Substack vs WordPress: Choosing the Right Platform for Your Growth
Whether you’re a writer, creator, journalist, or marketer, at some point you’ve asked:
Should I publish on Substack, or build my own platform with WordPress?
Should I publish on Substack, or build my own platform with WordPress?
This guide offers a detailed, honest comparison of the two — no fluff, no bias — just facts and insights. By the end, you’ll understand:
- Which platform is better for email newsletters, content ownership, and scaling
- What customization, growth, and monetization options each offers
- How to migrate if you’ve outgrown Substack (and how to keep your subscribers)
1. Ease of Use
🟧 Substack: Instant Setup
Substack is plug-and-play. In under 5 minutes, you can:
- Create an account
- Start publishing posts
- Build a subscriber list
- Send email newsletters
No plugins, no tech setup, no design worries. For creators who want zero friction, it’s ideal.
🟩 WordPress: Slight Learning Curve, Infinite Flexibility
WordPress (especially the self-hosted version via WordPress.org) requires a bit more upfront work:
- Hosting setup
- Choosing a theme
- Installing plugins
But this small investment gives you complete creative and structural freedom — something Substack can’t offer.
👉 Looking to move your content without downtime? We offer seamless WordPress migration services.
2. Customization & Branding
🟧 Substack: Minimal Layouts
You get one clean blog layout, limited font and color options, and a basic header/logo. It’s intentionally simple — but if you want to reflect a brand identity, it’s a major limitation.
🟩 WordPress: Endless Design Possibilities
From minimalist personal blogs to immersive magazine-style layouts, WordPress offers:
- Thousands of themes (free + premium)
- Page builders like Elementor, Kadence, or Gutenberg
- Full CSS control for advanced customization
- Third-party integrations with Shopify, Stripe, Calendly, and more
Whether you’re a solo creator or an emerging publication, your site can scale with you.
3. Content Ownership & Portability
🟧 Substack: Platform-Controlled
You don’t technically own the platform. Substack hosts your content, controls the delivery infrastructure, and can change its terms at any time.
Yes, you can export your subscriber list and content — but the process is manual, and you may lose email formatting, image URLs, and post analytics.
🟩 WordPress: You Own Everything
With WordPress, you own your content, data, audience, and platform. You can export, migrate, or clone your site with full control.
No sudden policy changes. No platform risk. Just peace of mind.
4. SEO & Discovery
🟧 Substack: Weak SEO Tools
Substack posts are indexable by Google, but:
- You can’t set meta titles, meta descriptions, or structured schema
- URL customization is minimal
- No control over sitemap or robots.txt
- No SEO plugins, no Google Search Console integration
🟩 WordPress: SEO Powerhouse
- Add SEO plugins like RankMath or Yoast
- Control meta data, schema, and sitemaps
- Customize URLs, headers, alt text, and canonical tags
- Integrate with Google Search Console, Analytics, and GA4
- Improve Core Web Vitals with performance optimization plugins
👉 We offer full SEO audits for WordPress sites.
5. Email Newsletter & Community Building
🟧 Substack: Native Newsletter Engine
Substack’s real strength is its email newsletter flow:
- Beautiful delivery system
- Native subscriber management
- Option to publish only to paid members
But: it’s limited to one newsletter per account and offers no email segmentation or automations.
🟩 WordPress: Connect Any Email Platform
With WordPress, you’re free to choose tools like:
- Mailchimp, ConvertKit, Beehiiv, Brevo
- Add automations, sequences, tags
- Host gated content or premium memberships
You can also use newsletter plugins to run Substack-like emails from your WordPress dashboard.
6. Monetization & Business Growth
| Feature | Substack | WordPress |
|---|---|---|
| Paid Subscriptions | Yes (10% fee) | Yes (via MemberPress, RestrictContent) |
| Donations/Tips | Yes | Yes (via Stripe, Gumroad, BuyMeACoffee) |
| eCommerce | No | Yes (via WooCommerce, Easy Digital) |
| Ads & Affiliate Links | Minimal control | Full control (ads, affiliate blocks) |
| Sponsored Posts, Integrations | Limited | Fully supported |
7. Cost Comparison
| Expense | Substack | WordPress |
|---|---|---|
| Platform | Free, takes 10% cut | Free (self-hosted), no % fees |
| Hosting | Included | ~$3–10/month |
| Domain | Custom domains supported | Fully supported |
| Themes & Plugins | N/A | Optional costs for premium add-ons |
WordPress gives more flexibility in pricing structure. You invest more upfront but retain 100% of your revenue.
8. So… Who Should Use What?
| Creator Type | Ideal Platform |
|---|---|
| New writer, no tech knowledge | Substack |
| Hobbyist running a personal blog | Substack |
| Newsletter-only business | Substack |
| Creators building a content brand | WordPress |
| Creators serious about SEO & scale | WordPress |
| Businesses, agencies, or marketers | WordPress |
9. Thinking of Migrating from Substack?
Whether you’re moving 10 posts or 1000, Dellos can migrate:
- All your content
- Newsletter archives
- Subscriber lists
- Design elements (if needed)
- SEO metadata and redirects
And we’ll do it in 14 days or less with no SEO loss and no downtime.
👉 Check our WordPress Migration Services
👉 Book a Free Consultation