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Substack is a strange beast, isn't it?
The idea is old, newsletter are everywhere, they don’t offer anything special, and yet, Substack’s booming like crazy.
But here’s what makes a difference for many people, including me.
The “free” plan
On most platforms, the free plan is like a free sample at the grocery store. You try, you get hungry, and then you’re annoyed because the real deal costs $19.99. That’s most free plans to tools these days. You get a few features for free, but when you really want to work, you’ve got to pay (a lot in many cases).
But Substack? They hand you the whole thing.
For free.
You can publish posts. Upload images. Share videos. Host podcasts. Send them all to thousands of subscribers. Build your brand. And they won’t take a single cent from you unless you start charging readers and someone actually pays. Which rarely happens compared to all the free users.
It’s almost suspicious, isn't it?
Because all these features are anything but free. Substack hosts all of our stuff (gigabytes of data) on their servers for free.
This feels countercultural.
Everyone else is looking for ways to squeeze every penny out of creators. They take a cut. They charge writers monthly. They have hosting fees. Even your favorite note-taking app has a “Pro”.
And newsletter tools are even worse. You pay for the number of subs. And it gets freaking expensive as your list grows.
Yet, Substack says: Here’s everything. Build your audience. Pay us only if you make money.
Strange…
The Free Mountain
It’s worth spelling out just how much Substack gives away for free:
Unlimited publishing — Whether you post once a month or three times a day, it’s all on them.
Email distribution — They send every post directly to your subscribers’ inboxes, no extra cost.
Podcast hosting — You can upload full episodes and have them syndicated to major players like Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Video uploads — Yes, even video — without a hosting bill hanging over your head.
Analytics — You can track your growth, see open rates, and figure out what’s working.
Community tools — Comments, chat, recommendations, cross-promotions with other writers and social media with Notes.
You can have hundreds of thousands of subscribers and still pay them nothing if you never charge those subscribers.
It’s a model that seems… unsustainable, doesn’t it?
The Economics of “Free”
Substack only makes money when you do.
If you offer paid subscriptions, they take 10% of the revenue. That means their profits scale directly with the success of their paid creators.
No ads, no upsells, no algorithm tweaks to make you buy “boosts.” They win when you win.
And that’s not going to last forever, I fear.
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