Three Substack alternatives we've used with clients
Each one trades a different amount of work for a different amount of control. Here's how they compare for a newsletter with about 5,000 subscribers.
| Solution | Price* | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kit (affiliate link) | $89/mo | Creator Network recommends your newsletter to readers of other lists | No self-hosted option, but reliability is strong |
| Ghost | $239/mo | The most Substack-like publishing and reader experience of the three, and the fastest to get running | Self-hosting is possible but complex; you're on your own for growth |
| WordPress (J&T booking page) | $149/mo** (our team's managed WordPress setup) | Easy to move between hosts; licensed plugins can handle memberships | No built-in recommendation network; needs ongoing maintenance to stay secure |
* Assumes 5,000 subscribers across free and paid tiers and up to 50,000 emails a month. Prices checked September 2026.
** Includes monthly hosting and email delivery, plus expert setup and annual maintenance spread across the year.
Ghost's Business plan is billed monthly without the annual discount and includes priority support; billed annually, the same plan is $199/mo.
Ghost prices by member count, so a 5,000-member list lands on its Business plan rather than its Publisher plan.
Managed or assembled?
Kit and Ghost's hosted plans are managed. You pay for convenience and support, and someone else keeps the lights on. WordPress is assembled. You pick the parts and keep more portability, and someone — you, or a consultant you trust — has to maintain it.
There are plenty of other Substack alternatives worth a look, but these are the three our team has had good experiences with. Beehiiv is a strong alternative, and it's missing from this list for one reason: it has the same portability problem. A principle we work by at Johns & Taylor is that you shouldn't be stuck on a platform if it changes its terms and conditions, or if one of its founders does something that goes against your values or your audience's.
Whatever you choose, budget for Stripe's payment processing fees — 2.9% plus 30 cents on each successful charge for standard US cards, as of September 2026 — and $10–20 a year for your own domain.
Want a second set of eyes before you pick? → Let's talk