SubstackReviews of substack.com

Somebody used my email to create an account and they are going crazy adding subscriiptions. Substack hasn't been any help yet in preventing this harassment.

Pathetic, unethical and immoral. Waste of time and cyberspace

UNETHICAL, IMMORAL AND UNPROFESSIONAL. I hesitated for a very long time to write this review because I have many subscribers and love them dearly, and they began paying me, but I never saw any of the money. I reached out for months and was always given the runaround. Now that I see the other reviews, I realize Substack scams their subscribers into thinking they are supporting their authors, but in reality, they are keeping the money!! How sad, I thought I had finally found a platform that supported authors' free expression and created community, but instead they are very corrupt!

Good luck trying to promote your writing to your own off-site link or a link that benefits you. You'll be flagged as Spam. I find it to be of little use. I left.

The thing I love about Substack is the non algorithmic setup it uses. The feed is Chronicle in order of appearance which keeps it real. The users help the authors by recommendations instead of ideology. If you want to see many voices and not be shadowbanned. Also there is no ad-click optimization and total editorial freedom. Also I am in control of my subscribers. If I leave I can export them to the new platform. When you look at the negative reviews surrounding Substack, the platform is rarely the problem. The real issue is the users' approach to it. Most of the 1-star complaints left by frustrated writers boil down to laziness, a complete lack of basic troubleshooting, or an attitude of entitlement. If you examine the actual mechanics of the platform, the most common grievances are easily debunked when you apply a layer of strategic thinking and personal accountability. The first major complaint centers on email notification fatigue, where users claim the platform floods inboxes with unwanted automated spam. This is a clear case of laziness in setting management. Substack provides highly granular dashboard controls allowing both creators and readers to fine-tune comment alerts, subscription notices, and publication digests. Blaming the software for a cluttered inbox is simply poor digital housekeeping by individuals who refuse to spend two minutes adjusting their own configuration preferences. Another frequent grievance is that Substack's 10% cut becomes a financial rip-off as a newsletter scales. This argument exposes a total failure to leverage the platform strategically. Substack provides a completely free sandbox to build a brand from scratch with zero upfront overhead, while simultaneously offering a clean, unrestricted CSV export tool. A smart creator utilizes this infrastructure for free hosting during the high-risk growth phase, and then smoothly migrates the audience to a flat-fee system like Ghost or Beehiiv once the math makes sense. Complaining about the fee structure is just an admission that the writer doesn't know how to execute a basic exit strategy. Writers also frequently cry foul over the native recommendation engine, arguing that it is a closed loop designed to only help established, elite voices thrive. This complaint stems from an entitlement mindset where creators expect the software to magically hand them an audience without any grinding. No platform owes anyone a readership. Substack delivers the distribution tools, but the author must provide the hustle by pitching other writers, sharing quotes, and actively networking. Those who fail after publishing a handful of posts are simply looking for a silver bullet instead of doing the manual labor required to market themselves. Finally, technical reviewers often penalize the platform because it lacks advanced marketing features, structured course layouts, or complex e-commerce funnels. Expecting a streamlined newsletter tool to act as an all-in-one digital enterprise is an architectural flaw in the creator's own business model. Relying on a single third-party platform to manage every facet of an operation creates a dangerous single point of failure. A resilient setup is modular, and the chronic complainers who blame Substack for these limitations are the exact same individuals who will migrate to a tool like WordPress, get overwhelmed by database plugins, and leave a bad review there too because they refuse to manage a proper tech stack.

I tried Substack for its free newsletter feature, but the monetization prompts are incredibly aggressive and intrusive. It pushes readers to pledge money almost immediately by opening a new tab and capturing your audience, which is a horrible way to approach potential subscribers. Not recommended.

I’ve been casually using Substack for several months now (< 1 year so far), and although I'm an unpaid user and only subscribe to writers & independent journalists on the platform, I have honestly had no issues whatsoever. From my perspective, it seems like a quality app with even higher-quality talent putting out great writing & other adjacent supporting content.

Substack have an age verification process designed to frustrate even the most patient person, which I am not obviously. Unfortunately there is a feed I like to watch, so it is bye bye to that luxury. There seems to be a loss of good software now that companies think AI can replace people, we are all going to hell because we worship money. How fast depends on All of us I suppose. Better enjoy what we have while it lasts.