Substack review

Substack is the easiest way on this list to start writing and emailing posts without paying anything. Its features page says Substack is free to use, with no upfront costs, no monthly fees and no subscriber limits, and that it takes a 10% revenue share only when you earn money through paid subscriptions, before Stripe processing fees. The editor covers what most newsletter writers need: paywall breaks anywhere in a post, a free preview for paid posts, post scheduling, image galleries, audio and video embeds. Substack supports custom domains and lets you export your data, and it adds podcasts, video and live streams in the same publishing flow. Its biggest difference is the network: recommendations from other publications, Notes, leaderboards and search can bring readers to you. The limits show up on the website side. Design options are theme settings rather than a page builder, and there is no plugin system for SEO tools. On a growing paid publication, the 10% share can also cost more than a flat-fee platform such as Ghost.

Who it is for

Writers who want to start a newsletter-first blog for free and grow through a reader network

Price

Free to publish with no monthly fees or subscriber limits; Substack takes 10% of paid subscription revenue, plus Stripe fees.

Substack is free to use. There are no upfront costs, no monthly fees, and no subscriber limits on the free tier.
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 12, 2026.

Key features

• Free to use with no monthly fees and no subscriber limits
• Paywall insertion anywhere in a post and a free preview for paid posts
• Post scheduling with a date and time picker
• Custom domain support, including buying a domain through Substack
• Recommendations, Notes, leaderboards and search to reach readers on the network

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Nothing to pay until you earn from paid subscriptions
• Strength: The Substack network can send new readers through recommendations and Notes
• Strength: Podcast hosting and video are built in at no monthly cost
• Weakness: Substack keeps 10% of paid subscription revenue, before Stripe fees
• Weakness: Site design is limited to Substack's theme and layout settings
• Weakness: No plugin system for adding SEO or design tools beyond what Substack offers

Key facts

• Monthly fee: $0
• Revenue share: 10% of paid subscriptions
• Subscriber limit: None on the free tier
• Custom domain: Supported

Where it ranks

Substack is No. 3 in our Best Website Builders for Blogs verdict.