Substack vs. Unsplash for Brands

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Substack
Score 8.9 out of 10
N/A
Substack is a subscription-based newsletter publishing platform.N/A
Unsplash for Brands
Score 8.4 out of 10
N/A
Unsplash is an online community hosted by the company of the same name in Montreal, featuring photos and images that are available free. Unsplash for Business is a solution that puts content in the hands of people and add context by sharing visuals with their audiences.N/A
Pricing
SubstackUnsplash for Brands
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
SubstackUnsplash for Brands
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
SubstackUnsplash for Brands
Best Alternatives
SubstackUnsplash for Brands
Small Businesses
Adobe Express
Adobe Express
Score 8.8 out of 10
Adobe Express
Adobe Express
Score 8.8 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Adobe Express
Adobe Express
Score 8.8 out of 10
Adobe Express
Adobe Express
Score 8.8 out of 10
Enterprises
Adobe Express
Adobe Express
Score 8.8 out of 10
Adobe Express
Adobe Express
Score 8.8 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
SubstackUnsplash for Brands
Likelihood to Recommend
8.7
(6 ratings)
8.0
(10 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
-
(0 ratings)
7.0
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
SubstackUnsplash for Brands
Likelihood to Recommend
Substack Inc.
I think Substack is better for people who want to set up a personal-facing branded website vs people who just want to post random musings every so often. Monetization is better there than any other collective publishing platform as well as organic reach via email. Substack also allows you to build direct relationships with your readers via emails and own them 100% which is great long-term if you use it to pivot to another site or another form of writing/content creation. Substack would be less helpful for someone wanting to write as a part of a group, not individually, or someone who's unwilling to put their personal brand behind their content. It's less optimized for SEO (which other platforms allow you to do) and can be harder to curate content based on your interests (you really have to go in knowing what you want vs finding it on the fly).
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Unsplash
I love that I can get real-time and trending content made available on current events. When writing 5-7 articles a day, a good image to support the context of the writing really drives the message home to the reader. Unsplash offers an easy way to search for images that I can use to boot visual engagement, images that are from the field and that resonate with the audience.
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Pros
Substack Inc.
  • Because it has a very high Domain Authority ranking relevant backlinks in a published article will help make my store more searchable.
  • Substack is very easy to work in. The toolset they provide may not be as extensive as other platforms but it is certainly enough to create a meaningful, interesting post.
  • Substack is very focused on creating a community of writers that support each other. They run an ongoing email campaign that reinforces their focus on building a community of writers.
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Unsplash
  • Unsplash consists of a great selection and good variety stock photos.
  • Unsplash offers curated collections.
  • Unsplash offers great advertising options to creators.
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Cons
Substack Inc.
  • editor is on the primitive side - it's wysiwyg, but missing some embed options
  • integrate with google analytics
  • percentage cut that Substack takes can become a burden as your revenue grows. Problems scaling.
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Unsplash
  • Would like to see more variety for commonly searched images
  • Indications if you've used the images before on the site and when (dates, challenges)
  • Information on the photographer/creator
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Likelihood to Renew
Substack Inc.
No answers on this topic
Unsplash
I need to learn a little more about the product and its capabilities before I give a higher review. However, the availability of image trending is far superior to Getty or Getty Enterprise.
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Usability
Substack Inc.
No answers on this topic
Unsplash
I think the usability is awesome. The UX and simplicity is great and allows you to quicky find a suitable image. Compared to, for example Shutterstock, it's way more accessible. The added collection feature is also nice, since they are relevant for the time of year. The quick filters on the top are useful as well. And the download is always fast.
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Alternatives Considered
Substack Inc.
Medium is not so good for running newsletter. I find the mail that a user gets is very easily readable. Also as a creator it's very easy for me to track the analytics and monetise my blogs unlike Medium. Blogger is a very old technology. The kind of integrations and the support for Markdown / different media is very great in Substack.
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Unsplash
I would say that Unsplash for Brands is a lower-end budget and easier option for projects. Again, if you need something very specific - whether it's in industry, pose, subject, or environment, then you'll likely want something a bit more expensive with a larger library available. That being said, we've been able to tackle a number of projects with Unsplash for Brands.
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Return on Investment
Substack Inc.
  • I haven’t made any money from it
  • Can be disheartening when you realise you’re putting in maximum effort for minimum audience
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Unsplash
  • Excellent for using photos for content creation, keeps things fresh yet still on brand for our program's needs
  • Ease of use, directly implemented in the program to directly find an image without needing to leave the site
  • Perfect since it's free!
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ScreenShots