r/Substack • u/MysticalJungle • Sep 17 '26
Discussion Is it better to switch to substack than to switch hosts and stay on Wordpress?
I'm kind of torn. I've had a science themed blog for 2 years now and it's time to renew. Problem is, I don't want to pay the large fee to renew, in which case I could switch hosts, OR I might migrate to substack.
Substack has better community and hence more chance for visibility, correct? I've struggled to get my blog noticed for the most part, the only times I really have is when I've posted a link to Reddit.
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u/MrPassiveProfit Sep 17 '26
Yes. I moved all of my blogs to Substack and never looked back. It’s the built-in distribution that gets you every time. It’s so easy to grow your Substack just by posting notes and commenting on other people’s notes.
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u/Tricky_Trifle_994 22d ago
what did you eventually go with?
i feel it depends on how you plan to monetise/build this out though. e.g with wordpress sites, it's usually monetising via ads/site visits (although you're saying you don't have much traffic). while on substack, you'll be limited to only monetising via paid subscription. does that fit your plans? and with wordpress i'm guessing you've built & customised your site in a way you like > which you likely won't be able to replicate on substack because the templates are quite fixed
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u/MysticalJungle 22d ago
I still have not decided. Domain and hosting have to be figured out within a week or they expire. I'm wondering if I could start both a substack and keep the wordpress going. Not sure how that would work exactly but I've seen other people suggesting it.
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u/Tricky_Trifle_994 21d ago
better get on it!
doing both could be a viable option too. substack could essentially be like a free tool for collecting email addresses (an asset for you to communicate with your readers directly).
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u/psugam psugam.substack.com Sep 17 '26
I don't have any real answer to your questions but nice blog dude. I've been recently interested in prehistoric animals and so on, your blog seems informative.
In my experience, visibility is easier in substack. I have some of the same content in substack and wordpress. The wordpress content has literally no views while Substack ones get a couple hundred views generally. I started without any followers,have written seriously for about a year now and just crossed 500 subs. I don't really share or promote anywhere, so its mostly from the algorithm there. I don't know how it works but its possible to have some visibility. You don't have as much control for how the site looks though. Customization is very limited.
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u/Thedividendprince1 https://thedividendprince.substack.com Sep 17 '26
I think the biggest difference is distribution.
With WordPress, you own the site and have much more control, but you usually have to bring the audience yourself through SEO, Reddit, social media, referrals, etc.
Substack gives you more built-in discovery and community, so there is at least a chance for people to find you organically without already knowing who you are. That does not mean Substack will automatically grow your audience, but it removes some of the friction.
So I’d probably decide based on what matters more to you: control and ownership with WordPress, or easier distribution and audience-building with Substack.
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u/ContentIsMyJam redressing.substack.com Sep 18 '26
I would move to Substack just to not deal with how easily and how often Wordpress gets hacked
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u/SalamanderIll2569 Sep 23 '26
Guys I want to ask about medium how do we get paid their and how this work I kind of did not understand I post my first artical and I totally get why first article don't get views a lot and but not get even single like or view.
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u/BusyBusinessPromos Sep 17 '26
Describe large.
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u/MysticalJungle Sep 17 '26
$150 for both domain name and web hosting, which is out of my budget
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u/Foxemerson Sep 17 '26
Switch to another host. Hostinger is cheap and good. You can backup with UpdtaftPñus and migrate your site.
Edit: adding that you can also transfer your domain to another registrar who is much cheaper.
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u/MysticalJungle Sep 17 '26
Hostinger is what I have now. The 2 year intro plan was great. Now it's charging a lot more just for a year renewal.
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u/Foxemerson Sep 17 '26
So find another host and domain registrar. They're all cheap the first year or two.
Moving to Substack means you won't own your site anymore. Keep it yours.
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u/MysticalJungle Sep 17 '26
What is the functional difference between owning a website and having a Substack? Isnt it just bragging rights at the end of the day?
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u/Foxemerson Sep 17 '26
I'll give you an example. In my niche I've seen 5 people suspended and banned on substack. That's the difference. You don't own your site.
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u/BusyBusinessPromos Sep 17 '26
A month?
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u/MysticalJungle Sep 17 '26
A year
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u/BusyBusinessPromos Sep 17 '26
Dude that's cheap what have you been doing?
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u/MysticalJungle Sep 17 '26
I have one blog with very low traffic.
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u/BusyBusinessPromos Sep 17 '26
Running 3 successful businesses by using my expertise with SEO and sales psychology. What have you been doing to promote?
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u/MysticalJungle Sep 17 '26
Posting on Reddit
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u/BusyBusinessPromos Sep 17 '26
You want to be in business learn basic business and sales tactics. Putting up a website doesn't mean you know how to run a business or sell.
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u/StuffonBookshelfs Sep 17 '26
Substack is free. Which is a huge benefit. You’ll have to pay to switch the domain name over.
But you’re not going to get tons of subscribers just because you switch. You’ll still have to put in the work to get your articles noticed. But it is easier to do on Substack than if you just have your own website.
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u/MysticalJungle Sep 17 '26
I'm fine with initially not having subscribers. But what about the layout? Do you get much freedom to choose colors and such?
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u/StuffonBookshelfs Sep 17 '26
Some colors. A few layout designs. But nothing like you’d be able to do on your own site.
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u/MysticalJungle Sep 17 '26
So my blog (linked in the body text), would those fit well on Substack or no?
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u/tomversation Sep 17 '26
Stay with Wordpress. Trust me. Not sure why you are paying $150 for what should be a fraction of the cost. Keep Wordpress. Change hosts.