Comparison

Reddit vs Substack

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Reddit

Discover trending topics, engage in diverse discussions, and join communities for any interest. Share content, ask questions, and connect with others through a unique voting system that highlights popular posts.

Highlights
  • Thousands of community groups
  • Breaking news and trends
  • Humorous content and videos
  • Ask Me Anything (AMA) sessions
  • In-depth discussion threads
  • Q&A forums
  • Upvote/downvote system
Features
Read full description

Reddit is where millions of real people gather to talk, ask and debate across 100,000+ communities, from breaking news and sports to gaming, finance, and every hobby in between. Trending topics, deep-dive discussions and comment threads where real people go deeper than you'd expect on the stuff they love. Whatever you're into, there's a community that gets it. What can you do on Reddit? Reddit is built around communities, or subreddits, which are forums where real people post, comment, ask questions, and reply. You'll find gaming communities, meme-makers, travel enthusiasts, support groups, AI forums, news followers, artists, sports fans, exciting AMAs , and creators of every kind. Everything on Reddit happens inside subreddits — What are Subreddits? Communities built around a specific topic, from r/worldnews to r/TodayILearned, where real people post, comment, and discuss. There are more than 100,000 subreddits, so whatever you're into, there are real people already talking about it. - r/AskReddit, where 50M people are ready to answer anything on your mind — real people who've been there too. - r/sports, the ultimate front-row seat for game-winning plays, daily sports talk, and major league updates - r/funny, full of humor, memes, and content made to make you laugh - r/science, for real scientific discussion and news - r/gaming, join 46M gamers to swap tips and share what you're playing What do people use Reddit for? People come to Reddit to: - Find communities for everything. Breaking news, sports highlights, TV fan theories, open AI discussions, and personalized content. There really is a community for everyone. - Get loads of laughs. Memes, oddly satisfying clips, and funny videos to help you happily lose track of time. - Join AMAs, or ""Ask Me Anything"". Celebrities, series creators, and experts answer real questions from real people in live sessions. - Follow honest discussions on any topic. Pop culture, sports, entertainment, finance. People jump in with humor and insight on just about anything. - Get answers to your questions. Ask communities about relationships, mental health, parenting, careers, fitness, and more. - Find your people. Jump into threads, connect over any topic, and chat with redditors who share your interests. Got questions? We've got you Is Reddit free? Yes. Reddit is free to download and use. Reddit Premium is an optional paid upgrade. How do upvotes and karma work? Instead of likes and hearts, Reddit runs on upvotes and downvotes. Voting raises or lowers a post's visibility, so relevant, high-quality posts rise to the top while low-effort ones fade out. Voting also affects karma, a running score tied to your posts and comments. Karma doesn't limit what you can do, but more of it can help your posts get noticed, and some communities ask for a little karma before you post or comment to help keep out spam. Reddit Premium: Purchase Reddit Premium to enjoy an ads-free experience and access to premium avatar gear, r/lounge, custom app icons, and more. Payment will be charged on a recurring monthly or annual basis to your Apple account. Your monthly or annual Premium subscription will automatically renew unless you cancel at least 24 hours before your subscription ends. Cancel anytime in your device's Account Settings. No partial refunds. Privacy Policy: https://www.redditinc.com/policies/privacy-policy User Agreement: https://www.redditinc.com/policies/user-agreement Reddit Rules: https://redditinc.com/policies/reddit-rules If you have any problems with the app, get support at RedditHelp.com

About

Substack

Discover creators, ideas, and communities through videos, writing, and podcasts. Subscribe for free or upgrade to access exclusive content and connect directly with creators. Enjoy ad-free media and participate in live events.

Highlights
  • Subscribe to creators
  • Ad-free video and podcasts
  • Live streams and group chats
  • Explore independent ideas
  • Read aloud articles
Features
Read full description

Substack is a new media app that connects you with the creators, ideas, and communities you care about most. - Support the creators you love: Subscribe for free or upgrade to view original work and connect directly with your favorite writers, artists, and podcasters. - Enjoy ad-free videos and podcasts: Access short-form clips, video episodes, and read-aloud articles without interruptions. - Connect in real time: Join livestreams and live group chats, where top creators bring their biggest supporters into their world. - Explore independent ideas: Discover bold opinions and engaging views across food, sports, politics, fashion, comedy, finance, and more. How it works: 1. Download the Substack app. 2. Claim your handle. 3. Explore the feed to enjoy notes, videos, and clips from creators. 4. Subscribe to your favorites for free, tune into their livestreams and join private group chats.

Screenshots

Reddit4 screens
Substack4 screens

Verdict

The call

Reddit and Substack both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 73% of Substack's written reviews are positive against 25% of Reddit's. Substack also leads on ads (none vs shown). Reddit's advantage is ratings volume (3.5M vs 562K). On price, rating, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Reddit sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month and Substack sells 18 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Reddit against 4.9 for Substack. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Reddit has 3.5M ratings behind it against 562K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 25% of Reddit's written reviews are positive against 73% of Substack's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Reddit ships an update every 6 days, Substack weekly. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Reddit versus Substack: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRedditSubstack
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (3.5M ratings)4.9 (562K ratings) — better
Positive reviews25.0% of reviews72.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings3.5M — better562K
Update frequencyEvery 6 days — betterWeekly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#2 — better#5
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Apple TV — better
Requires iOS16.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size454 MB236 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperREDDIT, INC.Substack, Inc.

Customer experience

Reddit

All ratings3,512,134 ratings
Positive95.0%
Neutral1.4%
Negative3.6%
Written reviews10,186 reviews
Positive25.0%
Neutral4.8%
Negative70.3%

Substack

All ratings559,654 ratings
Positive97.6%
Neutral1.2%
Negative1.2%
Written reviews4,961 reviews
Positive72.7%
Neutral6.7%
Negative20.6%

User reviews

Reddit

From 3.5M App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fantastic news aggregator
  • 👍 Diverse communities
  • 🔍 Helpful for finding information
  • 💡 Customizable feeds
  • 🎨 Unique avatar customization

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy video player
  • 🤖 Aggressive recommendation algorithms
  • 💬 Toxic community moderation
  • 🔍 Difficult to find specific content
  • 🔒 Privacy concerns

Substack

From 562K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Stable and functional app
  • 🚀 Intuitive and easy to use
  • 👍 Variety of great content
  • 👍 Supports independent writers
  • 👍 Refreshing alternative to mainstream media

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy and glitchy
  • 🐛 Difficult to manage subscriptions
  • 🐛 Inconsistent user experience between app and website
  • 🔒 Privacy concerns with data collection
  • 💤 Slow performance and loading times

Bugs and requests

Reddit

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Frequent app crashes
  • Unreliable content loading
  • Inconsistent UI behavior
  • Notification issues
  • Subreddit search function not working

Requested features

5 requests
  • Improved video player controls
  • Better content filtering options
  • Streamlined community management tools
  • Customizable notification settings
  • Integrated browser for seamless browsing

Substack

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Login issues and inability to sign in
  • Inconsistent behavior when archiving/deleting posts
  • Playback issues with audio content
  • Incompatibility with older devices or operating systems

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add search functionality within app
  • Improve notification management
  • Allow customization of font size and style
  • Implement ability to mark articles as read/unread
  • Add option to collapse/expand comment threads

In-app purchases

9 purchases

Reddit

Subscriptions2
  • Reddit Premium$6.991 Month
  • Reddit Annual Premium$59.991 Year
One-time7
  • Reddit Gold$1.99
  • Reddit Gold$3.99
  • Collectible Avatar - Tier 4992 variants$4.99
Show 4 more
  • Reddit Gold$5.99
  • Reddit Gold$9.99
  • Collectible Avatar - Tier 9993 variants$9.99
  • Collectible Avatar - Tier 24992 variants$24.99
18 purchases

Substack

Subscriptions18
  • Hung Up (Monthly)$4.991 Month
  • The Dworkin Report (Monthly)$4.991 Month
  • Popular Information (Monthly)$5.991 Month
Show 15 more
  • Monthly$5.991 Month
  • Isolation Journals (Monthly)$5.991 Month
  • Ettingermentum (monthly)$5.991 Month
  • What To Cook (Monthly)$5.991 Month
  • The Present Age (Monthly)$6.991 Month
  • The Message Box (Monthly)$7.991 Month
  • House Inhabit (Monthly)$8.991 Month
  • Noahpinion (Monthly)$9.991 Month
  • Slow Boring (Monthly)$9.991 Month
  • Razib Khan (Monthly)$10.991 Month
  • House of Strauss (Monthly)$11.991 Month
  • The Dworkin Report (Annual)$49.991 Year
  • Annual$59.991 Year
  • Isolation Journals (Annual)$59.991 Year
  • Slow Boring (Annual)$99.991 Year

Questions

Is Reddit free?
Reddit is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Substack free?
Substack is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Reddit or Substack?
Substack is rated higher. Reddit averages 4.8 out of 5 from 3.5M ratings, while Substack averages 4.9 from 562K ratings.
Do Reddit or Substack have ads?
Reddit shows ads; Substack does not.
Which is updated more often, Reddit or Substack?
Reddit ships an update every 6 days, and Substack weekly. Most recently, Reddit was updated on November 1, 2026 and Substack on November 1, 2026.
Which is more popular, Reddit or Substack?
Reddit currently peaks at #2 in the App Store charts, and Substack at #5. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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