Disctopia vs Substack
Disctopia
disctopia.com
Substack
substack.comSide by side
| Figure | Disctopia | Substack |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $6.99/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 13 | 4 |
| Spec score · Podcast Monetization Platforms | 9.2 (#2) | 8.6 (#10) |
| Company legal name | The Google Play developer listing names the maker as Disctopia L.L.C. | Crunchbase lists the legal name as Substack Inc. |
| Company size | LinkedIn lists Disctopia as a privately held company with 2–10 employees. | LinkedIn lists 51–200 employees, while Crunchbase lists headcount in the 101–250 range. |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Integrations | The published integrations list includes Apple Podcasts, YouTube Live, dynamic ad insertion, analytics tracking, transcription and podcast migration tools. | Official integrations include RSS, podcast distribution to Apple and Spotify, Google Analytics 4, Google Tag Manager, X and Facebook pixels, Google site verification, YouTube and LinkedIn account connections. |
| Rating on Apple App Store | 4.4 out of 5 from 17 ratings | 4.9 out of 5 from 540K ratings |
| Rating on G2 | 4.7 out of 5 from 5 reviews | 4.3 out of 5 from 17 reviews |
| Rating on GetApp | 4.5 out of 5 from 6 reviews | 0 out of 5 from 0 reviews |
| Rating on Google Play | 4.5 out of 5 from 41 reviews | 4.8 out of 5 from 319K reviews |
| Rating on Trustpilot | 3.4 out of 5 from 12 reviews | 1.5 out of 5 from 182 reviews |
| Support | The site advertises 24/7 support and dedicated account managers for Creative+ and Agency members. | Substack directs users to its Help Center for FAQs and walkthroughs and handles subscriber support questions on behalf of writers. |
| What it does | Disctopia provides podcast hosting and streaming for artists, podcasters, filmmakers and other content creators. | Substack is a publishing and subscription platform for writers, podcasters, video creators and media companies, combining content creation, email distribution, payments, community and analytics. |
Plans
Disctopia
- FreeFree
- Basic$6.99 a month
- Creative$9.99 a month
- Creative+$19.99 a month
- Agency$99.99 a month
- FreeFree
- FreeFree
- Basic$6.99 a month
- Creative$9.99 a month
- Creative+$19.99 a month
Substack
- Free publishingFree
- Free to startFree
- Custom domain$50, paid once
- Paid subscriptionsPrice not published
In their own words
Disctopia
Disctopia is a creator platform for indie musicians, podcasters, filmmakers, and authors, covering music, podcasts, films, videos, and audiobooks. Creators can check plays, listener demographics, engagement, and earnings in one dashboard, and distribute podcasts by RSS to directories including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music. An Apple Podcasts Connect integration can deliver shows, premium episodes, and eligible video episodes. The merch store handles print-on-demand and self-fulfilled products, global shipping, and automatic tax calculation, with zero commission on sales. Filmmakers can share private links and offer pay-per-view or rental access; film playback is described as 4K-ready. Weekly creator payouts run through Stripe Connect once earnings clear $10. Disctopia offers a free plan and a 30-day trial; paid plans start at $6.99/mo. It runs on Android, iOS, and the web. The company says data is encrypted in transit and at rest, but is not SOC 2 certified; customer data is stored and processed in the United States, with no EU, UK, or Swiss data residency.
Substack
Substack is a publishing platform for writers, creators, and subscribers, bringing posts, newsletters, podcasts, video, live streams, and pages into one publishing flow. Its editor supports scheduling, autosaved drafts, version history, templates, SEO metadata, and headline A/B testing. Creators can offer free or paid posts, subscriptions, trials, gifts, and group plans. Discovery tools include recommendations, Notes, leaderboards, referrals, and search; audience segmentation and email automation are also available. Podcast episodes can be distributed automatically to Apple Podcasts and Spotify, while video can go automatically to YouTube and LinkedIn. Publishing is free. When creators enable paid subscriptions, Substack keeps 10% of subscription revenue, and Stripe charges payment processing fees. Creators own their intellectual property and mailing list and can export their data. Substack serves writers, journalists, podcasters, video creators, experts, educators, and media companies. It is available on the web, Android, and iOS. Substack directs users to its Help Center and handles subscriber support questions on behalf of writers.