Substack made paid newsletters normal. You write, it sends, and readers can subscribe or pay in one click. The network effects are real: recommendations, Notes, the app, and discovery bring new readers you did not have to find. There is no monthly fee, and for a writer who wants to write rather than run software, that is a gift.
Cardel provides a home for your craft. Share and sell your work, grow your audience, and bring your community together on a site of your own. Cardel is not a paid-newsletter network; there is no paywall, no revenue share, and no discovery feed.
Substack is a network you publish into. Cardel is a domain you own, with blog, Showcase, Shop, Videos, and Schedule pages.
Substack takes a percentage of paid subscriptions. Cardel charges a plan and a small Shop fee; your audience list and email on your domain are yours.
Substack chat and comments live in its app. Cardel gives readers accounts on your site and you a Messaging Center for chat, forms, and mail.
Choose Substack when you want to write, get paid, and be discovered with the least possible setup.
Choose Cardel when you want your writing, audience, shop or bookings, and inbox together on your own domain.
You are the Forgemaster. Cardel is your forge. What you build is yours.
Cardel is a home for your craft: a site of your own with a blog, newsletter, shop, community, and one inbox. It can replace Substack when you want your work, audience, and sales in one place. The feature list below shows where the two overlap and where they part.
Yes. Cardel pages can link out to other products, so you can keep Substack for what it does best and bring the rest of your work to Cardel.
You don't pay for Cardel until you publish. Choose Starter, Pro, or Business when your site goes live. Substack sets its own prices, so check their pricing page below for current plans.
Start with Get Started, set up your site, and bring your work over at your own pace. You do not have to move everything on day one.
Compare features
A check means that capability is available. Substack is marked only when the offer is comparable, not the same product.
* Note: This table does not capture every feature of Cardel or Substack, and is not intended as a comprehensive list. We keep this page current, but Cardel or Substack may add or remove features that are not shown here.
Compare plans, prices, and what it costs to get started.
Cardel
Build at no cost, then choose Starter, Pro, or Business when your site goes live.
Substack
See what Substack charges on their pricing page.
Forge your community
Looking for a Substack alternative? Bring your work to a site of your own.
