MailerLite vs. Substack
MailerLite: An alternative home for your voice—and businessWhen you’re ready to turn a paid newsletter into a fully fledged business, it’s time to consider MailerLite.
Scale your newsletter and keep more of your revenue
Substack is a great option for many writers who want to monetize their newsletter content. However, as your audience grows, you may find yourself needing functionality that Substack doesn’t yet offer. At that point, it can be helpful to move to—or connect with—a dedicated email marketing tool.
Why host a paid newsletter on MailerLite?
Setting up a paid newsletter on MailerLite is simple, and keeps more of your revenue in your bank account—where it belongs!
0% commission
Substack’s 10% commission doesn’t feel like a lot at first, but as you grow it eats into a significant chunk of your revenue. With MailerLite you’ll only pay Stripe processing fees.
Build automations
With MailerLite, subscriber data is instantly available for automations. You can trigger workflows based on signups, link clicks, purchases, and more sans hacks or workarounds.
Personalize like never before
With dynamic content blocks you can show/hide content from free and paid subscribers as well as create custom fields. You can even deliver newsletters by subscribers’ timezones.
Earn more from every subscription
What you’ll pay on Substack depends on what you charge for your newsletter. Let’s say you charge $10, here’s what you’ll spend on MailerLite vs Substack.
| MailerLite | Substack |
| Service fee | $0/month | $0/month |
| Sales fee | 0% | 10% |
| Processor fee | Stripe | Stripe |
| Price for 500 paid subscribers | $20/month | $500 |
| Price for 1,000 paid subscribers | $30/month | $1,000 |
| Price for 5000 paid subscribers | $50/month | $5,000 |
| Price for 10,000 paid subscribers | $110/month | $10,000 |
Why stop at a paid newsletter? Sell digital products, too!
Add a new passive revenue stream to your paid newsletter with digital products. With MailerLite you can easily sell and manage your digital products and with detailed sales reports you can see how well your emails are performing.
Build and template your own branded newsletters
While Substack provides a very clean writing and editing platform, some creators wish they could add their own creative flair to their newsletter’s branding. Want to see how easy it is to make on-brand, engaging newsletters on MailerLite? Watch Alex, our video editor, create one from scratch with some brand guidelines we provided!
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Artist Remon de Jong fills his email list with potential buyers and exhibition attendees with a well-timed pop-up on his website.
- Remon de Jong, Artist4,500+ subscribers -
“The first thing I ever did in MailerLite was set up a welcome flow. This is a nice and easy way to introduce people to our business.”
- Max Haining, founder of 100daysofnocode12K Learners51% Open rate11% Click rate
3 automations to build on MailerLite
What funnels are writers and creators like you building on MailerLite to drive more passive income?
Introduce subscribers to your story, let them know how often they’ll be hearing from you, share 1-2 past issues of your paid newsletter then send a final email with an offer to sign up.
Use a time-based delay based on your publishing schedule to send a request for a testimonial after a subscriber will have received 3-5 newsletters. You can use our survey block to collect the responses!
MailerLite automatically creates a segment of “inactive subscribers”. You can use this to send a re-engagement campaign.
Integrate your website and newsletter
Instead of integrating a bunch of tools why not just host your website, forms, and newsletter on the same platform?
What’s more, with MailerLite you’ve got full control over how to brand your site. Use one of our many templates, or start with a blank canvas.
Know your audience like never before
Improve engagement with your newsletter thanks to built-in analytics and heat maps that show what subscribers like.
Of all our 150+ integrations, creators love these 3 the most
One of the downsides with Substack is that its API isn’t publicly available, meaning it can’t integrate with other tools. But we’ve got 150 and counting!
Wordpress
Use the official MailerLite signup form plugin to add embed signup forms and pop-ups to your WordPress site.
Canva
Add the graphics and images you create in Canva to your MailerLite Image Library in a couple of clicks.
Payhip
Using Payhip to sell digital products already? Add customer data to MailerLite to personalize email campaigns.
Check out all our integrations
Forms and landing pages
From pop-ups to dedicated landing pages, every paid plan on MailerLite includes unlimited access to the assets you need to promote your newsletter and generate more subscribers.
Full feature comparison: MailerLite vs Substack
| MailerLite | Substack |
| Sell digital products | ||
| Sell paid newsletters | ||
| Sell recurring subscriptions | ||
| Custom sending domain | ||
| Ecommerce integrations |
| Websites | ||
| Landing pages | ||
| Embedded sign-up forms | ||
| Pop-ups | ||
| Promotion pop-ups | ||
| Facebook custom audiences |
| Drag & drop newsletter editor | ||
| Rich-text editor | ||
| Newsletter templates | ||
| Create your own newsletter template | ||
| Edit links in sent campaigns | ||
| Custom HTML newsletter editor | ||
| Multilingual |
| Email automation builder | ||
| Automation split testing | ||
| Automation templates | ||
| Multiple trigger automations | ||
| Automated email sequences | ||
| RSS campaigns | ||
| API documentation |
| Landing page templates | ||
| Create your own landing page template | ||
| Custom domains | ||
| A/B split testing | ||
| Click maps | ||
| Blogs | ||
| Password protected pages | ||
| Custom code injection |
| Email A/B testing | ||
| Surveys and quizzes | ||
| Preview and send test emails | ||
| Dynamic email content | ||
| Auto resend campaigns | ||
| Unsubscribe page builder | ||
| Pop-up form A/B testing | ||
| Smart sending | ||
| Deliver emails by subscriber timezone | ||
| Preference centre |
| Custom date range reports | ||
| List growth reporting | ||
| Email click maps | ||
| Ecommerce sales tracking | ||
| Automation real-time reports |
| Knowledge base | ||
| Email marketing academy | ||
| Email support | ||
| Live chat support |
Try MailerLite free for 30 day
Whether you want to move to an entirely new platform or use a dedicated email marketing platform alongside your existing Substack, you can take MailerLite for a spin to see how you like it. Our 24/7 Customer Support team is always available to help you during your trial.
(Almost) everything you need to know about MailerLite as a Substack alternative
Is MailerLite better than Substack?
While we think we’re the bees knees, “better” is subjective. As a dedicated email marketing platform there are many things that MailerLite does that Substack currently doesn’t. For example, MailerLite is a much better option if you’re looking for more analytics, automation capabilities, and the ability to better personalize emails to your subscribers. We also have features that allow creators to sell digital products and build out fully-fledged websites and blogs. If you aren’t looking for any of those then Substack might be fine for you.
What are the downsides of Substack?
While Substack does many things well, it does have its downsides which cause many creators to seek out alternatives. These include:
Weak automation capabilities so it’s hard to build out things like automated sales funnels
Revenue sharing: Substack takes 10% of all your earned income through paid subscriptions. This can get very expensive as you grow and make you want to seek out a platform that charges a flat rate instead
Lack of branding options: Substack has a nice editing environment, but the inability to brand your emails or Substack site can make it harder for your newsletters to stand out
I already have paid subscribers on Substack. How can I move them over to MailerLite?
While Substack doesn’t allow payment data to be transferred, you can still retain your paid subscribers with the right strategy. Here’s what we recommend:
Segment your paid subscribers and create a personalized re-subscription campaign
Be honest and transparent about why you're making the move. Your subscribers will appreciate your authenticity especially if they’re already invested in your work
Create an onboarding email sequence to welcome your current paid subscribers and invite them to join you on your new platform.
Consider offering a discount to incentivize re-subscribing and make the transition easier
Follow up with a re-subscription email sequence to catch anyone who hasn’t made the move yet
Roll out this change to selected paid subscribers, for example 10% at a time
A thoughtful, well-communicated transition can help retain your paying audience and even strengthen their connection to your work.
Can I build a website or landing page like I have on Substack?
Absolutely. MailerLite includes a website builder and customizable landing pages, perfect for showcasing your newsletter, promoting your content, or building your brand.
What support options does MailerLite offer?
MailerLite offers 24/7 email support on our Growing Business plan and live chat on our Advanced plan. Plus, you’ll find a detailed knowledge base, tutorials, and onboarding help to make your move smooth.
Can I try MailerLite before committing?
Yes! You can try all of MailerLite’s features for free for 30 days. You won’t have to sign up with any type of credit card. We also have a generous free plan.