Substack vs WordPress: Which One is Right for You?

Substack vs WordPress: So you want to start publishing—but where? If you’re a writer, blogger or entrepreneur you’ve probably heard of Substack and WordPress. Both are powerful but serve different purposes.

Substack is great for writers who want a newsletter only platform with built in monetization. Easy to use but limited customization.

WordPress gives you full control over your website, design and content strategy. More flexible but requires some technical know how.

It depends on your goals, audience growth strategy and monetization plans. Do you want a hassle free way to send newsletters? Or do you prefer a fully customizable website that can scale?

In this post we’ll compare ease of use, customization, SEO, monetization and scalability to help you decide. Let’s get started and find the right one for you!

WordPress is an awesome, open-source content management system (CMS) that was launched in 2003. It now powers over 40% of all websites globally, making it the most popular CMS in the world. Whether you’re building a simple blog, a business website or a full-fledged online store, WordPress is super flexible and scalable to your needs.

Who is WordPress for?

• WordPress is for bloggers and content creators. Content can be easily published and managed using an editor.
• Businesses and entrepreneurs: Create a professional website with complete control over branding and functionality.
• WooCommerce and membership plugins enable you to sell things, offer subscriptions, and manage communities.

Key Features of WordPress:

• Highly configurable – Choose from thousands of free and premium themes, and add functionality with over 60,000 plugins.
• Full Content Ownership – Unlike hosted solutions, self-hosted WordPress provides complete control over your content and data.
• SEO Friendly – Optimize your content with complex SEO plugins such as Yoast SEO and RankMath.
• Scalable – Whether you’re launching a personal blog or a company website, WordPress can grow alongside you.
• WordPress offers ads, memberships, eCommerce, subscriptions, and affiliate marketing, all of which allow you to keep 100% of your earnings.

Things to consider:

• While WordPress provides complete power and flexibility, it does require some setup, including:
• Hosting and domain registration require a hosting provider (Bluehost, SiteGround, or Rocon for managed WordPress hosting) as well as a domain name.
• Maintenance and updates – To ensure that your site runs well, themes, plugins, and security must be updated on a regular basis.

Despite all this WordPress is still the platform of choice for creators and businesses that want long term growth, customization and income control.

Substack is a platform where writers and content providers can create email newsletters and grow subscription based audiences. Substack launched in 2017 and makes creating, distributing and monetizing written content super easy for independent writers, journalists and bloggers.

Who is Substack for?

• Substack is for writers and journalists. Publish long form content and email readers directly.
• Content creators and thought leaders: Create an audience without relying on social media algorithms.
• Independent publishers – Monetize content through paid subscriptions without the hassle of website management.

Key Features of Substack:

• Simple & Easy – No hosting, coding or website maintenance required – just write and publish.
• Built-in Monetization – Earn money from paid subscriptions while Substack manages payments and subscribers.
• Email First – Your material travels directly to subscribers’ inboxes, resulting in higher interaction than blogs or social media.
• Community Building: Encourages reader participation through comments and discussion threads.
• No upfront costs – Substack charges a 10% commission on paid memberships.

Things to Consider:

• Limited Customization – Unlike WordPress where you have full control over the look and feel of your website, there’s only basic design options.
• Revenue Sharing – Free to start, Substack takes 10% of your earnings plus Stripe’s transaction fees.
• SEO & Discoverability – Since content is locked within Substack’s ecosystem, it doesn’t rank as well on search engines as a self-hosted blog.
• Content Ownership – Your content is hosted on Substack’s servers, so you’re at their mercy.

Both Substack and WordPress are great for content creators but they’re different. Here’s a comparison of their main features to help you decide which one is for you.

1.Ease of Use

Substack: Super easy—just sign up, start writing and publish newsletters. No need to worry about hosting, domains or technical setup. It’s a plug and play platform for writers who don’t want to deal with website management.

WordPress: Some setup—you need to choose a host, install WordPress and configure themes and plugins. But once set up, it’s unbeatable. Beginners might face a learning curve, but platforms like WordPress.com and website builders like Elementor make it easier.

Verdict: Substack is easier to get started with, but WordPress gives you more control once you get past the initial setup.

2. Customization

Substack: Limited customization—you can choose basic themes, fonts and layouts, but can’t fully customize the design. No option to add custom code, integrate third party tools or build complex page structures.

WordPress: Fully customizable—choose from thousands of free and premium themes or build your own from scratch. Install plugins for extra functionality, tweak CSS and even create custom page layouts with page builders like Divi, Elementor or Gutenberg.

Verdict: WordPress wins if you want full design control, Substack is better if you prefer simplicity.

3. Monetization

Substack: The built in subscription model makes it easy to monetize with paid memberships. But Substack takes 10% commission and Stripe’s payment processing fees (2.9% + $0.30 per transaction).

WordPress: You have multiple monetization options:

• Membership subscriptions (MemberPress, Paid Memberships Pro)
• Advertisements (Google AdSense, Mediavine)
• Affiliate marketing
• eCommerce (WooCommerce)* Digital products (Easy Digital Downloads)

Substack doesn’t take a commission, but WordPress doesn’t take any commission either. You get to keep 100% of your earnings (except for payment processing fees).

Verdict: WordPress is the better long term option for making money.

4. SEO & Discoverability

Substack: SEO is very limited. Newsletters can be found via Substack’s internal search, but don’t rank well on Google or other search engines. No advanced SEO tools.

WordPress: Powerful SEO tools like Yoast SEO, Rank Math, and All in One SEO to optimize content, improve search rankings and drive organic traffic from Google.

Verdict: WordPress is the clear winner for SEO, so your content reaches a larger audience beyond just newsletter subscribers.

5. Scalability

Substack: Good for small to mid-sized newsletters. If you only plan to write and send newsletters, Substack is perfect. But not scalable for businesses, advanced blogs or multi-content platforms.

WordPress: Good for personal blogs to large-scale websites. Can scale with your business:

• Membership sites
• eCommerce stores
• Online courses
• Multi-author publications

Verdict: WordPress is better for long-term growth, Substack is for smaller scale newsletters.

6. Content Ownership & Control

Substack: Substack hosts your content on their servers, so you don’t own your audience or data. If Substack goes down or changes policy, you could lose access to your content and subscribers.

WordPress: Full control over content, website data and audience. Self-hosted, you decide where your data is stored and how it’s managed. If you want to move to another platform, you can do so without restrictions.

Verdict: WordPress gives you full content ownership, Substack keeps you in their ecosystem.

7. Pricing

Substack: Free to start, 10% of all paid subscriptions + Stripe fees. There are no hosting or maintenance charges. Unless you move platforms, you will only be able to use Substack capabilities. 

WordPress is free software, but you’ll need hosting and a name ($50 to $150 per year for basic hosting). Premium themes, plugins, and other services all have different prices.* There is no revenue sharing. Thus, revenue-generating websites are typically less expensive. 

Verdict: Substack is less expensive, but WordPress is more expensive in the long term if monetized. 

It all comes down to your goals, technological ability, and long-term strategy. 

Here’s a comprehensive comparison table to help you decide:

Substack vs WordPress: Feature Breakdown

• Substack is great for writers who want a simple and hassle-free newsletter platform. This option is great for people who want to get started quickly and without any technical requirements.
• You earn the majority of your money through paid subscriptions.
• You do not need deep customisation or SEO to grow.

However, Substack is limiting if you want to do more than just send email newsletters. A blog, online store, or bespoke branding cannot be easily integrated.

• WordPress is ideal for producers seeking greater control over their content, branding, and money. Choose WordPress if you wish to totally customize your site’s look and functionalities.
• You intend to monetize via several channels (ads, subscriptions, digital products, etc.).
• You need strong SEO to attract readers beyond your email list
• You want a scalable platform that can grow into a full business.

Worried about the technical side? That’s where managed WordPress hosting comes in to make things easier.

Substack is simple. What if you could combine WordPress-level customisation with Substack-level ease of use? This is where Rocon Managed WordPress Hosting steps in.

How Rocon has made WordPress easier than ever:

• One-Click WordPress Installation – Get started right away with no technical skills required.
• Automatic Updates and Security – You won’t have to worry about updates or security fixes.
• Faster Performance – The built-in caching and CDN provide lightning-fast load times.
• 24/7 Expert Support – You will always have access to professional WordPress experts.
• Affordable Hosting Plans- Premium hosting without the expensive cost.

Rocon’s managed hosting offers the versatility of WordPress and the simplicity of Substack, giving you the best of both worlds.

Both Substack and WordPress are fantastic platforms, but they cater to different sorts of authors. Substack is great for publishing newsletters quickly and relying solely on subscribers for revenue.

WordPress is the long-term solution for complete control, improved SEO, and numerous ways to monetize and scale your brand. If you love WordPress but want a hassle-free experience, Rocon’s Managed WordPress Hosting is the solution.

It eliminates the hosting headaches and allows you to concentrate on building your audience and revenue. Ready to create your own WordPress website? Try Rocon Hosting now!

1. What is better for beginners: Substack or WordPress?

For novices searching for a straightforward platform to publish newsletters, Substack is excellent. Despite its learning curve, WordPress provides greater control and customization, particularly when combined with managed hosting like Rocon, which makes setup easier. 

2. Can I make money off of my content on both platforms?

Yes, but there are a number of ways to make money.Although Substack charges a 10% income cut, it does offer premium subscriptions. WordPress provides a range of revenue-generating opportunities without revenue sharing, such as affiliate marketing, eCommerce, memberships, and advertisements. 

3. Do I need technical skills to use WordPress?

No. While self-hosted WordPress requires installation and upkeep, Managed WordPress Hosting (such as Rocon) handles updates, security, and performance, making it as user-friendly as Substack. 

4. Can I move from Substack to WordPress later?

Yes, you may export your Substack subscribers and then import them into WordPress using newsletter plugins like MailPoet, ConvertKit, or Mailchimp. To properly manage subscriptions, you’ll need to set up a unique email marketing system in WordPress. 

5. Which platform is best for SEO?

WordPress is much better for SEO. Using plugins like Yoast or Rank Math, you may optimize your content for search engines and increase visibility. Substack has limited SEO capabilities, and most of your traffic will come from email subscribers. 

6. Does Substack allow me to use my own domain?

Yes, but connecting a custom domain requires a one-time payment of $50. WordPress gives you complete control over your domain, with annual registration prices ranging from $10 to $20.