Commune + Substack
Moving from Substack? Keep your readers.
Bring your subscribers and your posts, send from your own domain, and keep a network around your newsletter that's open to every platform. Or connect your Substack and keep sending from it.
Free to connect. Sending from €9 a month.
What you keep
Your readers, your posts and your name come with you.
Your subscribers
Substack lets you download your list as a CSV from your Subscribers page.17 Upload it to Commune and those readers get your next issue.
Your posts
Commune imports the posts in your Substack's RSS feed, then every new one you publish. Each gets a public page with its own conversation.19
Your domain
Put your newsletter on a subdomain you own at no extra cost, and send email from your own domain on the Creator plan.
A network around you
Your posts stay in a network of newsletter communities that doesn't depend on which platform sends them.
How moving works
Five steps, and the last one is your next issue.
Step 1
Connect your Substack
Add your newsletter on Commune and enter your Substack address. The posts in its RSS feed come in straight away, and new ones follow once you add the address Commune gives you as a subscriber.
Step 2
Export your list from Substack
Download your subscribers as a CSV from Substack's Subscribers page, or make a full export from Settings, then Exports.17,18
Step 3
Move your sending to Commune
Switch the newsletter to Commune sending, then upload the CSV on the Subscribers page. Commune asks you to confirm that everyone on it opted in to hear from you.
Step 4
Set up your domains
Add your sending domain, and point a subdomain at your newsletter's page. Commune shows you every DNS record to add.
Step 5
Send your next issue
Write it in Commune's editor, send yourself a test copy, then send it or schedule it.
Paid subscribers. Commune doesn't run paid subscriptions yet, so paying subscribers come in as free ones. If they matter to you, connect your Substack and keep sending from it for now.
Want a hand with the move? Write to support@usecommune.com and we'll help you bring it over.
The network
A network that isn't tied to one platform.
Substack describes its network as one that grows with you, where readers find new publications on Substack through recommendations and Notes.9,10
Commune's network is open to every newsletter, wherever it's sent from: Commune, Kit, Ghost, Beehiiv, MailerLite, Buttondown, Mailchimp, MailCheap, and Substack itself. You can change how you send without leaving it.
How a reader of another newsletter becomes your subscriber:
Step 1
A reader comes to Commune for another newsletter.
Step 2
Your latest post is right there in the same feed.
Step 3
One click, and they're your subscriber.
Every newsletter here sends readers to the others, yours included. The more it grows, the more it sends.
Side by side
Commune and Substack, compared.
Every statement about Substack comes from Substack's own help center and website, linked under the table, as read on 8 November 2026. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll fix it.
| Topic | Commune | Substack |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to publish | Free to connect a newsletter you send from elsewhere. Sending from Commune is €9 a month for up to 1,000 subscribers, plus €3 for every extra 1,000. | Free to publish. Substack keeps 10% of paid subscription revenue, and Stripe's processing fees are separate.1 |
| Paid subscriptions | Not yet. Paid subscriptions are coming soon. | Yes, through your own Stripe account.1,2 |
| Your own domain for the website | A subdomain you own, like news.example.com, at no extra cost. | A one-time $50 fee. You need to own the domain already.3 |
| The address your email comes from | Your own domain, once you verify it. Until then, an address on fromcommune.com. | Always [subdomain]@substack.com, with or without a custom domain. It can't be changed.4,3 |
| Website design | A hosted newsletter page, or a whole website in your own HTML, CSS and JavaScript, written by your AI agent and hosted on your domain. | A theme editor for colors, fonts, logo, header and homepage layout. No custom CSS or HTML in the post editor.5,6 |
| API and AI agents | A public REST API, webhooks, and an MCP server that can draft, schedule and send. | A Developer API for public profile and publication data, and a read-only MCP server for Bestseller publications that can't publish or change anything.7,8 |
| Discovery | An open network of newsletters sent from any platform, Substack included. | Recommendations and Notes help readers find new publications on Substack.9,10 |
| Automated email | Sequences that start on an event, with waits, tags and if/else branches, like a welcome series. Built with your agent or the API. | A welcome email for each kind of subscriber (free, paid, imported and founding), and an optional automated email that invites engaged free readers to upgrade.11,12 |
| Sending to part of your list | Yes, to subscribers holding the tags you choose. | Yes, to a saved segment of subscribers.13 |
| Scheduling | Yes. | Yes, up to three months ahead.14 |
| Conversation | A threaded conversation under every post, plus a chat for your newsletter. | Comments on posts, and up to 16 subscriber chats.15,16 |
| Getting your list out | Any time, through the API or by asking your agent. There's no CSV download in the dashboard yet. | A CSV of your list from the Subscribers page, and an export of your posts, list and stats as a zip.17,18 |
Cost to publish
- Commune
- Free to connect a newsletter you send from elsewhere. Sending from Commune is €9 a month for up to 1,000 subscribers, plus €3 for every extra 1,000.
- Substack
- Free to publish. Substack keeps 10% of paid subscription revenue, and Stripe's processing fees are separate.1
Paid subscriptions
- Commune
- Not yet. Paid subscriptions are coming soon.
Your own domain for the website
- Commune
- A subdomain you own, like news.example.com, at no extra cost.
- Substack
- A one-time $50 fee. You need to own the domain already.3
The address your email comes from
- Commune
- Your own domain, once you verify it. Until then, an address on fromcommune.com.
Website design
- Commune
- A hosted newsletter page, or a whole website in your own HTML, CSS and JavaScript, written by your AI agent and hosted on your domain.
API and AI agents
- Commune
- A public REST API, webhooks, and an MCP server that can draft, schedule and send.
Discovery
- Commune
- An open network of newsletters sent from any platform, Substack included.
Automated email
- Commune
- Sequences that start on an event, with waits, tags and if/else branches, like a welcome series. Built with your agent or the API.
Sending to part of your list
- Commune
- Yes, to subscribers holding the tags you choose.
- Substack
- Yes, to a saved segment of subscribers.13
Scheduling
- Commune
- Yes.
- Substack
- Yes, up to three months ahead.14
Conversation
- Commune
- A threaded conversation under every post, plus a chat for your newsletter.
Getting your list out
- Commune
- Any time, through the API or by asking your agent. There's no CSV download in the dashboard yet.
- 1. Substack Help: How much does Substack cost?
- 2. Substack Help: How do I turn off paid subscriptions on Substack?
- 3. Substack Help: How do I set up my custom domain on Substack?
- 4. Substack Help: How do I see replies to an email or post that I've sent out on Substack?
- 5. Substack Help: How do I set a custom theme for my Substack?
- 6. Substack Help: Can I edit the CSS or HTML on Substack?
- 7. Substack Help: How to connect Substack to your AI Assistant
- 8. Substack Developer API Terms
- 9. Substack: About
- 10. Substack Help: How can I recommend other publications on Substack?
- 11. Substack Help: How do I set up welcome emails on Substack?
- 12. Substack Help: What is Substack Boost?
- 13. Substack Help: What are subscriber segments on Substack?
- 14. Substack Help: How do I schedule an article to publish for a future date on Substack?
- 15. Substack Help: How do I enable or disable comments on my posts?
- 16. Substack Help: How do I start a subscriber chat on Substack?
- 17. Substack Help: How do I export my email list on Substack?
- 18. Substack Help: How do I export my posts?
- 19. Substack Help: Is there an RSS feed for my publication?
Questions
Before you move
- Can I bring my paid subscribers?
- Not as paying subscribers. Commune doesn't run paid subscriptions yet, so everyone on your CSV comes in as a free subscriber. Substack's help center says that turning off paid subscriptions refunds and cancels them.2 If your paid list matters to you, connect your Substack and keep sending from it for now.
- Can I keep sending from Substack?
- Yes. Connect it for free and your posts join Commune's network, each with its own conversation, while Substack keeps sending your email. Commune can't add people to a Substack list, so readers who subscribe to you on Commune stay on Commune.
- Do my subscribers have to sign up again?
- No. You upload your list and they get your next issue from Commune. You confirm that everyone on it opted in to hear from you.
- What does it cost?
- Connecting is free. Sending from Commune is the Creator plan, €9 a month for up to 1,000 subscribers plus €3 for every extra 1,000. It starts with a 14-day free trial with no card, during which Commune sends to up to 50 people a day. Pick the plan to send to your whole list.
- Which address will my email come from?
- Your own domain, once you add the DNS records and verify it. Until then, Commune sends from an address it sets up for you on fromcommune.com.
- Can I get my list back out?
- Yes, any time, through the API or by asking your agent. There's no CSV download in the dashboard yet.
Bring your newsletter. Keep your readers.
Add your Substack in about two minutes. Connecting is free, and you can move your sending whenever you're ready.
Free to connect. Sending from €9 a month.