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News & Media · head to head

Substack vs Typeform

Substack logo

Substack

News & Media

The newsletter platform for writers and publishers

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Typeform logo

Typeform

Marketing

People-friendly forms and surveys

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

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; Typeform free plan limited to 10 responses per month; Basic plan capped at 100/month
  • They diverge on capability: Substack covers Newsletter publishing, Typeform covers Conversational forms.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Substack and Typeform actually diverge.

Attributes where Substack and Typeform differ
AttributeSubstackTypeform
Pricing modelfreemiumUnknown
PlatformsWeb, MobileWeb
CategoryNews & MediaMarketing
Founded20172012

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 Typeform

  • Conversational forms
  • Logic jumps
  • Calculator fields
  • Payment collection
  • File uploads
  • Multi-language forms
  • Mobile responsive
  • Real-time analytics

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Substack

  • Newsletter distributionnot Typeform
  • Reader monetizationnot Typeform
  • Community buildingnot Typeform
  • Subscriber managementnot Typeform

Typeform

  • Customer feedback surveysnot Substack
  • Lead generation formsnot Substack
  • Event registrationsnot Substack
  • Job applicationsnot Substack
  • Market researchnot 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

Typeform

  • Free plan limited to 10 responses per month; Basic plan capped at 100/month
  • Branding removal only available on Plus plan ($56/month) and above
  • No self-hosting or on-premise deployment options

Pricing, plan by plan

Substack

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited newsletters
    • Basic design
    • Archive access
  • Pro$12/month
    • Custom domain
    • Advanced analytics
    • Member chat

Typeform

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Typeform review.

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.
Substack review

Choose Typeform if

  • You need conversational forms.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want logic jumps.
Typeform review

Questions people ask

Is Substack or Typeform better?
Neither clearly leads. Substack starts at Free and Typeform at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Substack or Typeform?
Substack starts at Free and Typeform at Free.
Does Substack or Typeform run on more platforms?
Substack runs on Web, Mobile. Typeform runs on Web.
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 Typeform is typically brought in for.
What can Substack do that Typeform cannot?
Substack covers Newsletter publishing, Subscriber management, Paid subscriptions, Email analytics. Typeform covers Conversational forms, Logic jumps, Calculator fields, Payment collection.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Typeform: What are Typeform's pricing tiers?

Typeform offers a free plan (10 responses/month), Basic at $28/month billed annually (100 responses/month, 1 user), Plus at $56/month billed annually (1,000 responses/month, 3 users, branding removed), and Business at $91/month billed annually (10,000 responses/month, 5 users).

Source
Typeform: Does Typeform have a free tier?

Yes. Typeform offers a free plan limited to 10 form responses per month with Typeform branding.

Source
Typeform: What integrations does Typeform support?

Typeform integrates with ActiveCampaign, Calendly, CallRail, Intercom, Klaviyo, Slack, Stripe, Webflow, and Zapier for workflow automation.

Source
Typeform: Can users export data from Typeform?

Yes. Typeform provides API access for data export. Users can retrieve form data and responses through the API using the GET /forms/:formId endpoint and export to CSV through integrations like Zapier or Airbyte.

Source
Typeform: Does Typeform offer self-hosting options?

No. Typeform is a cloud-based SaaS platform only. Self-hosted alternatives exist in the open-source form builder category, but Typeform itself does not offer on-premise deployment.

Source
Typeform: When is branding removed from Typeform?

Typeform branding is automatically removed only on the Plus plan ($56/month billed annually) and higher. The free and Basic plans display Typeform branding on forms.

Source
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Related pages

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