Substack vs WordPress Blog: Which Is Better for New Writers?

Want to start writing online but can’t decide between Substack and WordPress?

I’ve been running WordPress blogs for over 12 years and grew a Substack to 9,000+ subscribers in 13 months.

Here’s what I would recommend based on real experience with both platforms.

Quick Comparison Table

Feature	Substack	WordPress
Ease of Use	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Set up in minutes)	⭐⭐⭐ (Requires setup)
Customization	⭐⭐ (Very limited)	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Unlimited)
SEO Traffic	⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Platform authority)	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Full control)
Monetization Options	⭐⭐ (Subscriptions only)	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Multiple streams)
Content Ownership	⭐⭐ (Platform dependency)	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Full ownership)
Cost to Start	$0 (10% revenue cut)	$100/year
Email Features	⭐⭐⭐ (Basic)	⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Advanced with plugins)
Scalability	⭐⭐ (Limited growth)	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (Enterprise-ready)
Best For	Newsletter-first creators	SEO & full website needs

Core Differences Between Substack & WordPress
Pricing Breakdown: The Real Costs
Which Platform is Better for SEO?
Ease of Setup Comparison
Monetization: The Truth About Revenue
When to Choose Each Platform
Pros & Cons Lists
How to Set Up WordPress Like Substack
My Recommended Strategy
FAQ

Core Differences Between Substack & WordPress

At their core, Substack and WordPress are fundamentally different platforms with distinct purposes.

Substack is a newsletter platform optimized for sending email newsletters to subscribers.

The focus is on building an audience through email only. You can’t customize the design or add new pages beyond your newsletter content.

WordPress is an open-source content management system for building full-featured websites and blogs. It allows complete customization and control to create any kind of site you want.

The Ownership Question

A key difference is that Substack is a closed ecosystem – you are locked into their platform. If anything happens to your Substack account, you lose your content.

But you can export your email subscribers and then load them into another autoresponder of your choice.

With WordPress, you own your platform and content. You have full control and flexibility. Even if you switch hosts, your WordPress site and content goes with you.

The Email Reality

But keep in mind that WordPress is NOT meant to send out newsletters.

If you want to collect emails on WordPress, you’ll use your autoresponder’s forms (like ConvertKit, Kit, Beehiiv, etc.). WordPress is your content hub, not your email platform.

Pricing Breakdown: The Real Costs

Let’s talk real numbers because this is where most comparisons get vague.

Substack Pricing

The pitch: Free to start!

The reality:

10% revenue cut on all subscriptions
Stripe fees: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
Custom domain: $50/year (optional)

Example scenario with 100 paying subscribers at $8/month:

Gross revenue: $800/month
Substack fee (10%): -$80
Stripe fees (~3%): -$24
Your take-home: ~$696/month

That 10% cut adds up. Over a year, that’s $960 to Substack plus ~$288 to Stripe = $1,248 in fees.

WordPress Pricing

The reality of costs:

Hosting: $5-30/month (I recommend starting at $10-15/month)
Domain: $10-20/year
Theme: $0-150/year (I use GeneratePress at $59/year — or buy the lifetime license)
Essential plugins: Backup and security (many are free)
Autoresponder: $0-50/month (for email collection via forms)

Total realistic first-year cost: $300-800/year

But here’s the math that matters:

With 100 customers buying a $200 course on WordPress:

Gross revenue: $20,000
Hosting/tools cost: -$600
Your take-home: $19,400

Same 100 people on Substack at $8/month for a year:

Gross revenue: $9,600
Substack + Stripe fees: -$1,248
Your take-home: $8,352

The break-even point: If you’re making more than $500/month, WordPress becomes cheaper because you avoid the 10% Substack cut.

Which Platform is Better for SEO?

SEO is a great way to get a ton of free traffic to your website.

I’ve been using SEO for over 10 years to build my business. Here’s the honest truth about both platforms.

WordPress SEO Advantages

WordPress is well-known for getting great results with SEO.

I’ve developed a technique to rank articles in 24-48 hours using WordPress. Here’s what makes it powerful:

Full SEO Control:

Yoast or RankMath plugins for optimization
Complete control over meta titles and descriptions
Schema markup options
Custom permalinks structure
Better indexing control with XML sitemaps
Long-term organic growth potential

The main drawback: You’re starting with a brand new domain. This domain has zero authority on Google, which means you need to build up the reputation by publishing a lot of content and getting backlinks.

But I focus on long-tail keywords and topical authority. This allows me to rank new articles within days, even on a relatively new site.

Substack SEO Reality

When you’re using Substack to start writing online (or Beehiiv), you could automatically benefit from their high domain authority (92 out of 100) and start ranking on Google quite fast.

Substack SEO limitations:

Basic on-page SEO only
Relies heavily on platform’s domain authority
Limited control over metadata
Fewer customization options for ranking
Dependent on Substack’s SEO infrastructure

But here’s the risk: Those are platforms and they can ban you anytime. Don’t think it might not happen. There are horror stories of people getting banned from platforms all the time.

Even though they push the fact that you can rank your articles on Google and benefit from SEO, I haven’t seen many Substack articles ranking on page one of Google for competitive terms.

(To contrast that, Medium gives you way better opportunities to harvest some SEO traffic.)

My verdict: If you want your articles to perform well and attract traffic over time, WordPress is the way to go.

Which is Easier to Set Up?

Substack Setup

In terms of ease of use and setup, Substack is very easy to set up – just create an account and you can start publishing in seconds.

Go to Substack.com
Create account
Choose your subdomain
Start writing

Done. That’s it.

WordPress Setup

WordPress is a little trickier.

Even though setting up a WordPress site has become simple with most major hosting providers, there are more steps involved:

You need to:

Buy a domain name ($10-20/year)
Buy hosting ($10-15/month to start)
Install WordPress (most providers have a 1-click install feature)
Choose and install a WordPress theme
Configure essential plugins
Do some fine-tuning

As a beginner, this might seem overwhelming.

However, it’s worth spending a few days on because WordPress is more robust for SEO than Substack.

My WordPress Setup Recommendation

After 12+ years of WordPress experience, here’s my exact setup:

Theme: I use GeneratePress because it’s lightweight and scores 90+ on Google Web Vitals out of the box. It costs $59/year (or get the lifetime license).

Essential Plugins:

Yoast SEO – For search optimization (free)
UpdraftPlus – For backups (free)
Wordfence – For security (free)

For Email Collection:

Use your autoresponder’s embed forms (ConvertKit, Kit, Beehiiv, etc.)
Email automation happens in your autoresponder, NOT WordPress

That’s it. Delete 95% of the plugins you think you need. More plugins = slower site = worse Google rankings.

If you’re interested in learning exactly how to set up a WordPress blog for maximum free SEO traffic, check out my free course.

Monetization: The Truth About Revenue

This is where most articles get it wrong. Let me share what actually works based on real experience.

The Substack Subscription Model (Why I Don’t Recommend It)

Substack wants you to go one route: paid subscriptions.

Most creators price their subscriptions from $5-20 per month. On paper, this looks great. Recurring revenue! Passive income!

Here’s the reality I’ve seen:

After growing my Substack to 6,000+ subscribers in one year, I learned something important:

Only 2-3% of free subscribers convert to paid (not the 5-10% Substack claims).

Let’s do the math:

To make $10,000/month at $8/month subscription
You need 1,250 PAYING subscribers
At 3% conversion rate, you need 41,666+ FREE subscribers first

That’s insane.

Plus, there’s churn. People cancel subscriptions. Credit cards expire. Everyone hates subscriptions.

What Actually Works Better

I make a 6-figure income with a much smaller audience by selling:

Online courses: $200-400
Coaching: $1,000+/month
Consulting packages

The math that works:

10 sales of a $1,000 course = $10,000
100 sales of a $200 course = $20,000

Much more achievable than getting 1,250 paying subscribers.

WordPress Monetization Options

With WordPress, you have multiple revenue streams:

Subscriptions (MemberPress plugin) – if you insist
Affiliate marketing – promote tools you actually use
Digital products (Easy Digital Downloads)
Physical products (WooCommerce)
Online courses (LearnDash, Teachable integration)
Advertising (once you have traffic)
Sponsored content
Coaching/consulting (dedicated pages)

The winning strategy: Build your email list with free content, then sell higher-ticket products. Not $8/month subscriptions.

When to Choose Each Platform

Based on my experience with both, here’s my honest recommendation:

Choose Substack if:

✅ You’re just starting with no audience
✅ Newsletter is your PRIMARY focus
✅ You want zero technical hassle
✅ You don’t mind 10% commission forever
✅ You don’t need design customization
✅ You want to start publishing TODAY
✅ You’re okay with platform dependency
✅ You’re building audience first, monetizing later

Choose WordPress if:

✅ You want full content ownership
✅ You plan to scale beyond newsletters
✅ You need design flexibility
✅ You want multiple monetization streams
✅ You’re willing to invest setup time
✅ Long-term cost savings matter
✅ SEO and organic traffic are priorities
✅ You’re building a business, not just a newsletter

My Honest Take

After 12+ years with WordPress and growing Substack to 6,000+ subscribers in one year, here’s what I actually do:

I use BOTH strategically.

WordPress for SEO and authority content
Substack for rapid audience building
Drive Substack audience back to WordPress
Monetize with courses and coaching, NOT $8 subscriptions

This is how I built a 6-figure business.

Substack Pros & Cons

Substack Pros:

✅ Simplest setup – Register and write, that’s it
✅ Built-in email delivery – No plugins needed
✅ No upfront costs – Free to start
✅ Discovery features – Network effect within platform
✅ Payment processing included – Stripe integration ready
✅ Focus on writing only – No technical distractions
✅ Platform authority – Benefit from Substack’s domain ranking
✅ Notes feature – Like Twitter but for your audience

Substack Cons:

❌ 10% revenue cut forever – Adds up significantly
❌ Platform dependency risk – They own the platform
❌ Can’t add store/courses – Subscription-only monetization
❌ Basic SEO options – Limited optimization control
❌ No automation – Can’t create email sequences
❌ No segmentation – Can’t tag or organize subscribers

WordPress Pros & Cons

WordPress Pros:

✅ Full ownership & control – Your content, your rules
✅ Unlimited customization – 13,000+ free themes
✅ Multiple monetization options – Not just subscriptions
✅ Advanced SEO tools – Yoast, RankMath, etc.
✅ Scalable to enterprise – Handles massive traffic
✅ 100% revenue retention – No platform cuts
✅ Extensive plugin ecosystem – 60,000+ plugins
✅ Email automation possible – With right plugins
✅ Full data ownership – Export everything anytime

WordPress Cons:

❌ Steeper learning curve – More to learn initially
❌ Requires hosting management – Not hands-off
❌ More technical maintenance – Updates, backups
❌ Higher upfront investment – ~$100/year
❌ Security responsibility – You maintain it
❌ Slower to start publishing – Setup takes time
❌ Need to build domain authority – Starts at zero

How to Set Up WordPress for Content Publishing

Here’s my actual WordPress setup after 12+ years:

Step 1: Essential Setup

The foundation:

Hosting: SiteGround or similar ($10/month)
Theme: GeneratePress ($59/year or lifetime license)
SEO: Yoast (free)
Backup: UpdraftPlus (free)
Security: Wordfence (free)

That’s it. Delete 95% of the plugins you think you need.

Step 2: Email Collection

For building your list:

Use your autoresponder’s embed forms (ConvertKit, Kit, Beehiiv, etc.)
I don’t use WordPress email plugins
Email automation happens in your autoresponder, not WordPress

Step 3: Selling Products

I sell courses on separate platforms:

Gumroad
Teachable
Thinkific
Or your own checkout system

WordPress is your content hub. Link to your products, but sell them elsewhere.

Step 4: Speed Optimization

Why GeneratePress wins:

Lightweight code (90+ Web Vitals out of the box)
No bloat
Fast loading = better Google rankings

My setup philosophy: WordPress is for content and SEO. Everything else (email, sales, automation) happens on dedicated platforms.

Total cost to start: ~$180-300/year (way less than 10% forever)

My Recommended Strategy for New Writers

After building businesses on both platforms, here’s my exact playbook:

Phase 1: Foundation (Month 1-3)

Set up WordPress first:

Buy domain and hosting
Install GeneratePress theme
Set up essential plugins
Create 20-30 SEO-optimized articles targeting long-tail keywords
Focus on topical authority in your niche

Why start with WordPress? You’re planting seeds that will grow into organic traffic.

Phase 2: Audience Building (Month 3-6)

Start your Substack:

Create Substack account
Post 1 article per week
Use Notes daily (like Twitter)
Engage with 10-20 creators in your niche daily
Cross-promote with other Substacks

Why add Substack? Rapid audience growth. I averaged 300-500 subscribers per month.

Phase 3: Content Ownership (Month 6+)

Repost for backup and ownership:

Publish content on Substack (for audience growth)
Repost the same content on WordPress (for ownership)
Why? People get banned on Substack and lose everything
WordPress is your backup – nobody can take it away
Use both as separate acquisition channels
Monetize with courses/coaching, NOT $8 subscriptions

The Content Strategy

WordPress content:

SEO-optimized articles
Evergreen how-to guides
Long-form comprehensive posts
Optimized for Google ranking

Substack content:

Personal insights and stories
Weekly newsletters
Community engagement via Notes
Optimized for attention and shares

Where I Make Money

Not from Substack subscriptions. Here’s the reality:

Welcome sequence converts 3-5% in first 30 days
Average order value: $145 for courses
300-500 new subscribers monthly
That’s 15-20 new clients on autopilot

This beats trying to get people to pay $8/month forever.

Real-World Examples from My Experience

My WordPress Win

One article I wrote 3 years ago about note-taking still brings in 500+ visitors per month. It ranks #1 for several long-tail keywords.

Total effort: 10 hours to write and optimize
ROI: 18,000+ visitors and counting
Revenue generated: $20,000+ in course sales

Try doing that with a $8/month Substack subscription.

My Substack Win

I grew from 0 to 9,000+ subscribers in 13 months on Substack.

Strategy:

Posted 1-3 articles per week
Daily Notes engagement
Interacted with 10-20 creators daily
Kept everything FREE
Reposted all content to WordPress for backup & long-term SEO traffic

Result: 300-500 new email subscribers monthly, which I monetize with courses, not subscriptions.

Best month: 1,000+ new subscribers in April when I did a daily posting sprint.

Important: I repost every Substack article to WordPress. Why? I’ve seen people get banned and lose their entire archive. WordPress is my insurance policy.

Scalability & Long-Term Growth

Substack Limitations as You Grow

Once you hit certain subscriber counts, Substack shows its limits:

Can’t segment your audience
No advanced automation
Limited to subscription model
Platform dependency increases
That 10% cut hurts more

At 10,000 subscribers making $8/month:

Monthly revenue: $80,000
Substack cut: $8,000/month = $96,000/year

Ouch.

WordPress Scales to Enterprise

WordPress powers 43.4% of all websites, including:

The New York Times
Sony Music
Microsoft News
The Walt Disney Company

If it can handle their traffic, it can handle yours.

Plus: No revenue cuts. Ever.

Content Ownership & Platform Risk

Substack Risks:

⚠️ Platform control over your content
⚠️ Account suspension risks – People DO get banned and lose everything
⚠️ Terms of service changes (10% could become 15%)
⚠️ Export limitations (can export list, but not full site)
⚠️ Subscriber list portability issues (they’re “Substack subscribers”)

Real talk: I’ve seen creators get banned from Substack and lose all their content. This is why I repost everything to WordPress.

WordPress Advantages:

✅ Full data ownership – Everything is yours
✅ Easy migration between hosts – Switch anytime
✅ No platform lock-in – Freedom to move
✅ Complete export control – Download everything
✅ Your rules – No one can shut you down
✅ Backup for platform content – Repost from Substack here

My strategy: Publish on Substack for reach, repost on WordPress for ownership. WordPress is my backup and my real estate on the internet.

Audience Building Comparison

Substack’s Strengths:

Network effect within platform:

Recommendations feature (creators recommend each other)
Discovery through Notes
Cross-promotion opportunities
Email-first approach

My experience: I got hundreds of subscribers through recommendations from other Substack creators.

WordPress’s Strengths:

SEO-driven organic growth:

Rank on Google permanently
Content works 24/7 to attract readers
Multiple traffic sources (Google, social, direct)
Email list building plugins

My experience: Articles I wrote years ago still bring in subscribers daily.

The winner? Use both. WordPress for evergreen SEO traffic, Substack for rapid community building.

Alternative Platforms Worth Mentioning

Before you decide, know there are alternatives:

Ghost – Like WordPress but newsletter-focused (good middle ground)
Beehiiv – Substack competitor with better features
ConvertKit – Email platform with landing pages
Medium – For distribution and traffic (better than Substack for SEO)

But for most writers, WordPress + Substack combination beats them all.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Substack better than having a website?

No. Substack is great for newsletters, but you still need a website for:

SEO and Google rankings
Professional credibility
Multiple monetization streams
Full content ownership

I recommend having both – website for SEO, Substack for newsletter.

What is the downside of Substack?

The biggest downsides are:

10% revenue cut forever
Limited customization
Platform dependency
No advanced email automation
Can’t add courses or stores

Can you make money on Substack?

Yes, but not the way most people think. Don’t rely on $8/month subscriptions.

Better approach:

Build your audience FREE on Substack
Monetize with higher-ticket courses ($200-400)
Or coaching ($1,000+)

I make 6-figures using Substack to build audience, not to monetize directly.

Is WordPress free?

The WordPress software is free, but you need:

Hosting: $10-15/month
Domain: $10-20/year
Theme (optional): $0-150/year

Total: $150-600/year to run professionally.

Can WordPress do newsletters?

Not directly, but you use it with an autoresponder:

Embed forms from ConvertKit, Kit, Beehiiv, etc.
Collect emails on WordPress
Send newsletters through your autoresponder

WordPress is your content hub. Your autoresponder handles the email automation, segmentation, and sending.

Which is better for beginners?

For absolute beginners: Start with Substack (you can publish in 5 minutes)

For serious creators: Invest time in WordPress (better long-term ROI)

My recommendation: Start Substack while setting up WordPress. Use both.

Can I migrate from Substack to WordPress?

You don’t need to migrate – use both:

Export your subscriber list from Substack anytime
Import to your autoresponder (ConvertKit, Kit, etc.)
Repost your Substack content on WordPress for ownership

My approach: Keep both platforms. Substack for audience growth, WordPress for content ownership and SEO.

Conclusion: Using Substack & WordPress Together

Both platforms are complementary.

Here’s what I actually do after 12+ years with WordPress and 9,000+ Substack subscribers in 13 months:

Use WordPress for:

SEO and organic traffic
Authority content and guides
Multiple monetization streams
Full ownership and control
Long-term business foundation

Use Substack for:

Rapid audience growth (300-500 subs/month)
Newsletter and community
Personal writing and stories
Social-style content (Notes)
Initial audience building

DO NOT use Substack for:

$8/month paid subscriptions (terrible math)
Primary monetization (use courses/coaching instead)
Your only platform (you need your own site for backup)

My Exact Strategy:

WordPress blog for SEO content (ranks in 24-48 hours with my technique)
Substack to grow audience rapidly (hit 9K+ subs in 13 months)
Repost Substack content on WordPress for ownership (people get banned, don’t lose your content)
Treat them as separate acquisition channels – not integrated platforms
Monetize with courses ($200-400) and coaching ($1,000+), NOT subscriptions
Use autoresponder for email automation (not WordPress)
Keep Substack free to maximize growth and shares

This is how I built a 6-figure business.

You don’t need to choose one or the other.

Here’s the reality: Substack is rented land. People get banned and lose everything. That’s why you need WordPress.

My approach:

Publish on Substack for audience growth and reach
Repost the same content on WordPress for ownership
Use them as two separate acquisition channels
WordPress is your backup – your real estate on the internet

Every serious creator needs their own website. Not just for SEO and branding, but for protection. When (not if) platforms change their rules or ban you, your WordPress site stays untouched.

The key is understanding: Substack builds audience fast. WordPress protects that content forever.

If you want to learn my exact SEO strategy for WordPress that ranks articles in 24-48 hours, check out my free course here.

If you want to grow your Substack audience to 300-500 subscribers per month like I do, get my Substack system here.

Don’t waste time picking between them. Use both strategically. That’s what actually works.

About the Author: I’ve been building WordPress sites for 12+ years and grew a Substack newsletter to 9,000+ subscribers in 13 months.

I make a 6-figure income using both platforms strategically – WordPress for SEO and content ownership, Substack for rapid audience growth.

I repost all my Substack content on WordPress because people get banned and I don’t want to lose everything. This article is based on first-hand experience.