Choosing between Brevo and Substack is a common decision for email marketing buyers in 2026. Both Brevo and Substack are established players, founded in 2012 and 2017 respectively. Brevo serves 500K+ orgs users while Substack has 35M+ readers users globally. Brevo differentiates with email campaigns and sms marketing, while Substack leads with newsletter publishing and podcast hosting. In this head-to-head comparison, Substack earns a higher hiltonsoftware.co score of 90/100 — but the right choice depends on your specific needs, budget, and team size.
AI Verdict
After comparing Brevo and Substack across features, pricing, and user satisfaction, Substack takes the lead with a score of 90/100 versus Brevo's 88/100. Substack's key advantages include "free to start, no upfront cost" and "large built-in discovery network". That said, Brevo has its own strengths — particularly "unlimited contacts on all plans" — making it a viable alternative for specific use cases.
Both Brevo and Substack offer free plans, lowering the barrier to entry. Brevo's paid plans start at $25/mo while Substack begins at 10% of revenue. Evaluate which paid features — Transactional emails, Marketing automation (Brevo) vs Paid subscriptions, Comments (Substack) — justify upgrading for your team.
Bottom line: Choose Brevo if you need smbs needing affordable email plus sms marketing together. Go with Substack if your priority is writers wanting to launch and monetize a paid newsletter business. Both are strong email marketing tools — we recommend trying the free plan of each before committing.
CHOOSE BREVO IF:
SMBs needing affordable email plus SMS marketing together.
CHOOSE SUBSTACK IF:
Writers wanting to launch and monetize a paid newsletter business.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Brevo better than Substack in 2026?
Substack scores 90/100 on hiltonsoftware.co compared to Brevo's 88/100. Brevo stands out for "unlimited contacts on all plans" and is best for SMBs needing affordable email plus SMS marketing together. Substack is known for "free to start, no upfront cost" and suits Writers wanting to launch and monetize a paid newsletter business. Your specific workflow and team size should guide the decision.
What is the pricing difference between Brevo and Substack?
Both offer free plans. Brevo starts at $25/mo and Substack at 10% of revenue. When comparing value, consider that Brevo (founded 2012, 500K+ orgs users) includes features like Email campaigns, SMS marketing, Transactional emails. Substack (founded 2017, 35M+ readers users) offers Newsletter publishing, Podcast hosting, Paid subscriptions. The right choice depends on which features matter most to your team.
What are the main differences between Brevo and Substack?
The key differences come down to focus and approach. Brevo excels at Email campaigns, SMS marketing, Transactional emails, while Substack focuses on Newsletter publishing, Podcast hosting, Paid subscriptions. Brevo's main advantage is "unlimited contacts on all plans", though some users note "daily sending limits on free tier". Substack's strength is "free to start, no upfront cost", but "10% cut of revenue" can be a drawback. Both serve the Email Marketing market but target different user profiles.
Can I switch from Brevo to Substack?
Switching between Brevo and Substack is possible since both operate in the Email Marketing space. Before migrating, export your data from Brevo and check Substack's import capabilities. Key features to verify compatibility: Email campaigns, SMS marketing, Transactional emails (Brevo) vs Newsletter publishing, Podcast hosting, Paid subscriptions (Substack). Consider running both tools in parallel during a trial period to ensure a smooth transition.
Which is better for small teams: Brevo or Substack?
Both tools offer free plans, so evaluate based on features. Brevo is ideal for SMBs needing affordable email plus SMS marketing together, while Substack fits Writers wanting to launch and monetize a paid newsletter business. Try both during their trial periods to see which fits your team's workflow.