Hoagiestack
A ridiculous primer on newsletter hosting by Joe Taylor Jr.
There are plenty of reasons why you might not want to host your newsletter on Substack.Regardless of what you've heard, it’s not your only option.
Why "hoagiestack?"
Where I live, just outside Philadelphia, we call our footlong sandwiches hoagies. And, just like you can make a hoagie out of all kinds of ingredients, you can roll your version of a Substack from off-the-shelf services or completely custom code.As a user experience consultant who has built many custom content management tools for newsrooms and media businesses since 1998, I have learned never to underestimate just how much journalists do not want to work with a CMS.That’s one reason why I think Substack appeals to so many folks who’ve been pivoting away from traditional media jobs and hunting for their own 1,000 true fans.Another big reason: the inherent promise that Substack amplifies your work across its own network. Many Substack authors benefit from getting recommended to an audience of readers already familiar with their subscription infrastructure. It feels almost effortless.The final reason: If you’ve been a writer and you just want to focus on writing, it can feel daunting to set up an actual business, get a business bank account, accept credit cards online, and all the other things you need to do so your readers can pay you. Substack makes that part of the process really easy. Again, it feels effortless.
Why would anyone want to work harder and give up exposure by hosting their own newsletter?
When I assess potential content solutions for our clients at Johns & Taylor, I ask a few questions:How comfortable would you be if your content host changed your terms of service overnight to something that’s not favorable to you or to your audience?What happens if your content host suffers a significant outage? Can you pick up your site and move it to an alternate provider?Would it damage your credibility or conflict with your values if your content host expressed explicit support for something (or someone) you don’t believe in?If you’re someone who can tolerate the worst conditions those questions anticipate, then you could be just fine on a fully-managed service like Substack.On the other hand, if you intend to spend more of your life focusing on your audience and you want to avoid dealing with reactive problems, consider these alternatives our team has recommended and deployed with some of our own clients:
| Solution | Price* | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kit | $79/mo. | Creator Network recommends your content across other lists | No self-hosted option, but their reliability is strong |
| Ghost | $81/mo. | Most "Substack-like" publishing and audience interface; Fastest out-of-the box solution of this group | Self-hosting is available but complex; on your own for amplification |
| WordPress | $99/mo.** | Easy to move between hosts; licensed plugins can handle membership tasks | No built-in network amplification; requires ongoing maintenance to prevent hacking |
* Pricing assumes 5,000 subscribers across multiple free/paid tiers, receiving up to 50,000 e-mail messages per month.** WordPress pricing based on monthly hosting and e-mail distribution fees, plus amortizing expert setup and annual maintenance.
There are also plenty of other Substack alternatives worth investigating, but those are the three our team's had good experiences with.Any solution on the market will also assume you're covering the (minimal, usually under 3%) transaction fees from Stripe, and that you're paying between $10-20 per year for the domain name of your choice.
Let us help.
Our J&T team is happy to offer you a "no-pitch," half-hour conversation to help you work through the pros-and-cons of running your content business on your own instead of relying on Substack.Just click the button below and get some time on our calendar. We'd love to know more about what you're working on, and who you're trying to connect with.
Wishing you luck wherever you publish,
Joe Taylor Jr.
Managing Director
Johns & Taylor
Some of the links above may lead to affiliate websites, which generate commissions for our team. We might, someday, earn enough to pay for an entire sandwich.Copyright 2025 Johns & Taylor. All Rights Reserved.