Brevo
Substack
| Feature | Brevo | Substack |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $25/mo | Free / from $0/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.3 / 5 | 4.4 / 5 |
| Best For | small-businesses, startups, ecommerce, developers-needing-transactional-email | independent-writers, journalists, newsletter-creators, thought-leaders |
| Founded | 2012 | 2017 |
| Email Campaigns | ✓ | ✗ |
| Sms Marketing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Whatsapp Campaigns | ✓ | ✗ |
| Marketing Automation | ✓ | ✗ |
| Crm | ✓ | ✗ |
| Transactional Api | ✓ | ✗ |
| Landing Pages | ✓ | ✗ |
| Newsletter | ✗ | ✓ |
| Paid Subscriptions | ✗ | ✓ |
| Podcast Hosting | ✗ | ✓ |
| Community Chat | ✗ | ✓ |
| Recommendations | ✗ | ✓ |
| Notes | ✗ | ✓ |
| Analytics | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Brevo Pros
- Generous free plan with 300 emails per day
- Multi-channel: email, SMS, WhatsApp, push in one tool
- Built-in CRM included in all plans
- Transactional email/SMS API for developers
✗ Brevo Cons
- Email editor less polished than Mailchimp
- Automation features less advanced than ActiveCampaign
- Customer support can be slow on free plan
✓ Substack Pros
- Completely free to start — no monthly fees
- Built-in paid subscription infrastructure
- Network effects from Substack recommendations
- Simple writing interface without distractions
✗ Substack Cons
- 10% cut of paid subscriber revenue
- Limited design and branding customization
- No automation or complex email sequences
The Verdict
Brevo is built for small businesses and startups, with a focus on email-campaigns and sms-marketing. Substack targets independent writers and journalists and leads with newsletter and paid-subscriptions.
On pricing, Substack is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $0/mo compared to $25/mo for Brevo. That $25/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.