Alternatives · Substack
SendBeam vs Substack, for people who run several sites
Substack is built for writers who want a hosted publication with paid subscriptions and a social network around it. SendBeam is one account for every site you run: a workspace per site, one pooled bill.
Who should stay on Substack
Stay on Substack if you want zero cost until readers pay and the network effects of Notes and recommendations. If you never need your own forms, an API or automations, there is nothing to gain by moving.
01 · Price
What it costs for one site, and for three.
Monthly billing in US dollars. Substack: the cheapest plan that removes its branding. SendBeam: the pooled account plan that fits the total contacts and the number of workspaces.
| Contacts per site | One site | Three sites | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Substack | SendBeam | Substack | SendBeam | |
| 500 | $0 10% of paid revenue | $0 Free: 500 contacts pooled, 2 workspaces, SendBeam footer | $0 10% of paid revenue on each publication | $9 Starter: 2,500 contacts pooled, 5 workspaces |
| 2,500 | $0 10% of paid revenue | $9 Starter: 2,500 contacts pooled, 5 workspaces | $0 10% of paid revenue on each publication | $29 Pro: 10,000 contacts pooled, unlimited workspaces |
| 10,000 | $0 10% of paid revenue | $29 Pro: 10,000 contacts pooled, unlimited workspaces | $0 10% of paid revenue on each publication | $79 Business: 50,000 contacts pooled, unlimited workspaces |
| 25,000 | $0 10% of paid revenue | $79 Business: 50,000 contacts pooled, unlimited workspaces | $0 10% of paid revenue on each publication | Talk to us above Business (50,000 contacts pooled) |
Source · substack.com/going-paid · checked 3 September 2026
Three sites on Substack: One login can own several publications, but each is a separate list with its own readers and settings; nothing is shared, and there is no bill either way.
Verified on the live page: "Writers keep 90% of their revenue minus credit card fees." There is no subscriber-based fee at any size, so the price columns show the revenue share instead of a dollar figure. SendBeam prices are from /pricing and are the amount charged; no tax is added at checkout.
02 · Features
What each one does.
| Feature | SendBeam | Substack |
|---|---|---|
| Owner-notified contact forms | Yes, with Turnstile and rate limits | No |
| Signup forms with double opt-in | Yes, per list | No |
| Transactional send API | Yes, on every plan (metered per hour) | No |
| Automations | 1 live on Free, 5 on Starter, unlimited on Pro — per workspace | No |
| Several sites on one account | Workspaces: 2 on Free, 5 on Starter, unlimited on Pro; one pooled bill | Separate account per site |
| Double opt-in evidence kept | IP, timestamp and source on every confirmation | No |
| Import path from here | CSV importer with consent columns (Substack export → SendBeam) | Export: CSV only, from the subscriber dashboard |
| Migration service | Move-in, done for you; included on Pro and Business | No |
| Free plan | 500 contacts, 2,000 emails a month, 2 workspaces, SendBeam footer | Free to publish at any size; Substack keeps 10% of paid subscription revenue plus card fees |
| Who counts toward the limit | Subscribed contacts only, and a person on two of your sites counts once | No size-based fee to count against |
Source · Substack's public plans and help pages · checked 3 September 2026
03 · Where Substack is better
Credit where it is due.
- No cost at any size until you charge readers, then 10% plus card fees
- Notes, recommendations and the app bring readers you did not have to find
- The simplest publishing flow of the eight: write, send, done
Why people move
What switchers tell us.
- No API, no forms for your own site, no automations and no transactional email
- Each publication is an island: no shared contacts, tags or segments across sites
- The CSV export carries no consent evidence, and paid subscribers cannot be moved
04 · How to move
Two routes from Substack, both keep unsubscribes unsubscribed.
Route one
Do it yourself
Export a CSV from Substack (Dashboard → Subscribers…) and load it with the CSV importer, which reads status, tags, subscribed_at and consent columns. Free on every plan.
Step-by-step guide: moving from SubstackRoute two
Have us do it
Move-in: you give us a read-only key or a temporary seat, we load suppressions first, verify each sending domain, import every workspace, run in parallel and switch your forms over. Unsubscribes stay synced for 30 days. Included on Pro and Business.
See Move-in and request one05 · Questions
Before you decide.
- Do my subscribers need to re-confirm when I move?
- No. Changing provider does not need fresh consent. The importer carries the consent evidence Substack kept across with each contact, and Substack keeps almost none. Contacts with no evidence at all are left out rather than emailed, and you get the list of who they were so you can decide.
- What happens to people who unsubscribed on Substack?
- They stay unsubscribed. Suppressions are imported first, before any address that can receive mail, and the CSV importer's status column turns Substack's unsubscribed, bounced and complained rows into suppression entries with their original dates. Move-in also syncs unsubscribes from the old platform for 30 days after cutover.
- Can I move some sites and leave others?
- Yes. Each site is its own workspace on SendBeam, so you can move one site, run it in parallel and move the next when you are ready. The three-site prices above assume all three are here; the bill is the pooled plan that fits whatever you have moved so far.
- Are these Substack prices current?
- They were checked on 3 September 2026 against substack.com/going-paid. Verified on the live page: "Writers keep 90% of their revenue minus credit card fees." There is no subscriber-based fee at any size, so the price columns show the revenue share instead of a dollar figure. If something has changed, tell us and we will correct the page.
06 · Start
Start with the site you run today.
Free to start, no card, no trial clock. Each site keeps its own domain, list and rules; you add the next one as a workspace whenever you launch it.
Checking system statusSubstack is a trademark of its owner. SendBeam is not affiliated with Substack. Facts on this page describe Substack's public plans as read on 3 September 2026; see the other comparisons.