Is Cardel an alternative to Substack or WordPress?

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 or WordPress when you want your work, audience, and sales in one place. The feature list on this page shows where Substack and WordPress are marked.

Can I use Cardel with Substack or WordPress?

Yes. Cardel pages can link out to other products, so you can keep Substack or WordPress for what it does best and bring the rest of your work to Cardel.

How much does Cardel cost compared with Substack and WordPress?

You don't pay for Cardel until you publish. Choose Starter, Pro, or Studio when your site goes live. Substack and WordPress set their own prices, so check their pricing pages on this page for current plans.

How do I switch from Substack or WordPress to Cardel?

Start with Build Your Site, set up your home, and bring your work over at your own pace. You do not have to move everything on day one.

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SubstackvsWordPress

Substack is the simplest way to write a newsletter, grow it through its network, and get paid. WordPress.com hosts the world's most used publishing software with themes, plugins, and commerce plans.

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How Substack and WordPress compare

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.

WordPress powers a huge share of the web for good reason. This page compares WordPress.com hosted plans. You get the block editor, thousands of themes, comments and likes, Jetpack newsletters, and on higher plans the full plugin ecosystem and WooCommerce. Nothing else offers this much freedom to extend, and your content is exportable and yours.

Where they are different

Substack

Substack is a network you publish into.
Substack takes a percentage of paid subscriptions.
Substack chat and comments live in its app.

WordPress

WordPress extends by plugin: a form plugin, a booking plugin, an email plugin, each with its own settings.
WordPress email is Jetpack newsletters or a plugin.
WordPress accessibility and SEO depend on your theme and plugins.

Choose Substack when you want to write, get paid, and be discovered with the least possible setup.

Choose WordPress when you want maximum control, plugins for anything, and the option to self-host.

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What's on Substack and WordPress

A check means that capability is available. Substack and WordPress are marked only when the offer is comparable, not the same product.

Site and brand

Workspace site
Substack: Included
WordPress: Included
Custom domain
Substack: Included
WordPress: Included
Theme and fonts
Substack: Included
WordPress: Included

Public content

Blog
Substack: Included
WordPress: Included
Reader engagement
Substack: Included
WordPress: Included
Showcase pages
Substack: Not included
WordPress: Included
Shop pages
Substack: Not included
WordPress: Included

Reach and quality

SEO
Substack: Included
WordPress: Included

Audience and email

Audience
Substack: Included
WordPress: Included
Marketing emails
Substack: Included
WordPress: Included
Bulk email workflows
Substack: Included
WordPress: Included

Messaging

Built-in chat
Substack: Included
WordPress: Not included

Commerce

Shop payments
Substack: Not included
WordPress: Included
Orders and fulfillment
Substack: Not included
WordPress: Included

Team

Admin users
Substack: Included
WordPress: Included
Per-admin permissions
Substack: Included
WordPress: Included
AI Assistant
Substack: Not included
WordPress: Included

Feature comparison for Substack and WordPress
Feature	Substack	WordPress
Site and brand
Workspace site	Included	Included
Custom domain	Included	Included
Theme and fonts	Included	Included
Public content
Blog	Included	Included
Reader engagement	Included	Included
Showcase pages	Not included	Included
Shop pages	Not included	Included
Reach and quality
SEO	Included	Included
Audience and email
Audience	Included	Included
Marketing emails	Included	Included
Bulk email workflows	Included	Included
Messaging
Built-in chat	Included	Not included
Commerce
Shop payments	Not included	Included
Orders and fulfillment	Not included	Included
Team
Admin users	Included	Included
Per-admin permissions	Included	Included
AI Assistant	Not included	Included

* Note: This table does not capture every feature of Substack or WordPress, and is not intended as a comprehensive list. We keep this page current, but Substack or WordPress may add or remove features that are not shown here.