Substack vs WildApricot

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.

WildApricot is browser-based cloud software for managing membership organizations, websites, events, and related administration. Its online member database supports automated renewals, invoicing, recurring payments, and member self-service. Event tools handle custom registration forms, online payments, reminder emails, and attendance tracking. Email features include customizable templates, performance tracking, and scheduled or automated messages. The service describes WordPress widgets and single sign-on, Make and Zapier workflows, webhooks, and administrator and member APIs. Separate mobile apps for administrators and members include event, profile, directory, and payment features. The 100 Contacts plan costs $66 a month and includes a cloud-based membership and contact database and full customer support. WildApricot has no free plan, but offers a 60-day free trial without a credit card. Personify Payments processes membership, event, donation, and sales payments. There is no per-transaction platform fee, though payment-provider fees may apply; listed card rates are 2.99% + $.30 for Visa, MasterCard, and Discover, and 3.5% + $.30 with AMEX.