Beacons vs Substack
Beacons and Substack are both creator monetization tools aimed at creators. Both have a free plan.
Beacons
Link-in-bio with store, email and media kit
Substack
Newsletters, podcasts and paid subscriptions
| Pricing | Freemium · $10 | Free |
| Starting price | $10/mo | Not published |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Built for | Creators | Creators |
| Platforms | web | web, ios, android |
| Country | US · 2019 | US · 2017 |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose Beacons if
Creators monetizing audiences.
- All-in-one for creators
- Free start
- Brand deal tools
Look elsewhere if: Businesses.
Choose Substack if
Writers starting out who value discovery and simplicity over control.
- Zero upfront cost; discovery network
- Simple, writer-focused
- Payments and hosting handled
Look elsewhere if: Publications with revenue that want to keep 100% and own SEO (Ghost, beehiiv).
Beacons vs Substack pricing
Beacons
- Free$09% fee on sales
- Creator Pro$10/mo$8.33/mo billed annually; 9% fee on sales
- Store Pro$30/mo$25/mo billed annually; 0% transaction fee
- Business Pro$90/mo$75/mo billed annually; no Beacons branding
Substack
- Free$0Free publishing, no monthly fee
- Paid subscriptions10%/of revenuePlus credit card processing fees
Beacons · Key features
- Link in bio
- Digital store
- Email marketing
- Media kit
- Brand deal invoicing
- AI tools
Cons
- Fees on free
- Design limits
- Feature sprawl
Substack · Key features
- Newsletter, podcast and video publishing
- Paid subscriptions with free and paid tiers
- Recommendations network, Notes and Chat
- Hosted site with custom domain
- Mobile app for readers
- Basic analytics and import tools
Cons
- 10% revenue share
- Limited design and SEO control
- Platform dependence
Beacons vs Substack: FAQ
Do Beacons and Substack have a free plan?
Yes, both Beacons and Substack have a free plan; paid plans add more usage and features.