MailerLite vs. Substack

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
MailerLite
Score 8.8 out of 10
Small Businesses (1-50 employees)
MailerLite is an email marketing platform for small businesses, creators, and ecommerce brands, used to automate the customer journey and grow a customer list. Users can send unlimited emails with every plan. Pricing starts at $10/month. MailerLite enables users to: Grow and engage their audience - Build newsletters, forms, pop-ups, landing pages, and even full websites with a Drag and drop builder that offers total creative control over designs. 150 customizable…
$0
per month 1 user
Substack
Score 9.2 out of 10
N/A
Substack is a subscription-based newsletter publishing platform.N/A
Pricing
MailerLiteSubstack
Editions & Modules
Free
$0
per month 1 user
Growing
$10
per month 3 users
Advanced
$20
per month Unlimited users
Enterprise
Custom pricing
per month
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
MailerLiteSubstack
Free Trial
YesYes
Free/Freemium Version
YesNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup fee
Additional DetailsAdditional 30% discount available to Non-profit organizations. Up to a 10% for paying yearly.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
MailerLiteSubstack
Considered Both Products
MailerLite
Chose MailerLite
I moved to Constant Contact from MailerLite as the reporting and segmentation was deeper. But the editor and the lack of decent forms and landing pages soon brought me back to MailerLite.

Mailchimp got too expensive.
Chose MailerLite
It's cheaper and way better supported. Unlike Mailchimp, MailerLite supports small businesses and does not charge until you hit 1,000 subscribers.
Chose MailerLite
It seemed complicated to me, MailerLite is easier to use and more transparent.

Nekem bonyolultnak tűnt, a MailerLite könnyebben használható, átláthatóbb.
Chose MailerLite
Better CS even during our free plan, they were hands-on with helping us whenever we needed it.
Chose MailerLite
MailerLite offers a similar service to MailChimp, but is less expensive. Hopefully the customer service with MailerLite will be better even with the tiered structure of customer service.
Chose MailerLite
The cost and flexibility to do what we need is why we went to MailerLite.
Chose MailerLite
We chose MailerLite compared to the other one's listed because of the free live chat on the free tier.
Chose MailerLite
it's pretty much the same, even has some more restrictions that mailchimp when compared.
Chose MailerLite
It's better value for money. The service is quicker and more helpful.
Chose MailerLite
I selected MailerLite because the free version has all the capabilities I need now and is not time-limited. The paid versions are much more reasonably priced than competitors. I plan to upgrade to the paid version soon so that was a key concern for me. MailerLite lets me get …
Chose MailerLite
I didn't like Mailchimps pricing at the time of my decision. I preferred to ramp up in smaller segments of price/month. I also liked MailerLite's automation UX.
Chose MailerLite
MailerLite is easier to use and has a better user interface in my opinion
Chose MailerLite
I haven't used any others, but I was considering Mailchimp
Chose MailerLite
I moved over from Mailchimp because it became too expensive. MailerLite gives me even more value for a better price.
Chose MailerLite
Cheaper, mainly. And a little more user-friendly. Some other platforms, especially Klaviyo, are quite complex to understand and to get the most out of.
Chose MailerLite
The company I wanted to mention isn't in your dropdown list: BEACONS. While they're more like LinkTree, they also have a great feature to build a newsletter following and their AI prompts encourage you to send more newsletter blasts and then help write the e-mail for you with …
Chose MailerLite
MailerLite's price point is way more affordable, Klaviyo has more design freedom in terms of the layout and structure of the email content.
Chose MailerLite
MailerLite's billing plan is more simple and fit my budget better.
Substack
Chose Substack
Medium is not so good for running newsletter. I find the mail that a user gets is very easily readable. Also as a creator it's very easy for me to track the analytics and monetise my blogs unlike Medium.

Blogger is a very old technology. The kind of integrations and the support …
Chose Substack
Substack is like a simple Medium that you can also set up as a paid subscription so you can monetize. Mailchimp has been around for a while so its features are pretty well thought out, but the feature set might be a bit too much for a less experienced email marketer. Substack …
Chose Substack
I believe Substack seemed to offer a monetising solution to a very time consuming, labour of love blog, but it turned out to be just another dead end. The interface and ease of use is great, but it’s not as chunky with as detailed UX as other newsletter platforms I’ve …
Chose Substack
Substack is the DTC version of traditional blogging sites - you own everything, both upside, and risk, which appeals to me more. Compared to Blogger, the ability to monetize and site interface is night and day better. Compared to Medium, which I think has a better interface and …
Chose Substack
Substack is simpler and a lot easier to use than either of the above. Automattic is perpetually trying to sell you on "upgrading" their basic WordPress blogging product which is a pain to work with because of their obsession with "Blocks". It has more SEO and multimedia …
Features
MailerLiteSubstack
Email & Online Marketing
Comparison of Email & Online Marketing features of Product A and Product B
MailerLite
8.9
Ratings
11% above category average
Substack
-
Ratings
WYSIWYG email editor9.70 Ratings00 Ratings
Dynamic content9.10 Ratings00 Ratings
Ability to test dynamic content7.40 Ratings00 Ratings
Landing pages7.70 Ratings00 Ratings
A/B testing9.40 Ratings00 Ratings
Mobile optimization8.50 Ratings00 Ratings
Email deliverability reporting9.50 Ratings00 Ratings
List management9.50 Ratings00 Ratings
Triggered drip sequences9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Reporting & Analytics
Comparison of Reporting & Analytics features of Product A and Product B
MailerLite
7.0
Ratings
9% below category average
Substack
-
Ratings
Dashboards6.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Standard reports9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Custom reports6.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Pre-Send Testing
Comparison of Pre-Send Testing features of Product A and Product B
MailerLite
9.0
Ratings
12% above category average
Substack
-
Ratings
Email Previews9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
MailerLiteSubstack
Small Businesses
Mad Mimi
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Score 10.0 out of 10
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Score 10.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
VerticalResponse
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Score 10.0 out of 10
Pexels
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Score 10.0 out of 10
Enterprises
Emma by Marigold
Emma by Marigold
Score 9.4 out of 10
Pexels
Pexels
Score 10.0 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
MailerLiteSubstack
Likelihood to Recommend
9.0
(0 ratings)
8.7
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.1
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.7
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
9.4
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
MailerLiteSubstack
Likelihood to Recommend
I didn't have much luck when testing other similar tools and since we tested with free plan, we couldn't commit to something else if we couldn't get basic stuff fixed. That's when we switched to MailerLite, and their support was great and super helpful all the way (during our free plan, especially). Plus, they're super budget-friendly for startups, so I highly recommend.
Read full review
It's well-suited for a creative writer who is comfortable writing essays or short fiction. It's especially well-suited for writers who are focused on writing essays based on personal experiences. I'm not sure it has the tools at this point for someone who wants to serialize a novel or long-form non-fiction book. I'd like to see better multi-media tools for writers/content creators who are fluent in written and audio-visual methods of communicating.
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Pros
  • Offers a user-friendly interface, making it simple to create beautiful forms, group subscribers, and automate emails.
  • Includes email automation workflows in their free plan - the only provider I know of that doesn't charge you after one month or hit you with "transaction fees".
  • Excellent video tutorial library so you can learn email marketing as a beginner without feeling overwhelmed.
Read full review
  • Content organization/discovery - really easy to search.
  • Newsletter/email integration - by far better at previewing and delivering content than any other site.
Read full review
Cons
  • Setting up the automations is a bit confusing at first. But the customer support is patient and kind to walk you through the process.
  • The nuances between group and segment, automation and campaign are odd as most other ESPs don't do that. But they have great explainer materials.
Read full review
  • It's really difficult when multiple people are editing the blog at same time. Some things change or get overwritten due to which have to reload the page multiple times. Would like to see an experience just like in Google docs.
Read full review
Likelihood to Renew
Mailerlite is awesome and it does everything I need and then some. They're always innovating and adding new features, and their team is flippin' amazing. Can't see myself ever switching. They may not have everything, but looking at how well their team works, they'll get there for sure and I'm willing to wait.
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No answers on this topic
Usability
I can't express how happy and satisfied I've been with recent email exchange with Ivan from MailerLite support. He answered promptly, clearly and assisted me with urgent issue I needed to be taken care of asap. HUGE satisfaction! Excellent customer service! Thank you, Ivan!
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No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Timely responses, quality answers to my questions, showing that the support are knowledgeable and cares about my results. I've had other experiences with competitors, so I'm delighted that this team cares about my business. It's good to know there are real experts ready to jump in when you need help
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No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
MailerLite has similar features to the tools mentioned above. The main advantage is that it is very complete in its free version. This is ideal for those who are starting out and want to try a complete email marketing platform.
Read full review
Substack is the DTC version of traditional blogging sites - you own everything, both upside, and risk, which appeals to me more. Compared to Blogger, the ability to monetize and site interface is night and day better. Compared to Medium, which I think has a better interface and content curation abilities, Substack's advertising and promotion of your work are much better because they don't rely on premium members like Medium - it can get very click-baity there.
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Return on Investment
  • Having an email service such as MailerLite is essential to running our Taskforce. It is really the only effective way of communicating with such a large number of people.
  • MailerLite works well with non-profits and gives a good discount for those in this sector.
Read full review
  • Takes much much less time to produce content that you can charge for. This wasn't doable before, or you'd have to build it yourself
  • Substack has made it much easier for me to stay on top of ex-customer communications. I get repeat business more easily now.
  • Substack's speed & ease mean I can offload content writing & distribution to others
Read full review
ScreenShots

MailerLite Screenshots

Screenshot of reports, that can include unsubscribe count, spam complaints, bounces, link activity and other metrics that are critical to measuring success.Screenshot of automations for every subscriber journeyScreenshot of the MailerLite landing page builderScreenshot of an example newsletterScreenshot of some of the over 150 templates availableScreenshot of where to find MailerLite's integrations