Square Online vs Substack
A side-by-side look at Square Online and Substack. On our scoring, Square Online comes out ahead — but the right pick depends on your priorities.
| Platform | ||
|---|---|---|
| Scores | ||
| SellingScene score | 4.1/5 | 4.0/5 |
| User rating | 4 | 4.2 |
| Reviews | 1,320 | 1,320 |
| Pricing | ||
| Starting price | Free | Free |
| Pricing model | free plan + processing fees | no monthly fee, revenue share |
| Transaction fees | 2.9% + 30¢ online | 10% of subscription revenue (plus processing) |
| Hosting & setup | ||
| Hosting type | Fully hosted (SaaS) | Fully hosted (SaaS) |
| Free trial | Free plan available | Free to start |
| Staff accounts | Role-based | Multiple authors |
| Product limit | Unlimited | N/A (subscriptions) |
| Payments & security | ||
| Payment gateways | Square (primary) | Stripe |
| SSL included | Yes | Yes |
| PCI compliant | Yes | Yes |
| Gift cards | Yes | Yes |
| Catalog & content | ||
| Themes / templates | Template-based | Publication styling |
| App marketplace | Square App Marketplace | Limited integrations |
| Multi-currency | No | No |
| Multi-language | No | No |
| POS included | Yes | No |
| Abandoned cart recovery | Yes | No |
| Built-in blog | No | Yes |
| Tools & flexibility | ||
| Drag-and-drop editor | Yes | No |
| API access | Yes | No |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes |
| Support channels | Phone & chat (business hours), email | Email & help center |
| Actions | Read review | Read review |
Why pick Square Online?
Square Online is the obvious add-on for businesses already running Square POS in the real world. The free plan is genuinely usable, though serious online-first brands will outgrow its lighter feature set.
Best for: Retail & restaurants already using Square
Read the full Square Online reviewWhy pick Substack?
Substack makes launching a paid newsletter effortless, bundling publishing, email, payments, and a discovery network at no upfront cost. The flat 10% revenue cut is significant once you scale, and you build on their network, not your own.
Best for: Writers monetizing newsletters and subscriptions
Read the full Substack review