Simple Membership Plugin vs Substack
Simple Membership Plugin
simple-membership-plugin.com
Substack
substack.comSide by side
| Figure | Simple Membership Plugin | Substack |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 4 | 4 |
| Spec score · Membership Site Platforms | 8.3 (#30) | 9.4 (#2) |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Integrations | The addon directory lists integrations including MailChimp, Zapier, bbPress, WooCommerce, ConvertKit, MailerLite, and AWeber; it separates free and premium addons. | 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. |
| Purpose | The free WordPress plugin lets site owners protect posts and pages behind member logins and offer free or premium content. | Substack is a publishing platform for writers, creators, and subscribers. |
| Support | The maker offers documentation and forum support for the free plugin, while paid troubleshooting is $39 per issue and may take 24 to 48 hours to assess and answer. | Substack directs users to its Help Center for FAQs and walkthroughs and handles subscriber support questions on behalf of writers. |
Plans
Simple Membership Plugin
- Core Simple Membership PluginFree
- Paid support$39, paid once
- Two-Factor Authentication Addon$39.95, paid once
- Form Builder Addon$47, paid once
Substack
- Free publishingFree
- Free to startFree
- Custom domain$50, paid once
- Paid subscriptionsPrice not published
In their own words
Simple Membership Plugin
Simple Membership Plugin has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
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.