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Head-to-head · Blog Software

Substack vs Pelican

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 1 check side by side
Higher score Substack #4 in Blog Software 8.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 3 features Visit Substack
Pelican #8 in Blog Software 7.9/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 3 features Visit Pelican

Substack leads on 0 checks, Pelican on 0, and 1 is even. Who comes out ahead on the 1 yes/no, price and count check where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreSubstack · 8.4/10
  • Free planboth

Substack scores higher on our rubric for blog software: 8.4 against 7.9 out of 10; our editors rank them #4 and #8.

Substack is the better fit for newsletter-first creators building a paid audience. Pelican is the better fit for technical bloggers who prefer static publishing.

  • Substack fits best

    Newsletter-first creators building a paid audience

  • Pelican fits best

    Technical bloggers who prefer static publishing

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature Substack 8.4/10 Visit ↗ Pelican 7.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 8.4 7.9
Ranking #4 in Blog Software #8 in Blog Software
Best for Newsletter-first creators building a paid audience Technical bloggers who prefer static publishing
Pricing model Free plan + paid Free
Starting price Free plan Free plan
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Cloud, Mobile Self-hosted
Platforms Web, iOS, Android Windows, macOS, Linux
Support Docs Docs
Integrations 10 integrations 6 integrations
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business
Features Substack 0/3 · Pelican 0/3
Custom domain Not checked yet Not checked yet
Post scheduling Not checked yet Not checked yet
Built-in analytics Not checked yet Not checked yet
Specs
Content editor Not checked yet Not checked yet
Included users Not checked yet Not checked yet
Content export Not checked yet Not checked yet
Our review
Pros
  • Combines publishing, email delivery, paid subscriptions, and audience discovery
  • Segments subscribers and automates welcome and lifecycle campaigns
  • Supports podcasts, mobile apps, communities, and cross-channel analytics
  • Authors can write in Markdown or reStructuredText.
  • Generates static HTML with themes, feeds, and multilingual articles.
  • Imports content from WordPress, Dotclear, or RSS.
Cons
  • Emphasizes publishing and monetization over flexible site management
  • No fixed creator plan tiers for comparing packaged capabilities
  • Revenue share applies when creators earn through paid subscriptions
  • Publishing requires command-line site generation.
  • You must deploy the generated files using external hosting.
  • Themes require custom code, and analytics need external services or configuration.
Our verdict

Substack is a cloud and mobile publishing platform for writers, podcasters, video creators, and media organizations. It combines newsletter delivery, web publishing, subscriber management, paid subscriptions, analytics, discovery, and…

Read the review →

Pelican is an open-source static site generator for bloggers who want to publish from files rather than manage a hosted blog editor. It runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux, and turns Markdown or reStructuredText into static HTML pages and…

Read the review →
  1. SubstackBlog Software 8.4Free plan
  2. PelicanBlog Software 7.9Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Substack — where it wins

    • Combines publishing, email delivery, paid subscriptions, and audience discovery
    • Segments subscribers and automates welcome and lifecycle campaigns
    • Supports podcasts, mobile apps, communities, and cross-channel analytics

    Where it doesn't

    • Emphasizes publishing and monetization over flexible site management
    • No fixed creator plan tiers for comparing packaged capabilities
    • Revenue share applies when creators earn through paid subscriptions

  • Pelican — where it wins

    • Authors can write in Markdown or reStructuredText.
    • Generates static HTML with themes, feeds, and multilingual articles.
    • Imports content from WordPress, Dotclear, or RSS.

    Where it doesn't

    • Publishing requires command-line site generation.
    • You must deploy the generated files using external hosting.
    • Themes require custom code, and analytics need external services or configuration.
  • Substack8.4/10 · Free plan

    A newsletter-first publishing platform that combines subscriptions, discovery, and analytics.

    Visit SubstackFull verdict →
  • Pelican7.9/10 · Free plan

    A free, command-line static publishing tool for technical bloggers comfortable with self-hosting.

    Visit PelicanFull verdict →

More comparisons

All blog software comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update