Substack

Substack removes almost every setup decision. You create a publication, pick a name, and start writing in a simple editor. Each post goes out by email and appears on your Substack site. When you are ready, you turn on paid subscriptions and choose which posts are for paying readers. Substack is free to use; it takes a percentage of paid subscription revenue, and payment processing fees apply on top.

Discovery is the other half of the deal. Readers use the Substack app, and writers can recommend each other, so a new publication can gain subscribers from inside the network. For writers starting from zero, this can matter more than any feature. Substack also supports podcasts and community features such as chat and comments, so it can act as the home for a writer, a podcaster or both.

The trade-offs show up later. Design control is limited compared with Ghost, and automations are minimal compared with Kit or beehiiv, so you cannot easily build sequences for different readers. The revenue share is cheap when you earn little, but once a paid newsletter brings in a steady income, a flat-fee platform can cost much less.

That is why many writers start on Substack and reassess later. Ghost suits writers who want a full website and no revenue share. beehiiv suits those who want referrals, an ad network and more growth tools while paying a monthly fee instead of a percentage. Your subscriber list and posts can be exported, which keeps that move possible.