News & Media · head to head
Substack vs Flipboard
Substack
News & Media
The newsletter platform for writers and publishers
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Substack substack takes a 10% cut of subscription revenue (writers keep 90%), plus separate credit card processing fees; Flipboard flipboard is free to use with no paid tier; the product carries no subscription, so there is no plan limit to compare against rivals that charge
- They diverge on capability: Substack covers Newsletter publishing, Flipboard covers Magazine-style layout.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Substack and Flipboard actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).
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 Flipboard
- Magazine-style layout
- Content curation
- Topic discovery
- Smart magazines
- Social sharing
Both cover
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Substack
- Newsletter distributionnot Flipboard
- Reader monetizationnot Flipboard
- Community buildingnot Flipboard
- Subscriber managementnot Flipboard
- News consumptionnot Substack
- Content discoverynot Substack
- Magazine creationnot Substack
- Social readingnot 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
- Flipboard is free to use with no paid tier; the product carries no subscription, so there is no plan limit to compare against rivals that charge
Pricing, plan by plan
Substack
Free- FreeFree
- Unlimited newsletters
- Basic design
- Archive access
- Pro$12/month
- Custom domain
- Advanced analytics
- Member chat
- FreeFree
- Unlimited reading
- Personalized feeds
- Magazine creation
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 Flipboard if
- You need magazine-style layout.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want content curation.
Questions people ask
- Is Substack or Flipboard better?
- Neither clearly leads. Substack starts at Free and Flipboard at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Substack or Flipboard?
- Substack starts at Free and Flipboard at Free.
- Does Substack or Flipboard run on more platforms?
- Substack runs on Web, Mobile. Flipboard runs on Web, Ios, Android.
- Can I use Substack for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- 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 Flipboard is typically brought in for.
- What can Substack do that Flipboard cannot?
- Substack covers Newsletter publishing, Subscriber management, Paid subscriptions, Email analytics. Flipboard covers Magazine-style layout, Content curation, Topic discovery, Smart magazines. Both handle Twitter, Web support.