EmailOctopus vs Substack
Both are in Newsletter platforms. Here is how their plans, prices and features compare, taken from each vendor's own site.
The main differences
- Fees: EmailOctopus Billed yearly; price rises with subscribers; Substack 10% of paid-subscription revenue, plus credit card fees.
| EmailOctopus | Substack | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free plan · from $9/mo | Not verified yet |
| Free plan | Yes | Not stated by the vendor |
| Free trial | No | Not stated by the vendor |
| Plans | Starter ($0); Pro ($9/mo annual) | Revenue share () |
| Fees | Billed yearly; price rises with subscribers | 10% of paid-subscription revenue, plus credit card fees |
| Best for | Not stated | Creators |
| Key features | Drag-and-drop editor or your own HTML; 100+ mobile-friendly templates; Merge-tag personalisation; Automations | Newsletters with free and paid posts; Paid subscriptions set up in minutes; You own your content and subscriber list |
| Checked on | 2026-10-03 | 2026-10-02 |
Prices change; confirm on the vendor's site before you buy. Full details and sources are on each tool's page.
EmailOctopus
- Free plan with up to 2,500 subscribers and 10,000 emails a month
- 20% lifetime nonprofit discount
- Plans upgrade automatically as your list grows
- Pro includes unlimited users, landing pages and forms
Trade-offs
- The free plan shows EmailOctopus branding and allows 1 landing page, 1 form and 1 user
- There is no free trial; the free plan is the way to try it
- Pro starts at 10,000 emails a month at the entry tier
Substack
- No monthly fee is listed on the page
- Writers keep 90% of subscription revenue before card fees
- Set free or paid access post by post
Trade-offs
- Substack keeps 10% of revenue, on top of credit card fees
- The page does not list a plan comparison or feature tiers