MailCheap
newsletter-platforms
Substack
newsletter-platforms
A hosted or self-hosted newsletter tool vs a reader-funded publishing network — compare free publishing, paid subscriptions, discovery, AI access, and brand control.
Dimension-by-Dimension Breakdown
Publishing Costs
Managed hosting starts at $19/month for 20,000 emails and up to 10,000 active subscribers. Self-hosting removes the software fee but still requires hosting and email delivery.
Publishing is free regardless of subscriber count. A free newsletter can grow without a recurring platform subscription.
Paid Subscription Monetization
No native paid newsletter subscriptions or paywall billing. Selling access requires an external system, so the hosted subscription covers publishing and sending rather than a complete paid-publication business.
Native monthly, annual, and founding-member subscriptions. Substack takes 10% of subscription revenue, with Stripe processing and recurring billing fees in addition.
Reader Discovery & Community
Website, signup forms, and imports support an audience you acquire yourself. No native reader network, social feed, or community discussion product.
Recommendations, Notes, the Substack reader app, comments, and community tools help readers discover and engage with publications inside the platform.
AI-Agent Access
MCP and REST API tools support campaign creation, scheduling, sending, contact management, and reports on every hosted plan, subject to the AI client's permissions.
Substack's official MCP connector provides read-only publication metrics for eligible Bestseller publications and their admins. It cannot publish posts, send Notes, or modify the account.
Sending Domain Control
Send from your own authenticated domain or an included shared address. Custom sending-domain support is included on every hosted plan.
A custom website domain is an optional one-time $50 upgrade, separate from domain registration. It does not provide equivalent control over the newsletter's sending infrastructure.
Hosting & Software Ownership
Choose managed MailCheap Cloud or self-host the open-source application with your own database and email provider. Self-hosting includes no support and makes you responsible for operations.
A managed, proprietary publishing platform. You can export your subscriber data, but cannot self-host the Substack software or its reader network.
Multimedia Publishing
Built around written email campaigns and a web archive, with images and customizable themes. No native podcast or video publishing suite.
Supports written posts, podcasts, video, and live content alongside reader discussions, making it better suited to a multimedia publication.
Reporting Focus
Campaign delivery, opens, clicks, bounces, unsubscribes, and list growth help operators manage email performance.
Publication metrics cover readership, traffic, subscriber growth, paid revenue, and retention. Particularly useful when paid readership is the business model.
Editor's Verdict
“Choose Substack if you want to start publishing for free, sell paid subscriptions natively, and benefit from its reader app, recommendations, and community. Choose MailCheap if you already bring your own audience or sell products elsewhere and want control over sending domains, newsletter design, AI-agent workflows, or hosting. MailCheap Cloud starts at $19/month, while its open-source version can be self-hosted with separate infrastructure costs. It does not include native paid subscriptions, so its flat fee is not a drop-in replacement for Substack's billing and paywalls. Substack's 10% platform fee matters when you monetize, but migration economics must include replacing those capabilities, not just comparing that percentage with an email subscription.”
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