--- title: Substack canonical: https://saasranked.com/software/substack/ category: Newsletter Platforms points: 71 rank: 4 of 12 facts_checked: 2026-10-09 --- # Substack Free-to-start newsletter platform that keeps 10% of what you earn from paid subscriptions. 71 points out of 100. #4 of 12 newsletter platforms. Vendor: Substack. Website: https://substack.com/ - Substack is free to start, with no platform fees until you charge readers [1]. - It keeps 10% of paid-subscription revenue; card fees come on top [1]. - Custom domains, subscriber CSV import and export, drip sequences and a reader referral program are listed features [2]. - Recommendations between publications are built in [1][2]. - In February 2026 Substack confirmed that an unauthorised party had accessed email addresses and phone numbers [3]. Verdict: Substack suits writers who want to start a paid newsletter at no upfront cost and tap its recommendation network [1][2]. The price is a 10% cut of paid revenue, plus card fees [1]. Its public pages do not describe an API, digital-product sales or a sponsorship marketplace [1][2]. It confirmed a data breach in February 2026 [3]. Best for: Writers who want paid subscriptions and reader discovery with no monthly fee. ## Points | Criterion | Line | Value | Points | Note | |---|---|---|---|---| | Earning | Paid subscriptions | Yes | 8/8 | Paid monthly and annual subscriptions through Stripe or in-app purchase [2]. | | Earning | Fee on paid subscriptions | 10 | 3/10 | Substack keeps 10% of paid-subscription revenue; credit card fees are extra [1]. | | Earning | Built-in sponsorship or ad network | Not published | 0/4 | Not published on the vendor's about or features pages; the footer only links to Brand Partnerships with no details [1][2]. | | Earning | Sell digital products | Not published | 0/3 | Not published on the vendor's features page [2]. | | Your list | Export your subscriber list | Yes | 8/8 | Features page lists a "Subscriber CSV export" [2]. | | Your list | Import subscribers | Yes | 5/5 | Features page lists subscriber CSV import and import from Stripe; helps migrate from other platforms [2]. | | Your list | Website on your own domain | Yes | 7/7 | Custom domains supported; you can connect a domain you own or buy one [2]. | | Your list | Send from your own domain | Not published | 0/5 | Not published on the vendor's features or about pages [1][2]. | | Your list | Open source | Not published | 0/3 | Not published on the vendor's features page [2]. | | Your list | Public API | Not published | 0/4 | Not published on the vendor's features page [2]. | | Growth | Recommendation network | Yes | 6/6 | Cross-publication recommendations are a built-in growth feature, free to use [1][2]. | | Growth | Referral program | Yes | 4/4 | Reader referral program rewards subscribers who refer new ones, with milestone tiers [2]. | | Growth | Send to a tag or segment | Yes | 5/5 | Targeted emails go to selected subscriber segments. No tag feature is described, so counted as segments only [2]. | | Growth | Automated email sequences | Yes | 4/4 | Drip campaigns send automated multi-email sequences with delays, triggered by subscriber events [2]. | | Growth | Subscriber source reports | Yes | 4/4 | Features page says creators can track where subscribers come from [2]. | | Growth | Subject-line A/B tests | Not published | 0/3 | Features page lists headline A/B testing only; subject-line tests on part of the list are not described [2]. | | Price | Free plan | Yes | 8/8 | Free to start with unlimited subscribers [1][2]. | | Price | Cost at 1,000 subscribers | $0 | 9/9 | No monthly fee; Substack takes a share only of paid-subscription revenue [1][2]. | ## Plans | Plan | Price | Per month (USD) | |---|---|---| | Free | Free [1] | $0 | Substack has no monthly tiers. It earns by keeping 10% of paid-subscription revenue [1]. ## Strengths - No monthly fee: the platform is free to start and keeps revenue only from paid subscriptions [1]. - Imports subscribers from CSV and exports the full subscriber list at any time [2]. - Built-in recommendations and a reader referral program help grow the list [1][2]. - Custom domains are supported, and a domain can be bought through the platform [2]. ## Limits - Substack keeps 10% of paid-subscription revenue [1]. - The public pages show no API documentation, digital-product checkout or sponsorship marketplace [1][2]. - Substack's CEO told users in February 2026 that an unauthorised party had accessed email addresses and phone numbers, collected from October 2025 [3]. ## Concerns - Infosecurity Magazine reported on 6 February 2026 that Substack's CEO told users an unauthorised third party accessed email addresses, phone numbers and internal metadata; data collection dated to October 2025, and financial data and passwords were not accessed [3]. ## Sources 1. [About Substack](https://substack.com/about), Substack, accessed 2026-10-09 2. [Substack features: publish, grow, and earn in one place](https://substack.com/features), Substack, accessed 2026-10-09 3. [Substack Confirms Data Breach, "Limited User Data" Compromised](https://infosecurity-magazine.com/news/substack-confirms-data-breach), Infosecurity Magazine, accessed 2026-10-09