Blogaly vs Substack
Blogaly vs Substack
Compared on , using each platform’s own pricing and help pages.
The short verdict
Substack is free to publish on and has a reader app and recommendations that can bring you new subscribers. In return it keeps 10% of every paid subscription.
Blogaly costs a flat monthly fee and takes 0% of what members pay you, so once your paid revenue passes a few hundred dollars a month, you keep more. You also get a full website, cookie-free analytics and your domain included on Publisher and Business.
Side by side
Price to start
- Blogaly
- From $18/month (Starter); $35 Publisher, $239 Business. 14-day free trial, no card.
- Substack
- Free to publish, no matter how many subscribers you have
Cut of paid subscriptions
- Blogaly
- 0% platform fee on member payments, on every plan. Stripe’s standard processing fees apply.
- Substack
- 10% of each subscription payment, plus Stripe’s processing fees
Custom domain
- Blogaly
- Included on Publisher and Business, with HTTPS issued and renewed for you
- Substack
- One-time $50 fee; your publication must use a subdomain such as www
Newsletter sending address
- Blogaly
- Blogaly’s sending address with your sender name; replies go to your inbox
- Substack
- Sent from your Substack address, even with a custom domain
Reader discovery
- Blogaly
- No built-in reader network; readers find you through your site and search
- Substack
- A reader app and publication recommendations
Analytics
- Blogaly
- Built in and cookie-free: pageviews, visitors, sources, member growth, MRR, open and click rates
- Substack
- Statistics, included in your export
Export
- Blogaly
- Posts, settings and members export anytime, on every plan
- Substack
- A zip of your posts, subscriber list and statistics
| Feature | Blogaly | Substack |
|---|---|---|
| Price to start | From $18/month (Starter); $35 Publisher, $239 Business. 14-day free trial, no card. | Free to publish, no matter how many subscribers you have |
| Cut of paid subscriptions | 0% platform fee on member payments, on every plan. Stripe’s standard processing fees apply. | 10% of each subscription payment, plus Stripe’s processing fees |
| Custom domain | Included on Publisher and Business, with HTTPS issued and renewed for you | One-time $50 fee; your publication must use a subdomain such as www |
| Newsletter sending address | Blogaly’s sending address with your sender name; replies go to your inbox | Sent from your Substack address, even with a custom domain |
| Reader discovery | No built-in reader network; readers find you through your site and search | A reader app and publication recommendations |
| Analytics | Built in and cookie-free: pageviews, visitors, sources, member growth, MRR, open and click rates | Statistics, included in your export |
| Export | Posts, settings and members export anytime, on every plan | A zip of your posts, subscriber list and statistics |
Who each one suits
Choose Blogaly if…
- You already earn, or plan to earn, from paid subscriptions and want to keep all of it apart from Stripe’s fees.
- You want a publication that looks like your own brand, on your own domain.
- You want analytics without cookie banners.
Choose Substack if…
- You’re starting from zero and want to publish for free until you have paying readers.
- You want Substack’s app and recommendations to help readers find you.
- You don’t mind a revenue share in exchange for no monthly bill.
How to switch from Substack
- Export your publication from Substack (Settings → Exports). You get a zip with your posts and a subscriber CSV.
- Upload the zip with the Substack importer in Migration tools; see import your content.
- Upload the subscriber CSV in Members → Import; see import members. Paid subscribers can be linked to their Stripe customers if you use the same Stripe account.
- Coming from a platform without its own importer? Universal import takes JSON exports.
- When everything looks right, connect your custom domain and add redirects if your old post addresses were different.
Questions
Is Blogaly cheaper than Substack?
It depends on your paid revenue. Substack is free but keeps 10% of paid subscriptions. Blogaly’s Publisher plan, which includes paid tiers and a custom domain, is $35 a month with a 0% platform fee. At $350 a month in paid subscriptions, Substack’s 10% equals the Publisher plan; above that, Blogaly costs less. Stripe’s processing fees apply on both.
Can I move my paid subscribers from Substack?
Yes. Import your subscriber CSV in Members → Import. If you connect the same Stripe account you used on Substack, the import can link paying subscribers to their existing Stripe customers.
Will my Substack posts keep their dates?
Yes. The Substack importer keeps each post’s original publish date by default, and you can import everything as drafts first if you want to review it.
Does Blogaly have a reader network like Substack?
No. Blogaly doesn’t have a reader app or recommendation network. Readers find you through your own site, search and the people you already reach. If discovery inside a network matters most to you, Substack is the better fit.
Can I use my own domain?
Yes, on the Publisher and Business plans, with HTTPS issued and renewed automatically. On Substack a custom domain is a one-time $50 fee.
Sources
Competitor details as published on their own sites on 8 November 2026. Prices and features change, so check the source before you decide.
- Publishing is free; Substack keeps 10% of subscription revenue plus Stripe fees (support.substack.com)
- Custom domain is a one-time $50 fee, must be a subdomain; emails still sent from Substack (support.substack.com)
- Export gives posts, subscriber list and statistics as a zip (support.substack.com)
- Publications can recommend other publications (support.substack.com)
- Substack has a reader app (iOS in-app purchases) (support.substack.com)