- You need rss feeds.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want email newsletters.
Questions people ask
- Is Substack or Feedbin better?
- Neither clearly leads. Substack starts at Free and Feedbin at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Substack or Feedbin?
- Substack has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Substack and On request for Feedbin.
- Does Substack or Feedbin run on more platforms?
- Substack runs on Web, Mobile. Feedbin runs on Web, Ios, Android.
- Can I use Substack for free?
- Yes. Substack has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Feedbin 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 Feedbin is typically brought in for.
- What can Substack do that Feedbin cannot?
- Substack covers Newsletter publishing, Subscriber management, Paid subscriptions, Email analytics. Feedbin covers RSS feeds, Email newsletters, Twitter integration, YouTube subscriptions. Both handle Web support.