Drip vs Substack: Features, Pricing and User Reviews 2026
Compare features, pricing, reviews, and more to make an informed decision
Drip
Drip is an email marketing platform built for online stores to automate campaigns, boost sales, and create personalized customer experiences.
Substack
Substack is a free newsletter platform that lets writers publish content, build direct reader relationships, and earn money through paid subscriptions.
Drip
Drip is an email marketing platform built for online stores to automate campaigns, boost sales, and create personalized customer experiences.
Substack
Substack is a free newsletter platform that lets writers publish content, build direct reader relationships, and earn money through paid subscriptions.
Drip
Automated email workflows for online stores
Abandoned cart recovery campaigns
Welcome series for new customers
Post-purchase follow-up sequences
Dynamic customer segmentation
Onsite popups and forms
SMS marketing capabilities
Visual workflow builder
Revenue tracking and analytics
200+ ecommerce integrations
Pre-built campaign templates
Email and chat support
Unlimited email sending
API access for developers
Substack
Free newsletter publishing with no subscriber limits
Paid subscription options with monthly and annual billing
Podcast hosting and distribution
Video upload and recording tools
Short-form Notes feature for quick updates
Mobile app for readers
Comment sections and community chat
Built-in analytics and growth tracking
Custom domain support
Recommendation network for discovery
Email list ownership and export
Drip
Drip uses contact-based pricing that scales with your business size. All plans include unlimited email sending and core features, with pricing based on how many people are on your list.
The entry plan starts at $39 per month for 1-2,500 contacts. This includes unlimited email sends, email support, dynamic segments, onsite campaigns, up to 50 workflows, unlimited sub-accounts, and full API access. As your list grows, pricing increases accordingly.
For 9,001-10,000 contacts, pricing is $154 per month, which includes everything in the entry plan plus chat support alongside email support.
Larger businesses with 95,001-100,000 contacts pay $1,199 per month and receive additional benefits like free migration from another platform and personalized onboarding assistance.
All plans come with a 14-day free trial that doesn't require a credit card, allowing you to test the platform risk-free.
Substack
Substack uses a simple and transparent pricing model that aligns with creator success. Publishing on Substack is completely free regardless of how many subscribers you have. You can send unlimited free newsletters without any charges.
If you enable paid subscriptions, Substack takes 10% of each transaction plus payment processing fees. The payment processing is handled by Stripe, which charges 2.9% plus 30 cents per transaction for credit card payments. Stripe also charges a 0.7% billing fee for recurring subscriptions (as of July 2024).
For non-credit card payment methods like direct debit, iDEAL, Bancontact, and SEPA Direct, different Stripe fees apply based on your country. Writers keep full control over their subscription prices, which many set between $5 and $20 per month or offer annual plans with discounts.