Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Tumblr VS Substack

Compare Tumblr VS Substack and see what are their differences

Tumblr logo Tumblr

A feature rich and free blog hosting platform offering professional and fully customizable templates, bookmarklets, photos, mobile apps, and social network integration.

Substack logo Substack

With Substack, anyone can start a publication that combines a personal website, blog, and email newsletter or podcast. It's quick and simple.
  • Tumblr Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-06
  • Substack Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-10-26

Tumblr features and specs

  • Creative Expression
    Tumblr offers a platform for users to express their creativity through multimedia posts, including photos, GIFs, videos, text, and more.
  • Community Engagement
    The platform is known for its tight-knit communities and allows users to connect over shared interests and fandoms.
  • Customizability
    Users can customize their blogs extensively with themes and HTML/CSS editing, giving them the freedom to design their own unique spaces.
  • Ease of Use
    The user interface is intuitive and easy to navigate, making it accessible for both novice and experienced users.
  • Content Discovery
    Tumblr has extensive tagging and search functionalities that make it easy to discover new content and follow trends.

Possible disadvantages of Tumblr

  • Content Moderation
    Tumblr has faced criticism for inconsistent content moderation, including both over-censorship and failure to adequately monitor harmful content.
  • Limited Monetization Options
    While some social media platforms offer robust monetization options for creators, Tumblr provides fewer opportunities for users to earn money.
  • Declining Popularity
    Tumblr's user base has declined in recent years, partly due to the platform's ban on adult content and competition from other social networks.
  • Technical Limitations
    Users sometimes encounter bugs and technical issues that can detract from the overall experience of using the platform.
  • Privacy Concerns
    As with many social media platforms, privacy concerns exist regarding user data and how it is used by the platform.

Substack features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    Substack offers a user-friendly interface that makes it easy for writers to publish and monetize their newsletters.
  • Built-in Monetization
    Writers can easily charge readers for subscriptions, allowing for straightforward monetization.
  • Direct Audience Connection
    Substack allows writers to build a direct relationship with their audience via email, which can lead to a more engaged readership.
  • Discovery and Community
    Features like staff picks and recommendations help writers get discovered by new readers.
  • No Upfront Costs
    Substack does not charge upfront fees; instead, it takes a percentage of subscription revenues, making it easier to start.
  • Content Ownership
    Writers retain full ownership of their content, giving them more control over their work.

Possible disadvantages of Substack

  • Revenue Share
    Substack takes a 10% cut of subscription revenues, which can add up for writers with a large subscriber base.
  • Limited Customization
    The platform has limited customization options compared to building a custom website or using more flexible CMS options.
  • Dependency on Platform
    Relying on Substack means depending on its policies and infrastructure, which could pose risks if the platform changes its terms or features.
  • Competition
    As more writers join Substack, it can become challenging to stand out amidst the growing competition.
  • Email Deliverability
    Writers may face issues with email deliverability, as some newsletters may end up in spam folders.
  • Payment Processing Fees
    Besides Substack's fee, payment processors like Stripe also take a percentage, further reducing net earnings for writers.

Tumblr videos

Why is Tumblr so Hated?

More videos:

  • Review - TRIGGERED BY TUMBLR. /r/tumblrinaction/ #18 [REDDIT REVIEW]
  • Tutorial - Why Use Tumblr | How To Tumblr

Substack videos

Monetizing Podcasts and Newsletters - Chris Best of Substack and Jonathan Gill of Backtracks

More videos:

  • Review - E1016 Substack CEO Chris Best empowers writers via email newsletter platform, raised $15M from a16z
  • Review - Why EVERYONE should be on Substack | What it is, How it Works, $$$
  • Review - Beehiiv vs Substack (2024) - Which is Better?
  • Review - My Experience with SUBSTACK: An Honest Review of Substack

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Tumblr and Substack)
CMS
81 81%
19% 19
Blogging
67 67%
33% 33
Blogging Platform
73 73%
27% 27
Creators
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Tumblr and Substack. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Tumblr and Substack

Tumblr Reviews

25+ Medium Alternative Platforms for Publishing Articles
Blogs are for people who want to spend time and money on creating quality blog content. Tumblr, unlike Medium, can’t easily move your content or help you monetize your work. But the main pros of Tumblr are the ease of publishing on it, accessibility where millions upon millions will be able to discover your content, and its applicability across various forms of media (such...
Source: forgefusion.io
The 10 Best Twitter Alternatives if You’re Thinking of Quitting X
Tumblr stands out in the social media world as a vibrant blend of blogging and networking. It’s where the young and the young-at-heart share everything from text and photos to quotes and music, creating personal pages that match their unique tastes and interests.
10 Best Medium Alternatives for Reading and Publishing
With its microblogging format, usеrs can еffortlеssly sharе multimеdia content, including tеxt, imagеs, GIFs, and vidеos, in a visually appеaling and еngaging way. Tumblr’s strong focus on community and rеblogging builds a sеnsе of connections among usеrs, еnabling content to go viral rapidly. Its divеrsе and vibrant usеr basе supports a widе rangе of intеrеsts and passions,...
9 Best Medium Alternatives for Making Money With Your Writing in 2023
Both Tumblr and Medium offer a cross between a blog and a social media network. The main difference is that Medium focuses on being a blogging platform, whereas Tumblr prioritizes social sharing of many types of media.
13 Best DeviantArt Alternatives & Similar Sites
Keep in mind that Tumblr is not a particular space for posting art – it is more like a blog. Still, you should give this platform a try, especially if you want to create a portfolio that comes with artsy impressions.

Substack Reviews

25+ Medium Alternative Platforms for Publishing Articles
Substack offers writers of all experience levels the ability to write an email newsletter that’s profitable through subscriptions. Substack provides purpose-built web and newsletter publishing tools to enable writers to monetize their newsletters. It is a service often favoured by readers because it’s a convenient all-in-one solution for writing a successful podcast that...
Source: forgefusion.io
10 Best Medium Alternatives for Reading and Publishing
What sеts Substack apart is its sеamlеss intеgration of contеnt crеation and subscription-basеd monеtization. Substack’s usеr-friеndly intеrfacе, distribution tools, and support for various contеnt formats make it a popular choice for indеpеndеnt crеators looking to connеct dirеctly with thеir audiеncе and turn thеir passion into a sustainablе incomе strеam.
9 Best Medium Alternatives for Making Money With Your Writing in 2023
Substack and Medium differ primarily in their monetization methods. Medium pays creators based on reader engagement, while Substack enables writers to monetize directly through paid subscriptions to their newsletters. This business model allows Substack users to build a direct relationship with their readers via their email inboxes, whereas Medium interactions primarily...
11 Patreon Alternatives for Audience Monetization in 2023
Like a few of the other platforms we’ve looked at, Substack takes a cut of your earnings rather than charging a 10% platform fee.
Source: www.uscreen.tv
Any good Mailchimp alternatives?
My question for you is, what is keeping you from making $31 per month from your list? Are you using any feature that Substack (free until you get paid) can't handle?

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Substack should be more popular than Tumblr. It has been mentiond 89 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Tumblr mentions (32)

  • ads
    Post of origin detected. I included two reblogs for redundancy. This one was a little harder to find. I tried using duckduckgo by typing "Something so profoundly fucked up between the inverse ratio of shrinking middle class and ever increasing aggression of advertisement site:tumblr.com". This would give me results with that word, and the filter would only return results from tumblr.com. Unfortunately that didn't... Source: over 1 year ago
  • Made a quite crazy discovery regarding Fan Arthur
    (Side-note: Clairo Fan Art says "dancy lala tumblr.com", and if you go on dancylala.tumblr.com, you see a page of her). Source: about 2 years ago
  • Neighbors, please don't wake up singing version.
    Tumblr for more traditional art stuff Kyattonippu's Cytadel (tumblr.com). Source: over 2 years ago
  • what’s the most Rule here
    Does anyone who was once on tumblr.com remember the baeddel? I remember that. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Reblog art
    I doubt the tumblr poster literally wanted to tell people that they are Morally Obligated to Reblog All Art on tumblr.com, but they probably could have done a better job of communicating the basic nuances involved here. Source: over 2 years ago
View more

Substack mentions (89)

View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Tumblr and Substack, you can also consider the following products

Ghost - Ghost is a fully open source, adaptable platform for building and running a modern online publication. We power blogs, magazines and journalists from Zappos to Sky News.

Medium - Welcome to Medium, a place to read, write, and interact with the stories that matter most to you.

WordPress - WordPress is web software you can use to create a beautiful website or blog. We like to say that WordPress is both free and priceless at the same time.

MailChimp - MailChimp is the best way to design, send, and share email newsletters.

Blogger - Publish your passions, your way. Create a unique and beautiful blog. It’s easy and free.

Facebook - Connect with friends, family and other people you know. Share photos and videos, send messages and get updates.