Campaign Monitor vs Substack
Campaign Monitor is a email marketing platform while Substack is a newsletter platform. Campaign Monitor has been around since 2004, giving it a 13-year head start over Substack (founded 2017). Campaign Monitor starts at $12/mo, while Substack is free. Their pricing is not measured the same way, so we don't rank them on price. Substack offers a free plan (Unlimited subscribers, unlimited emails, all core features free — Substack only charges when you earn), while Campaign Monitor does not. Campaign Monitor has the edge with marketing automation, A/B testing, SMS marketing.
Quick Verdict
Campaign Monitor wins on deliverability, integrations.
Substack wins on rating, free tier.
It's a close call — your choice depends on your specific needs.
Campaign Monitor
Beautifully crafted email marketing
Campaign Monitor is particularly well-suited for agencies and brands that need polished, branded email campaigns. Its client management features and beautiful template builder make it a popular choice for marketing agencies managing multiple client accounts.
Substack
The newsletter platform where writers build independent media businesses
Substack is the dominant newsletter platform that uniquely combines free publishing tools with a 10% revenue-share model, letting writers launch subscription-based media businesses with zero upfront cost. Beyond newsletters, it has evolved into a full creator ecosystem with podcasts, video, livestreaming, Notes (microblogging), and community Chat, backed by a powerful built-in discovery network that helps writers find audiences organically.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Campaign Monitor | Substack |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.1/5 | 4.4/5 |
| Starting Price | $12/mo | Free |
| Free Plan | No free plan | Unlimited subscribers, unlimited emails, all core features free — Substack only charges when you earn |
| Founded | 2004 | 2017 |
| Email Templates | 120 | 1 |
| Integrations | 250 | 0 |
| Deliverability Rate | 97.5% | 95% |
| Marketing Automation | Yes | No |
| A/B Testing | Yes | No |
| Landing Pages | No | No |
| Segmentation | Yes | No |
| Drag & Drop Editor | Yes | No |
| SMS Marketing | Yes | No |
| Ecommerce Features | Yes | No |
| API Access | Yes | No |
| Multi-Language | Yes | No |
| Web Push Notifications | No | No |
| Live Chat | No | No |
| Advanced Analytics | Yes | No |
Campaign Monitor: Pros & Cons
Pros
- + Excellent email template builder
- + Strong agency features and client management
- + Good deliverability
- + Time zone sending optimization
- + Link review feature prevents broken links
Cons
- − No free plan
- − Lite plan caps at 2,500 emails
- − Premier plan expensive ($159/mo)
- − No landing page builder
- − Limited automation on lower tiers
Substack: Pros & Cons
Pros
- + Completely free to start with no upfront costs — zero barrier to entry with all core publishing features available immediately
- + Built-in audience discovery network with Recommendations and Notes driving organic subscriber growth (users report gaining 1,000+ subscribers through Recommendations alone)
- + True content ownership: creators can export their full subscriber list and content at any time to migrate elsewhere
- + Multimedia platform supporting newsletters, podcasts, video, livestreaming, Notes, and Chat communities in a single integrated experience
- + Strong reader engagement with genuine community interaction through comments, Chat, and Notes — higher engagement rates than typical social media platforms
Cons
- − The 10% platform fee plus Stripe's ~2.9% + $0.30 per transaction creates a 13-16% total take rate that becomes very expensive at scale (e.g., $1,300-$1,600/month on $10K revenue)
- − No email marketing automation, segmentation, A/B testing, or advanced personalization — all subscribers receive identical emails with no conditional logic
- − No public API and zero native third-party integrations — cannot connect to CRMs, e-commerce platforms, Zapier, or other marketing tools
- − Limited design customization with a single standardized template — no drag-and-drop editor, no custom HTML, and minimal branding options
- − Platform can remove content or delete accounts without notice, and customer support is difficult to reach for issue resolution
The Verdict
Substack edges ahead with a 4.4/5 rating compared to Campaign Monitor's 4.1/5. The gap comes mainly from value for money (4.9 vs 4.1) and support (4.3 vs 3.8). On deliverability, Campaign Monitor reports 97.5% compared to 95% for Substack — a meaningful difference if inbox placement is critical for your campaigns.
| Criterion | Weight | Campaign Monitor | Substack |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | 30% | $12/mo | Free |
| Deliverability | 25% | 97.5% Winner | 95% |
| Rating | 25% | 4.1/5 | 4.4/5 Winner |
| Integrations | 10% | 250 Winner | 0 |
| Free Tier | 10% | No | Yes Winner |
Weights determine how much each criterion counts toward the final score. See full methodology
Choose Campaign Monitor if…
- + You need SMS marketing
- + You need marketing automation
- + You need ecommerce integrations
- + You need API access for custom integrations
Choose Substack if…
- + You need a free plan to get started
- + You're a independent writers and journalists
- + You're a newsletter creators monetizing through paid subscriptions