EngageBay vs Substack
EngageBay is a all-in-one marketing platform while Substack is a newsletter platform. EngageBay starts at $14.99/mo, while Substack is free. Their pricing is not measured the same way, so we don't rank them on price. Both offer free plans to get started. EngageBay has the edge with marketing automation, A/B testing, landing pages.
Quick Verdict
EngageBay wins on rating, integrations.
Best for most users: EngageBay (small businesses on a budget).
EngageBay
All-in-one CRM for marketing, sales & support
EngageBay is a bootstrapped all-in-one CRM platform that bundles marketing automation, sales pipeline management, helpdesk ticketing, and live chat into a single affordable package. Founded in 2018 as a cost-effective alternative to HubSpot, it serves over 150,000 businesses with a free plan supporting up to 15 users. Its strongest differentiator is delivering the full marketing-sales-support stack at a fraction of enterprise CRM pricing, making it particularly attractive to budget-conscious SMBs.
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 | EngageBay | Substack |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.7/5 | 4.4/5 |
| Starting Price | $14.99/mo | Free |
| Free Plan | 250 contacts, 1,000 branded emails, up to 15 users | Unlimited subscribers, unlimited emails, all core features free — Substack only charges when you earn |
| Founded | 2018 | 2017 |
| Email Templates | 100 | 1 |
| Integrations | 30 | 0 |
| Deliverability Rate | 95% | 95% |
| Marketing Automation | Yes | No |
| A/B Testing | Yes | No |
| Landing Pages | Yes | No |
| Segmentation | Yes | No |
| Drag & Drop Editor | Yes | No |
| SMS Marketing | Yes | No |
| Ecommerce Features | Yes | No |
| API Access | Yes | No |
| Multi-Language | No | No |
| Web Push Notifications | Yes | No |
| Live Chat | Yes | No |
| Advanced Analytics | Yes | No |
EngageBay: Pros & Cons
Pros
- + Exceptionally affordable all-in-one platform combining CRM, marketing, sales, and support — Pro plan at $119.99/mo vs HubSpot at $900+/mo
- + Generous free plan supports up to 15 team members with email marketing, CRM, helpdesk, and live chat included
- + Highly rated customer support (4.8/5 on Capterra) with live chat and real human agents available 24/5
- + Built-in landing page builder with 87 templates, web forms, pop-ups, and SMS marketing included from Basic plan
- + Strong marketing automation with visual workflow builder, lead scoring, and A/B testing on Growth plan and above
Cons
- − Limited email editor widgets and somewhat outdated email template designs compared to modern competitors
- − Reporting module offers only basic analytics — lacks advanced custom reporting depth for data-driven teams
- − Per-user pricing model becomes expensive as teams scale beyond 5-10 users, especially on Growth and Pro plans
- − Occasional performance issues including slow page loads and intermittent bugs reported by users
- − Steep learning curve for advanced features — the breadth of the all-in-one platform can overwhelm new users
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
EngageBay edges ahead with a 4.7/5 rating compared to Substack's 4.4/5. The gap comes mainly from feature depth (4.7 vs 3.8) and ease of use (4.8 vs 4.3).
| Criterion | Weight | EngageBay | Substack |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | 30% | $14.99/mo | Free |
| Deliverability | 25% | 95% | 95% |
| Rating | 25% | 4.7/5 Winner | 4.4/5 |
| Integrations | 10% | 30 Winner | 0 |
| Free Tier | 10% | Yes | Yes |
Weights determine how much each criterion counts toward the final score. See full methodology
Choose EngageBay if…
- + You need SMS marketing
- + You need marketing automation
- + You need ecommerce integrations
- + You need API access for custom integrations
Choose Substack if…
- + You're a independent writers and journalists
- + You're a newsletter creators monetizing through paid subscriptions
- + Completely free to start with no upfront costs — zero barrier to entry with all core publishing features available immediately