{"id":66651,"date":"2026-01-15T13:24:51","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T13:24:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/uncategorized\/avis-substack\/"},"modified":"2026-01-15T14:06:58","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T14:06:58","slug":"review-substack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/inbound-marketing\/review-substack\/","title":{"rendered":"Substack Review: Should you launch your B2B newsletter on this platform?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>50 million active subscriptions, authors generating seven-figure revenues and a simple promise: to enable independent authors and podcasters to share their content directly with their audience and earn money by offering subscriptions. On paper, Substack has it all.<\/p>\n<p>Is Substack really the Eldorado for B2B content creators, or an <a href=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/inbound-marketing\/\">inbound marketing<\/a> tool that mainly benefits those who already have a massive audience? We&#8217;ve analyzed this newsletter tool in depth to give you an honest opinion, far removed from fanboy rhetoric and bad-faith reviews. Read our Substack review.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-66574\" src=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/substack-homepage.png\" alt=\"substack homepage\" width=\"1800\" height=\"884\" srcset=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/substack-homepage.png 1800w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/substack-homepage-300x147.png 300w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/substack-homepage-1024x503.png 1024w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/substack-homepage-768x377.png 768w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/substack-homepage-1536x754.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\" \/><\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-transparent ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Sommaire<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/inbound-marketing\/review-substack\/#our-opinion-of-substack-in-brief\" >Our opinion of Substack in brief<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/inbound-marketing\/review-substack\/#what-exactly-is-substack\" >What exactly is Substack?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/inbound-marketing\/review-substack\/#substacks-key-features\" >Substack&#8217;s key features<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/inbound-marketing\/review-substack\/#multi-channel-publishing\" >Multi-channel publishing<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/inbound-marketing\/review-substack\/#podcasts-and-videos\" >Podcasts and videos<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/inbound-marketing\/review-substack\/#the-referral-network-substacks-secret-weapon\" >The referral network Substack&#8217;s secret weapon<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/inbound-marketing\/review-substack\/#integrated-monetization\" >Integrated monetization<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/inbound-marketing\/review-substack\/#substack-pricing-how-much-does-it-really-cost\" >Substack pricing how much does it really cost?<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/inbound-marketing\/review-substack\/#the-commission-model\" >The commission model<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/inbound-marketing\/review-substack\/#income-simulations\" >Income simulations<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/inbound-marketing\/review-substack\/#feedback-from-the-field-the-substack-reality\" >Feedback from the field the Substack reality<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/inbound-marketing\/review-substack\/#gross-figures-after-one-year\" >Gross figures after one year<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/inbound-marketing\/review-substack\/#real-time-investment\" >Real-time investment<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/inbound-marketing\/review-substack\/#key-lessons-learned-from-this-feedback\" >Key lessons learned from this feedback<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-15\" href=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/inbound-marketing\/review-substack\/#what-we-like-and-dont-like\" >What we like (and don&#8217;t like)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-16\" href=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/inbound-marketing\/review-substack\/#substack-vs-the-alternatives-which-tool-to-choose\" >Substack vs. the alternatives which tool to choose?<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-17\" href=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/inbound-marketing\/review-substack\/#substack-vs-ghost\" >Substack vs Ghost<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-18\" href=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/inbound-marketing\/review-substack\/#substack-vs-brevo-ex-sendinblue\" >Substack vs Brevo (ex-Sendinblue)<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-19\" href=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/inbound-marketing\/review-substack\/#substack-vs-mailchimp-wordpress\" >Substack vs Mailchimp + WordPress<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-20\" href=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/inbound-marketing\/review-substack\/#our-verdict-whos-substack-for\" >Our verdict Who&#8217;s Substack for?<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-21\" href=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/inbound-marketing\/review-substack\/#substack-is-for-you-if\" >Substack is for you if <\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-22\" href=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/inbound-marketing\/review-substack\/#skip-it-if\" >Skip it if <\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"our-opinion-of-substack-in-brief\"><\/span>Our opinion of Substack in brief<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<div class=\"overflow-x-scroll w-full\">\n<table class=\"table-auto w-full\">\n<thead class=\"bg-gold-500\">\n<tr class=\"text-sm\">\n<th class=\"p-2 border border-slate-600\">Perimeter<\/th>\n<th class=\"p-2 border border-slate-600\">Score<\/th>\n<th class=\"p-2 border border-slate-600\">Our opinion<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody class=\"bg-white\">\n<tr class=\"text-sm font-light\">\n<td class=\"p-2 border border-slate-600\"><strong>Overall rating<\/strong><\/td>\n<td class=\"p-2 border border-slate-600\">4,2<\/td>\n<td class=\"p-2 border border-slate-600\">Substack is probably the best tool for launching a paid B2B newsletter without technical skills. The all-in-one platform (publishing, email, payments, community) for 10% commission is a fair deal to get started. But the commission becomes painful as soon as the business really takes off.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"text-sm font-light\">\n<td class=\"p-2 border border-slate-600\"><strong>Ease of use<\/strong><\/td>\n<td class=\"p-2 border border-slate-600\">4,6<\/td>\n<td class=\"p-2 border border-slate-600\">Launch in 30 minutes, minimalist but efficient editor, zero technical configuration. This is Substack&#8217;s major strength: anyone can publish their first newsletter in less than an hour.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"text-sm font-light\">\n<td class=\"p-2 border border-slate-600\"><strong>Monetization potential<\/strong><\/td>\n<td class=\"p-2 border border-slate-600\">3,7<\/td>\n<td class=\"p-2 border border-slate-600\">The integrated payment system works well, but feedback from the field shows that converting free subscribers into paying ones remains difficult (often less than 2%). Substack is not an automatic cash machine.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"text-sm font-light\">\n<td class=\"p-2 border border-slate-600\"><strong>Quality-price ratio<\/strong><\/td>\n<td class=\"p-2 border border-slate-600\">3,4<\/td>\n<td class=\"p-2 border border-slate-600\">Free to publish, 10% commission on paid revenues (+3% Stripe). Correct to start with, but at \u20ac5,000\/month revenue, you&#8217;re dropping \u20ac650 in commission. A self-hosted stack would be cheaper.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"blocTips info-light\"><i class=\"fa fa-gift\"><\/i><span class=\"title is-5\">Create your Substack for free<\/span><br \/>\nSubstack is free as long as you don&#8217;t monetize it. You can create your publication, publish content and build an audience without paying a cent. The 10% commission only applies to paid subscriptions.\n<div class=\"buttons\"><a class=\"button is-normal is-info\" title=\"Substack\" href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener sponsored\">Launch my newsletter<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"what-exactly-is-substack\"><\/span>What exactly is Substack?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Substack is a subscription publishing platform launched in 2017 in San Francisco by Chris Best, Hamish McKenzie and Jairaj Sethi. The founding idea: to enable creators to monetize their audience directly, without advertising intermediaries or technical skills.<\/p>\n<p>In concrete terms, Substack combines in a single platform what would otherwise require several tools:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A blog (WordPress type).<\/li>\n<li>An emailing service (such as <a href=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/inbound-marketing\/review-mailchimp\/\">Mailchimp<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/automation\/brevo-review\/\">Brevo<\/a>).<\/li>\n<li>A payment system (such as Stripe)<\/li>\n<li>Community features.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The figures speak for themselves: 50 million active subscriptions, including 5 million paying ones. Top creators generate seven-figure annual revenues.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-66610\" src=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-statistiques.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"2026\" height=\"1350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-statistiques.png 2026w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-statistiques-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-statistiques-1024x682.png 1024w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-statistiques-768x512.png 768w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-statistiques-1536x1023.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2026px) 100vw, 2026px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Substack&#8217;s positioning is based on three pillars:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Radical simplicity<\/strong>: creating a publication takes less than 30 minutes. The editor is deliberately minimalist, so that the creator concentrates on content, not technique.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Total independence<\/strong>: no advertising, no algorithms dictating visibility. The creator owns his subscriber list and can export it at any time. Zero lock-in.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Aligned business model<\/strong>: Substack only makes money if you make money (10% commission on paid revenues). No fixed costs, no monthly subscription to use the platform.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"blocTips primary-light\"><i class=\"fa fa-lightbulb-o\"><\/i><span class=\"title is-5\">Salesdorado&#8217;s opinion<\/span><br \/>\nSubstack&#8217;s model is smart: free to start, commission only on success. It eliminates the barrier to entry and aligns interests. But beware: 10% commission is still 10%. Over the long term and with significant volume, the bill can be high.<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"substacks-key-features\"><\/span>Substack&#8217;s key features<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"multi-channel-publishing\"><\/span>Multi-channel publishing<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Substack&#8217;s core functionality enables you to publish simultaneously on three channels: the web (your publication accessible via a substack.com URL), by email (sent automatically to all your subscribers) and via the Substack Reader mobile application.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-66582\" src=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/substack-application-mobile.png\" alt=\"substack mobile application\" width=\"1400\" height=\"872\" srcset=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/substack-application-mobile.png 1400w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/substack-application-mobile-300x187.png 300w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/substack-application-mobile-1024x638.png 1024w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/substack-application-mobile-768x478.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>For each publication, you choose the access level:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Free<\/strong>: accessible to all subscribers, to build your audience and demonstrate your expertise.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Paid<\/strong>: reserved for paying subscribers, it&#8217;s your premium content that justifies the subscription.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Paid preview<\/strong>: free subscribers see an extract with a call-to-action to upgrade to the paid subscription. This can be a good way to tease out your premium content.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-66586\" src=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-ajouter-images-scaled.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1029\" srcset=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-ajouter-images-scaled.png 2048w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-ajouter-images-300x151.png 300w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-ajouter-images-1024x515.png 1024w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-ajouter-images-768x386.png 768w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-ajouter-images-1536x772.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The text editor is deliberately minimalist: images, links, quotes, basic formatting (bold, italic, lists). No advanced layout features, no custom widgets. It&#8217;s a conscious choice that forces us to focus on content rather than form.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-66594\" src=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-ajout-boutons.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1840\" height=\"1222\" srcset=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-ajout-boutons.png 1840w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-ajout-boutons-300x199.png 300w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-ajout-boutons-1024x680.png 1024w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-ajout-boutons-768x510.png 768w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-ajout-boutons-1536x1020.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1840px) 100vw, 1840px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"podcasts-and-videos\"><\/span>Podcasts and videos<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Substack isn&#8217;t just about text. The platform lets you host and distribute podcasts to all the major platforms (Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts) in just a few clicks. Episodes can be free or reserved for paying subscribers.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-66606\" src=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-podcasts-scaled.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"2048\" height=\"985\" srcset=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-podcasts-scaled.png 2048w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-podcasts-300x144.png 300w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-podcasts-1024x493.png 1024w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-podcasts-768x369.png 768w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-podcasts-1536x739.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>As for video, you can upload or record directly in your posts. Here too, this feature is restricted to paying subscribers. However, this feature remains basic compared to dedicated video platforms such as YouTube or Vimeo.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-66618\" src=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/substack-video-scaled.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1068\" srcset=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/substack-video-scaled.png 2048w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/substack-video-300x156.png 300w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/substack-video-1024x534.png 1024w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/substack-video-768x400.png 768w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/substack-video-1536x801.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"blocTips primary-light\"><i class=\"fa fa-lightbulb-o\"><\/i><span class=\"title is-5\">Salesdorado&#8217;s opinion<\/span><br \/>\nThe podcast and video functionalities are a welcome addition, but don&#8217;t expect professional production tools. Substack is first and foremost a writing platform. If podcasting or video are at the heart of your strategy, you&#8217;ll probably need additional tools.<\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"the-referral-network-substacks-secret-weapon\"><\/span>The referral network: Substack&#8217;s secret weapon<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>This may be Substack&#8217;s least obvious advantage, but it&#8217;s one of its most powerful. And it&#8217;s what really differentiates the platform from a simple blog with a newsletter.<\/p>\n<p>The principle is simple: you recommend other publications to your subscribers, and other creators do the same for you. When a reader subscribes to a newsletter, Substack suggests other similar publications, potentially including yours.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-66626\" src=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-recommandations-scaled.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"2048\" height=\"977\" srcset=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-recommandations-scaled.png 2048w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-recommandations-300x143.png 300w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-recommandations-1024x489.png 1024w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-recommandations-768x366.png 768w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-recommandations-1536x733.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The figures speak for themselves: according to Substack, <strong>40% of new free subscriptions and 15-20% of paid subscriptions come from this mechanism<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-66631\" src=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-recommandations-2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1992\" height=\"1300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-recommandations-2.png 1992w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-recommandations-2-300x196.png 300w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-recommandations-2-1024x668.png 1024w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-recommandations-2-768x501.png 768w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-recommandations-2-1536x1002.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1992px) 100vw, 1992px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>For a designer starting from scratch, this is a real advantage:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>On a classic blog, you need to generate 100% of your traffic yourself: SEO, social networks, advertising, partnerships&#8230;<\/li>\n<li>On Substack, part of the acquisition is &#8220;offered&#8221; by the ecosystem. Marie Vandoorne&#8217;s experience, which we&#8217;ll present to you in a moment, confirms this: 150 publications recommended her work, bringing her over 2,000 subscribers without any direct marketing effort.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Of course, it&#8217;s not magic. To be recommended, you first have to recommend. And to get other creators to notice you, you have to be active on the platform: commenting on their posts, interacting on Notes, creating links. It&#8217;s a real time investment, but one that can pay off handsomely when you play the game.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"integrated-monetization\"><\/span>Integrated monetization<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The payment system is managed entirely by Substack via Stripe. You have nothing to configure on the technical side.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-66622\" src=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-paiement.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1900\" height=\"884\" srcset=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-paiement.png 1900w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-paiement-300x140.png 300w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-paiement-1024x476.png 1024w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-paiement-768x357.png 768w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-paiement-1536x715.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1900px) 100vw, 1900px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Flexible pricing options:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Monthly or annual subscriptions<\/strong>: you&#8217;re free to set your own prices, with a minimum of $5\/month or $30\/year.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Annual discount<\/strong>: typically 10-20% off to encourage long-term commitment.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Multi-currency payment<\/strong>: your readers pay in their local currency (euro via SEPA, dollar, pound sterling, etc.).<\/li>\n<li><strong style=\"font-family: ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, 'Noto Sans', sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji';\">Paywalls and overviews<\/strong><span style=\"font-family: ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, 'Noto Sans', sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji';\"> Advanced tools for converting free readers. You can define a free preview of your paid articles, restrict comments to paid subscribers, or give progressive access to your archives. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"blocTips info-light\"><i class=\"fa fa-gift\"><\/i><span class=\"title is-5\">Create your Substack for free<\/span><br \/>\nCreating a Substack publication is free. You can test all the features, publish content and build an audience before deciding whether to activate paid subscriptions.\n<div class=\"buttons\"><a class=\"button is-normal is-info\" title=\"Substack\" href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener sponsored\">Create my publication<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"substack-pricing-how-much-does-it-really-cost\"><\/span>Substack pricing: how much does it really cost?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"the-commission-model\"><\/span>The commission model<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Substack&#8217;s business model is simple and transparent: the platform is free as long as you don&#8217;t monetize. As soon as you activate paid subscriptions, Substack takes 10% of your revenues.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-66635\" src=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/commissions-substack.png\" alt=\"substack commissions\" width=\"1852\" height=\"494\" srcset=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/commissions-substack.png 1852w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/commissions-substack-300x80.png 300w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/commissions-substack-1024x273.png 1024w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/commissions-substack-768x205.png 768w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/commissions-substack-1536x410.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1852px) 100vw, 1852px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Added to this are Stripe processing fees (approx. 2.9% + \u20ac0.30 per transaction).<\/p>\n<p>All in all, you can expect to pay a levy of around 13% on each payment.<\/p>\n<div style=\"overflow-x: scroll;\">\n<table class=\"table-auto\">\n<tbody>\n<tr class=\"bg-gold-500\">\n<td class=\"border border-slate-600 p-2\"><strong>Component<\/strong><\/td>\n<td class=\"border border-slate-600 p-2\"><strong>Percentage<\/strong><\/td>\n<td class=\"border border-slate-600 p-2\"><strong>On \u20ac100 collected<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"bg-white\">\n<td class=\"border border-slate-600 p-2\">Substack commission<\/td>\n<td class=\"border border-slate-600 p-2\">10%<\/td>\n<td class=\"border border-slate-600 p-2\">10,00 \u20ac<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"bg-white\">\n<td class=\"border border-slate-600 p-2\">Stripe fees<\/td>\n<td class=\"border border-slate-600 p-2\">\u2248 2,9% + 0,30 \u20ac<\/td>\n<td class=\"border border-slate-600 p-2\">\u2248 3,20 \u20ac<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"bg-white\">\n<td class=\"border border-slate-600 p-2\"><strong>Total withdrawn<\/strong><\/td>\n<td class=\"border border-slate-600 p-2\"><strong>\u2248 13%<\/strong><\/td>\n<td class=\"border border-slate-600 p-2\"><strong>\u2248 13,20 \u20ac<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"bg-white\">\n<td class=\"border border-slate-600 p-2\"><strong>Net creator<\/strong><\/td>\n<td class=\"border border-slate-600 p-2\"><strong>\u2248 87%<\/strong><\/td>\n<td class=\"border border-slate-600 p-2\"><strong>\u2248 86,80 \u20ac<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"blocTips success-light\">\n<p><i class=\"fa fa-book\"><\/i><span class=\"title is-5\">Going further<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/inbound-marketing\/create-icp\/\">How to create an ICP (Ideal Customer Profile)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/inbound-marketing\/software-affiliate-program\/\">Top 10 best affiliate programs<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"income-simulations\"><\/span>Income simulations<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Here&#8217;s what you can expect in net revenue, depending on your number of paying subscribers and your monthly rate:<\/p>\n<div style=\"overflow-x: scroll;\">\n<table class=\"table-auto\">\n<tbody>\n<tr class=\"bg-gold-500\">\n<td class=\"border border-slate-600 p-2\"><strong>Paying subscribers<\/strong><\/td>\n<td class=\"border border-slate-600 p-2\"><strong>At \u20ac5\/month<\/strong><\/td>\n<td class=\"border border-slate-600 p-2\"><strong>10\/month<\/strong><\/td>\n<td class=\"border border-slate-600 p-2\"><strong>15 \u20ac\/month<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"bg-white\">\n<td class=\"border border-slate-600 p-2\">50<\/td>\n<td class=\"border border-slate-600 p-2\">\u2248 217 \u20ac net\/month<\/td>\n<td class=\"border border-slate-600 p-2\">\u2248 435 \u20ac net\/month<\/td>\n<td class=\"border border-slate-600 p-2\">\u2248 652 \u20ac net\/month<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"bg-white\">\n<td class=\"border border-slate-600 p-2\">100<\/td>\n<td class=\"border border-slate-600 p-2\">\u2248 435 \u20ac net\/month<\/td>\n<td class=\"border border-slate-600 p-2\">\u2248 870 \u20ac net\/month<\/td>\n<td class=\"border border-slate-600 p-2\">\u2248 \u20ac1,305 net\/month<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"bg-white\">\n<td class=\"border border-slate-600 p-2\">200<\/td>\n<td class=\"border border-slate-600 p-2\">\u2248 870 \u20ac net\/month<\/td>\n<td class=\"border border-slate-600 p-2\">\u2248 1 740 \u20ac net\/month<\/td>\n<td class=\"border border-slate-600 p-2\">\u2248 2 610 \u20ac net\/month<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"bg-white\">\n<td class=\"border border-slate-600 p-2\">500<\/td>\n<td class=\"border border-slate-600 p-2\">\u2248 \u20ac2,175 net\/month<\/td>\n<td class=\"border border-slate-600 p-2\">\u2248 4 350 \u20ac net\/month<\/td>\n<td class=\"border border-slate-600 p-2\">\u2248 6,525 \u20ac net\/month<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"bg-white\">\n<td class=\"border border-slate-600 p-2\">1 000<\/td>\n<td class=\"border border-slate-600 p-2\">\u2248 \u20ac4,350 net\/month<\/td>\n<td class=\"border border-slate-600 p-2\">\u2248 8,700 \u20ac net\/month<\/td>\n<td class=\"border border-slate-600 p-2\">\u2248 13,050 \u20ac net\/month<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<p>The Substack model is perfect for getting started: zero initial investment, you only pay on success. But as your business grows, commission becomes a significant cost item.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Let&#8217;s take a concrete example: you generate \u20ac5,000\/month in subscription revenues. Substack charges \u20ac500\/month, i.e. \u20ac6,000\/year. At this level, a self-hosted stack (WordPress or Ghost + Brevo or Mailchimp + Stripe) would cost a few hundred euros a year maximum. <\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"blocTips primary-light\"><i class=\"fa fa-lightbulb-o\"><\/i><span class=\"title is-5\">Salesdorado&#8217;s opinion<\/span><br \/>\nThe tipping point is generally around \u20ac2,000-3,000\/month in recurring revenue. Below that, Substack&#8217;s simplicity is more than worth the 10%. Above that, it becomes rational to consider migrating to a less commission-intensive solution. But beware: migrating an audience is never trivial.<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"feedback-from-the-field-the-substack-reality\"><\/span>Feedback from the field: the Substack reality<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Substack&#8217;s marketing figures are impressive. But what about a French B2B designer starting from (almost) scratch? <a href=\"https:\/\/marievandoorne.substack.com\/p\/1-year-on-substack-a-brutally-honest\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Marie Vandoorne&#8217;s experience<\/a> offers a brutally honest look at reality.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-66639\" src=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Marie-Vandoorne-Substack-scaled.png\" alt=\"marie vandoorne substack\" width=\"2048\" height=\"899\" srcset=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Marie-Vandoorne-Substack-scaled.png 2048w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Marie-Vandoorne-Substack-300x132.png 300w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Marie-Vandoorne-Substack-1024x449.png 1024w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Marie-Vandoorne-Substack-768x337.png 768w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Marie-Vandoorne-Substack-1536x674.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"gross-figures-after-one-year\"><\/span>Gross figures after one year<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Subscribers<\/strong>: from 41 to 4,620 (growth x112)<\/li>\n<li><strong>Paid subscribers<\/strong>: peak at 50, then levelling off<\/li>\n<li><strong>Net income<\/strong>: \u20ac903.50 for the full year<\/li>\n<li><strong>Free &gt; conversion rate<\/strong>: around 1%.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"real-time-investment\"><\/span>Real-time investment<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Launch phase (4 months)<\/strong>: 8h\/day of intensive work: writing, Notes, comments on other publications, networking, promotion.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cruising phase<\/strong>: 1 article per week, i.e. around 4-6h of work per week.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"key-lessons-learned-from-this-feedback\"><\/span>Key lessons learned from this feedback<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Growth isn&#8217;t magic.<\/strong> The 4,620 subscribers were not acquired passively. They are the result of hard work on Notes, comments and cross-referrals. Substack provides the tools, but you do the work.<\/li>\n<li><strong style=\"font-family: ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, 'Noto Sans', sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji';\">Monetization is difficult.<\/strong><span style=\"font-family: ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, 'Noto Sans', sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji';\"> 50 paying subscribers out of 4,620, that&#8217;s a conversion rate of around 1%. This is at the low end of the B2B newsletter spectrum. Converting free readers into paying customers remains the major challenge, with or without Substack. <\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong style=\"font-family: ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, 'Noto Sans', sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji';\">Consistency is non-negotiable.<\/strong><span style=\"font-family: ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, 'Noto Sans', sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji';\"> Publishing weekly for a year was the key retention factor. Creators who publish erratically see their audience erode rapidly. <\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong style=\"font-family: ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, 'Noto Sans', sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji';\">The Substack network is powerful.<\/strong><span style=\"font-family: ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, 'Noto Sans', sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji';\"> 150 publications have recommended Marie&#8217;s work, bringing her over 2,000 subscribers. It&#8217;s a real growth lever, but one that requires you to actively cultivate your network on the platform. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"blocTips primary-light\"><i class=\"fa fa-lightbulb-o\"><\/i><span class=\"title is-5\">Salesdorado&#8217;s opinion<\/span><br \/>\nThis feedback perfectly illustrates our position: Substack is an excellent tool for launching and testing a paid newsletter. But it&#8217;s not an automatic cash machine. Success depends very much on your ability to produce quality content, actively distribute it and convert a free audience into paying customers. Substack facilitates the process, not replaces it.<\/div>\n<div class=\"blocTips info-light\"><i class=\"fa fa-gift\"><\/i><span class=\"title is-5\">Risk-free Substack testing<\/span><br \/>\nThe best way to find out if Substack is right for you is to try it out. Creation is free, and you only pay commission if you generate revenue. Launch your publication, post a few articles, and see if the tool works for you.\n<div class=\"buttons\"><a class=\"button is-normal is-info\" title=\"Substack\" href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener sponsored\">Launch my newsletter for free<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"what-we-like-and-dont-like\"><\/span>What we like (and don&#8217;t like)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul class=\"points-forts\">\n<li><strong>Ultra-fast launch:<\/strong> in 30 minutes, your publication is online. No server configuration, no themes to choose, no plug-ins to install. You write, you publish. This is a major strength for designers who want to test an idea without investing weeks in technical know-how.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Zero cost to get started:<\/strong> the platform is free as long as you don&#8217;t monetize. You can build an audience of 10,000 subscribers without paying a cent. The 10% commission only applies to paid revenues.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Powerful discovery network:<\/strong> 40% of new free subscriptions come from the Substack network (recommendations, Notes, app Reader). For a creator starting from scratch, this is a considerable advantage over an isolated blog.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Full exportability:<\/strong> you can export your subscriber list, archives and payment data at any time. No lock-ins, no hostage-taking. If you decide to leave, you leave with your audience.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Editorial independence:<\/strong> no ads, no algorithms dictating what you have to publish to be visible. You write what you want, when you want. Your relationship with your readers is your own.<\/li>\n<li><strong>All-in-one infrastructure:<\/strong> blog + newsletter + payments + community in a single platform. It replaces WordPress + Mailchimp + Stripe + Circle at a cost of 10%. For non-technical users, it&#8217;s a huge time and complexity saver.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-66602\" src=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-ajout-elements-speciaux.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1870\" height=\"912\" srcset=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-ajout-elements-speciaux.png 1870w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-ajout-elements-speciaux-300x146.png 300w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-ajout-elements-speciaux-1024x499.png 1024w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-ajout-elements-speciaux-768x375.png 768w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-ajout-elements-speciaux-1536x749.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1870px) 100vw, 1870px\" \/><\/p>\n<ul class=\"points-faibles\">\n<li><strong>10% commission:<\/strong> at \u20ac5,000\/month revenue, you&#8217;ll give \u20ac500 to Substack + \u20ac150 to Stripe. That&#8217;s \u20ac7,800\/year in commissions. A self-hosted stack would cost a fraction of that.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Limited SEO:<\/strong> Substack publications have good domain authority, but technical SEO control (custom meta tags, URL structure, loading speed) is fairly limited. If SEO is at the heart of your acquisition strategy, WordPress remains superior.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Editor too minimalist:<\/strong> no advanced layout, no custom widgets, no shortcodes. This is a conscious choice, but some designers will feel limited in their visual expression.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Difficult to convert from free to paid:<\/strong> feedback from the field shows conversion rates often below 2%. Substack facilitates payment mechanics, but doesn&#8217;t solve the fundamental problem: convincing readers to pay for content.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Dependence on a US platform:<\/strong> US servers, company subject to US laws. For organizations sensitive to issues of data sovereignty or strict RGPD compliance, this is a point of attention.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-66614\" src=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-statistiques-2-scaled.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"2048\" height=\"967\" srcset=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-statistiques-2-scaled.png 2048w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-statistiques-2-300x142.png 300w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-statistiques-2-1024x483.png 1024w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-statistiques-2-768x363.png 768w, https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack-statistiques-2-1536x725.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"blocTips primary-light\"><i class=\"fa fa-lightbulb-o\"><\/i><span class=\"title is-5\">Salesdorado&#8217;s opinion<\/span><br \/>\nSummed up in one sentence: Substack is the best tool for launching a paid newsletter quickly and without technical skills, but it&#8217;s probably not the best tool for scaling it over the long term. It&#8217;s up to you to decide whether simplicity is worth the 10% commission.<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"substack-vs-the-alternatives-which-tool-to-choose\"><\/span>Substack vs. the alternatives: which tool to choose?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Substack is not the only option for launching a paid newsletter. Here&#8217;s how it stacks up against the main alternatives.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"substack-vs-ghost\"><\/span>Substack vs Ghost<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ghost.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ghost<\/a> is often presented as the &#8220;pro&#8221; alternative to Substack. It&#8217;s an open-source platform that offers much more control over design, SEO and integrations.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The advantages of Ghost :<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>0% commission on revenues (you only pay for hosting)<\/li>\n<li>Total control over design and SEO<\/li>\n<li>Self-hosting for total sovereignty<\/li>\n<li>Interface available in several languages<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>The disadvantages of Ghost :<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Requires technical skills or managed hosting (from $15\/month at Ghost.org)<\/li>\n<li>No integrated discovery network, you&#8217;re on your own to acquire your audience<\/li>\n<li>More complex configuration than a simple Substack account<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Our verdict:<\/strong> Ghost is superior for designers with technical skills (or the budget to delegate) who want total control. Substack is preferable for those who want to get started quickly and benefit from the discovery network.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"substack-vs-brevo-ex-sendinblue\"><\/span>Substack vs Brevo (ex-Sendinblue)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Brevo is a French email marketing solution that can be combined with a WordPress blog to create a newsletter stack.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The benefits of Brevo :<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>French solution, native RGPD compliance, French support<\/li>\n<li>Competitive rates (free up to 300 emails\/day)<\/li>\n<li>Advanced marketing automation (scenarios, scoring, segmentation)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/crm\/\">CRM<\/a> and marketing tools integration<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>The disadvantages of Brevo :<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Requires a separate blog (WordPress, Ghost&#8230;) for web publishing<\/li>\n<li>No integrated payment system, so you&#8217;ll have to add Stripe or similar<\/li>\n<li>Less community-oriented than Substack<\/li>\n<li>More complex configuration (several tools to work together)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Our verdict:<\/strong> Brevo is preferable for SMEs that need advanced marketing automation and want a French solution. Substack is better suited to individual designers looking for simplicity.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"substack-vs-mailchimp-wordpress\"><\/span>Substack vs Mailchimp + WordPress<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The classic newsletter stack: WordPress for blogging, Mailchimp for <a href=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/automation\/10-tools-to-test-your-email-campaigns\/\">emailing<\/a>, Stripe for payments.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The advantages of this stack :<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Total control over every component<\/li>\n<li>SEO optimized with WordPress<\/li>\n<li>Variable but potentially very low cost<\/li>\n<li>Huge ecosystem of plugins and integrations<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Disadvantages:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Complex configuration and maintenance<\/li>\n<li>Multiple tools to manage, multiple invoices, multiple interfaces<\/li>\n<li>Requires technical skills or budget to delegate<\/li>\n<li>No integrated discovery network<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Our verdict:<\/strong> This stack is superior for established designers who are already generating significant revenues and want to optimize their costs. Substack is preferable for rapid testing and launch.<\/p>\n<div class=\"blocTips info-light\"><i class=\"fa fa-gift\"><\/i><span class=\"title is-5\">Test before you decide<\/span><br \/>\nThe best advice we can give you: test Substack for free for a few weeks. Publish some content, explore the features and evaluate whether the tool is right for you. You can always migrate to Ghost or another solution later, as Substack allows you to export all your data.\n<div class=\"buttons\"><a class=\"button is-normal is-info\" title=\"Substack\" href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener sponsored\">Create my first publication<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"our-verdict-whos-substack-for\"><\/span>Our verdict: Who&#8217;s Substack for?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"substack-is-for-you-if\"><\/span>Substack is for you if :<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>You&#8217;re a freelancer, consultant or expert and you&#8217;d like to try out a paid newsletter without any initial investment.<\/li>\n<li>You have no technical skills and want to publish your first article in less than an hour.<\/li>\n<li>You&#8217;re starting from scratch and want to take advantage of the Substack discovery network to acquire your first subscribers.<\/li>\n<li>You agree to pay 10% commission in exchange for total technical simplicity.<\/li>\n<li>You want to create an editorial side project (founder&#8217;s newsletter, industry column, niche media).<\/li>\n<li>You&#8217;re a freelance journalist seeking editorial and economic independence.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"skip-it-if\"><\/span>Skip it if :<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>You&#8217;re already generating several thousand euros in monthly revenue (the 10% commission is painful).<\/li>\n<li>You need advanced marketing automation (scenarios, scoring, advanced segmentation).<\/li>\n<li>SEO is at the heart of your acquisition strategy (WordPress offers far greater control).<\/li>\n<li>You&#8217;re a small business looking to integrate the newsletter into an existing marketing stack (CRM, automation, analytics).<\/li>\n<li>Strict RGPD compliance and data sovereignty are non-negotiable criteria.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Final rating: 4.2\/5.<\/strong> Substack deserves its reputation as the best tool for launching a paid newsletter quickly and without technical friction. The platform delivers on its promises: radical simplicity, powerful discovery network, aligned business model. But the 10% commission is a real deterrent. And above all, don&#8217;t expect miracles: the success of a newsletter depends above all on your content and your ability to build an audience, not on the tool you use.<\/p>\n<div class=\"blocTips info-light\"><i class=\"fa fa-gift\"><\/i><span class=\"title is-5\">Our final verdict<\/span><br \/>\nSubstack is the obvious choice for testing and launching a B2B paid newsletter on your own. Free to start with, easy to use, built-in discovery network. But keep in mind that it&#8217;s an excellent launch tool, not necessarily the best scaling tool. Try it out for free and make up your own mind.\n<div class=\"buttons\"><a class=\"button is-normal is-info\" title=\"Substack\" href=\"https:\/\/substack.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener sponsored\">Launch my newsletter on Substack<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: none;\"\n    class=\"kk-star-ratings kksr-valign-bottom kksr-align-center \"\n    data-id=\"66651\"\n    data-slug=\"\">\n    <div class=\"kksr-stars\">\n    <div class=\"kksr-stars-inactive\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"1\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"2\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"3\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"4\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\" data-star=\"5\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"kksr-stars-active\" style=\"width: 0px;\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n            <div class=\"kksr-star\">\n            <div class=\"kksr-icon\" style=\"width: 24px; height: 24px;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n    <div class=\"kksr-legend\">\n            <span class=\"kksr-muted\">Qu'avez-vous pens\u00e9 de cet article?<\/span>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>50 million active subscriptions, authors generating seven-figure revenues and a simple promise: to enable independent [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2810,"featured_media":66579,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[252],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-66651","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inbound-marketing"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Substack Review : Full review, Pricing &amp; Alternatives | 2026<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"50 million subscribers, but what&#039;s Substack worth to a B2B designer? Find out our Substack&#039;s complete review.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/inbound-marketing\/review-substack\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Substack Review : Full review, Pricing &amp; Alternatives | 2026\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"50 million subscribers, but what&#039;s Substack worth to a B2B designer? Find out our Substack&#039;s complete review.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/inbound-marketing\/review-substack\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Salesdorado\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-15T13:24:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-01-15T14:06:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1440\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"810\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Maxime Ben Bouaziz\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Maxime Ben Bouaziz\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"14 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Substack Review : Full review, Pricing & Alternatives | 2026","description":"50 million subscribers, but what's Substack worth to a B2B designer? Find out our Substack's complete review.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/inbound-marketing\/review-substack\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Substack Review : Full review, Pricing & Alternatives | 2026","og_description":"50 million subscribers, but what's Substack worth to a B2B designer? Find out our Substack's complete review.","og_url":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/inbound-marketing\/review-substack\/","og_site_name":"Salesdorado","article_published_time":"2026-01-15T13:24:51+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-01-15T14:06:58+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1440,"height":810,"url":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Maxime Ben Bouaziz","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Maxime Ben Bouaziz","Est. reading time":"14 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/inbound-marketing\/review-substack\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/inbound-marketing\/review-substack\/"},"author":{"name":"Maxime Ben Bouaziz","@id":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/dc19737b024dbd6e85440d988ae6d64d"},"headline":"Substack Review: Should you launch your B2B newsletter on this platform?","datePublished":"2026-01-15T13:24:51+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-15T14:06:58+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/inbound-marketing\/review-substack\/"},"wordCount":2796,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/inbound-marketing\/review-substack\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack.png","articleSection":["Inbound marketing"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/inbound-marketing\/review-substack\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/inbound-marketing\/review-substack\/","url":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/inbound-marketing\/review-substack\/","name":"Substack Review : Full review, Pricing & Alternatives | 2026","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/inbound-marketing\/review-substack\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/inbound-marketing\/review-substack\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack.png","datePublished":"2026-01-15T13:24:51+00:00","dateModified":"2026-01-15T14:06:58+00:00","description":"50 million subscribers, but what's Substack worth to a B2B designer? Find out our Substack's complete review.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/inbound-marketing\/review-substack\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/inbound-marketing\/review-substack\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/inbound-marketing\/review-substack\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/avis-substack.png","width":1440,"height":810,"caption":"avis substack"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/inbound-marketing\/review-substack\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Inbound marketing","item":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/.\/inbound-marketing\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Substack Review: Should you launch your B2B newsletter on this platform?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/","name":"Salesdorado","description":"Work smarter, close more","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/#organization","name":"Salesdorado","url":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/sdo-icon.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/sdo-icon.png","width":176,"height":176,"caption":"Salesdorado"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/dc19737b024dbd6e85440d988ae6d64d","name":"Maxime Ben Bouaziz","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/maxime-ben-bouaziz-96x96.png","url":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/maxime-ben-bouaziz-96x96.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/maxime-ben-bouaziz-96x96.png","caption":"Maxime Ben Bouaziz"},"description":"Maxime est un des \u00e9diteurs du site de Salesdorado. Sp\u00e9cialiste en inbound marketing et passionn\u00e9 de strat\u00e9gie m\u00e9dia.","sameAs":["https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/maximebenbouaziz\/"],"url":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/author\/m-benbouazizupbyweb-com\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66651","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2810"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66651"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66651\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":66664,"href":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66651\/revisions\/66664"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/66579"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66651"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66651"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salesdorado.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66651"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}