Startup Alternatives
Newsletters & Email5 alternativesFreemium · 10% of paid subscriptions

Alternatives to Substack

Substack popularised paid newsletters and a writer-first publishing model. Indie alternatives let you own your list and avoid platform lock-in.

Pricing

10% of paid subscriptions

Free to publish; Substack keeps 10% of paid revenue

Freemium

About

Founded 2017

San Francisco, USA

Founders

  • Chris BestCo-founder & CEO
  • Hamish McKenzieCo-founder
  • Jairaj SethiCo-founder & CTO

Substack is a great alternative to

Tools in our directory that Substack can replace or compete with.

Top indie alternatives

Smaller, founder-led tools that quietly compete with Substack.

Ghost

Open-source publishing and newsletters.

Independent, non-profit alternative — own your domain, list, and content.

$9/moOSS

Buttondown

Indie email newsletter tool.

Markdown-first newsletters, no algorithm, no platform lock-in.

$9/moBootstrapped

Beehiiv

Newsletter platform for growing operators.

Bigger now, but a more flexible, monetisation-focused alternative to Substack.

$39/mo

Mataroa

Bare blogging and newsletters.

Community-supported, ad-free, no tracking writing space.

$9/yr or pay what you wantOSSBootstrapped

Publii

Open-source static blog CMS.

Generate a static blog you can host anywhere and email out via your provider of choice.

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