Substack
Newsletter publishing and subscriptions.
why this verdict
Keep it — OpenAI has not replaced it
OpenAI's version overlaps, but does not finish the email job, so this one is still worth keeping open.
- A named launch, not a vibe named, unlinked
- AI-generated newsletters. OpenAI, June 25, 2024 — no announcement link recorded yet.
- How much of the job it covers not the job editorial call
- Parts of it. The job still needs the tool to get finished.
- Is there a free way to do it? yes
- 3 of 3 listed replacements have a usable free tier: Beehiiv, Ghost and Kit.
- What the call is worth nothing to cancel
- No paid entry tier tracked, so there is no subscription to cancel.
- Threatened by
- OpenAI
- Since
- June 25, 2024
- List price
- free
- Per year
- —
The backstory
Substack is a newsletter and subscription platform where writers publish free and paid posts and build a direct audience. AI can generate newsletter text, but it cannot generate readers who trust and pay you. Substack survived because it takes a cut of subscriptions rather than charging for tooling, so its fortunes ride on the audience relationship. That bond between writer and subscriber is the asset, and a model cannot manufacture it.
Escape hatches
Newsletter platform with growth tools
beehiiv.com open_in_newOpen-source publishing and memberships
ghost.org open_in_newCreator email marketing and commerce
kit.com open_in_new3 of 3 replacements have a usable free tier.