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Could substack Replace WordPress? I Don’t Think So And Here’s Why.

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I recently learned about the existence of substack. Substack is a platform that allows anyone to share creative content, including: written articles, images, audio (such as podcasts) and videos with the world. It allows people to subscribe to content creators accounts, in a model that allows both free and paid subscriptions.

Substack’s unique selling point (I hate that phrase!) seems to be that it is easy for creators to grow an audience and to make money from the content they create. Substack boasts that it only takes 10% of creators earnings from paid subscribers, giving the content creators 90% of their earnings. As substack is currently free for content creators to use, it means that substack only make money when content creators do.

As a Writer, I can see the advantages of substack, which include:

  • It is currently FREE, there is no monthly subscription cost, meaning that content creators won’t be left out of pocket. This means that content creators won’t have to pay for domain names, hosting, etc.
  • It appears quick and easy for content creators to set up, use and maintain.
  • No technical knowledge required by the content creators – no knowledge of website design and functionality.
  • It has features that are designed to grow a content creator’s audience, such as notification of new content to subscribers.
  • Substack claim tens of millions of content consumers every week, which in theory means a massive audience. However, they don’t state how many paid subscribers they have on the platform.
  • It allows a variety of different types of content in one post.
  • Substack allows quick reactions (love heart icon) to content, re-posting/sharing content on the platform and discussion via comments.

But substack also has a number of disadvantages, which include:

  • Substack isn’t the only company to have this idea. Patreon is its direct competitor, who have been around longer (Patreon launched in 2013, substack launched in 2017). In some cases Patreon takes less of a percentage of subscription earnings from content creators than substack.
  • The market for paid content through a subscription is uncertain. As is the amount of money that content creators could make. When I refer to content here, I refer to content that is not of an adult-only nature (by this I mean not pornographic). It is safe to say the market for adult-only content exists and that some content creators are currently making good money from this sort of content. However even with this sort of content, some content creators are saying that the market is saturated and that they are making less money than they used to.
  • Substack is a business with costs and a pressure to make a profit. This could mean that at some point it stops being free and content creators get a monthly subscription fee, even if content creators aren’t making any money from the platform.
  • Substack could may also decide to look for other ways to generate revenue, including but not limited to advertising.
  • Substack could go out of business and creators could loose the platform and possibly some or all of the content they created.
  • Substack allows any creator to post any content. This means that content posted on substack will have less credibility with the audience and may erode the content creators credibility and reputation.
  • Substack doesn’t have any quality controls. This means that content could be factually incorrect, biased, misleading or completely inappropriate.
  • Substack has a history (at least according to Wikipedia) of not taking enough steps to protect users data due to privacy breach in 2020 and then a security breach in late 2025.
  • Substack lacks the ability for content creators to customise much of how their content is viewed. This might not be that important for written words, but could be incredibly important for other types of content.
  • Substack appears to let AI generated content on its platform, which will significantly impact human content creators. AI content may also make a number of content consumers avoid the platform all together.

For both content creators and content consumers there are more disadvantages to using substack, than advantages. But in order for me to justify my opinion that substack won’t replace WordPress, I need to write about WordPress.

(Image From: WikiMedia, 2026)

WordPress

WordPress (WordPress.com & WordPress.org) was launched in 2003 as a blogging platform. It has grown and developed over the years. Today 40-60% of all websites use WordPress.

I have used WordPress for my personal blog and website since 2008, although I remember experimenting with it well before then. WordPress can do everything that substack can, although some functions/features would require plugins.

WordPress initially started as a community platform, but as it grew it became more commercialised as it pivoted towards business users. This brought paid themes and paid plugins. Later, it brought paid subscriptions for some themes and plugins, paid on either a monthly or annual basis.

The choice WordPress developers and other non-official developers made to pivot towards businesses meant that they could earn money from their work, which you could liken to a content creator. This is great, they should be paid for their work.

But it means that the core WordPress platform, without any of the paid themes or plugins is limited for content creators. Content creators, especially those trying to build an audience that are willing to pay for their content (like myself) just don’t have the money to spend to get the functionality/features currently being offered for free by platforms like substack.

I am a Writer. I write this blog, books, articles and short stories. I write this blog because I enjoy writing. Writing this blog is a hobbie and I am happy to give away the content for free.

But my more substantial content like my books, articles and short stories, take me a considerable amount of time, energy and work to create. I believe that they have monetary value and that it is fair to ask for a small amount of money in return for them.

I am truly appreciative of everyone who reads something that I write, whether that be on my blog, or through one of my books, articles or short stories.

But the WordPress platform, without the paid plugins makes it difficult or in some cases impossible for content creators to:

  • Help you to find your audience.
  • Help you to grow your audience.
  • Help you to keep in touch with your audience.
  • Help you to take payments for products (whether that be physical or digital).
  • Help you to offer subscription services.

WordPress has dominated the market when it comes to Writers, for a number of years. But one of my hopes, is that services like substack cause WordPress developers to add some functionality/features into the platform that address some of the difficulties faced by content creators who can’t afford to buy the paid plugins.

Conclusion

I use the WordPress platform through a self-hosting company and have a domain name to help people to find my website. This costs me £25 per month. But due to the lack of functionality/features in the WordPress platform (without paying more money for plugins), this website costs more to run than any money I’ve ever generated through it.

But despite WordPress’ limitations, I think it will be around long after substack is a distant memory. Substack appears very good at marketing to content creators. But to me its business model seems to have far too many flaws. Their business model is based on an idea that people are willing to pay for content. But there isn’t any good data on:

  1. Whether people are willing to pay for content.
  2. What sort of content people are willing to pay for.
  3. The number of people who are willing to pay for content.
  4. How much people are willing to pay (or can afford to pay given the global economy) for content.
  5. If substack can generate enough income to not only meet the costs of operating, but also make a profit.
  6. The impact AI will have on content creators and their audiences.

Blog soon,

Antony

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Girls and Women – Learn The Lesson from The Gay Civil Rights Movement

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I saw an announcement on social media about a new law in the UK, one that in theory will help protect girls and women from harassment. I posted a comment stating that I hoped that this law would be applied regardless of gender.

I was making a simple, but important point: That the law should be applicable to and applied equally, regardless of gender.

I found myself under attack from well meaning women in the comments. I never disagreed that the safety of girls and women is an issue in our society. Nor that boys and men are usually the perpetrators of harassment towards girls and women.

I replied to each comment, encouraging girls and women learn the lesson from the gay civil rights movement. The lesson is this: The gay civil rights movement made changes happen because they gained allies. I encouraged these women to gain allies, rather than go on the attack.

To girls and women: Know that there are many boys and men that are not harassing you. Know that many boys and men don’t share the views, attitudes or behaviours of those that harass you or might do.

Write soon,

Antony

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The Dangers of Emotional Support from an AI (Artificial Intelligence) App

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I’ve recently seen an advert on social media for an AI that provides emotional support on demand 24/7. It appeared to target vulnerable people, which I find highly unethical.

Here are some of the dangers of these sort of services:

No Empathy
Machines can’t empathise with you. They may read like they can, from how the structure their responses, but it is false.

Empathy is defined as:

the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.

This leads to a perceived connection, which eventually you will realise is a false connection. You will be left feeling hurt and deeply disappointed.

False Connection
In the early stages of this false connection, you will likely disconnect from real people. This is deeply emotionally and mentally unhealthy.

Emotional Dependence
Emotional dependence and the decreased emotional resilience that follows will not be good for you if you use one of these apps. Having an app that is available 24/7 that claims to be emotionally available to you, appears to be so, will lead to you becoming emotionally dependent on it. Being emotionally dependant on any person or thing isn’t healthy.

Bad Advice
AI has been known to give incorrect information and bad advice. At worst, this advice could be extremely harmful.

Can Reinforce negative thoughts, feelings or behaviours
AI apps will repeat back to you what you’ve just said. This is to check understanding, but in these emotional support apps is also to validate what you’ve typed. This repetition can reinforce negative thoughts, feelings or behaviours.

This is especially important as part of the role of a good therapist is to challenge negative thoughts, feelings or behaviours.

No Safeguarding
Should you go into crisis and become suicidal, the app won’t take actions to keep you safe.

A role of any therapist is to safeguard you and others from harm.

Lack of Emotional Growth
AI won’t be able to help you grow emotionally. But a therapist may make suggestions that help people to grow emotionally.

Data Privacy Breeches
Your data maybe hacked or not kept safe and secure.

Blog soon,

Antony

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The Brit Digital ID Card – Creating A Dystopian UK

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According to the mainstream media, the Brit Digital ID Card is coming. See today’s articles in: The Guardian & The BBC. The talk is that they are going to be compulsory for anyone who wants to work, meaning the majority of the working age population.

The UK Government (or those really in power) have wanted an ID card system since the days when Tony Blair was Prime Minister. The only difference between now and then is the addition on the the word ‘Digital’ which represents how much more connected and capable technology now is. Connected via the Internet.

Capable in terms of being able to automatically monitor the activity of a population and flag anything suspicious or that doesn’t attune to the desires of those who have power in the UK.

The UK population didn’t want a ID Card when it was first suggested decades ago and we certainly don’t want a Digital ID Card now.

I recently blogged about The Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, detailing my concerns and ways it could go horribly wrong. But it passed through into law without seemingly any objection. Looking back now, I think The Data (Use and Access Act) 2025 was a fundamental change to the law to allow for the introduction of Brit Digital ID Cards and for the data that they hold to be expanded on and used more over time.

In the UK it seems we are well on our way to creating a Dystopian society. And I don’t like it. Not at all.

A dystopian society is one that is deeply unjust, where the general population are controlled and manipulated by those in power (usually through abuse of power). Hallmarks of a dystopian society include: constant surveillance and monitoring of the general population, a complete loss of freedom of opinions and choices for individuals and dehumanising/alienation of those that speak up against corruption and abuse of power.

Now this sounds like a story of fiction doesn’t it? But just imagine the UK adopted just half of these dystopian society characteristics in the future. Imagine being monitored by AI, 24/7. Not just were you go and what you do but everything: What you buy, who you spend time with the content of intimate and private conversations.

Just imagine not being able to stand up and call out injustice and unfair treatment out of fear of loosing everything: your home, access to your money (including food, fuel, heat, etc.), your job, communication/contact with loved ones and even things like health and education services.

There really are no limits as to what could happen if a UK Digital Brit Card is introduced.

If we look at the past, we know that those who get power (whether that be financial, political, militaristic, legal, etc.) tend to abuse it. This will be no different. It will be too tempting to use the Brit Digital ID Card to enforce compliance and control the narrative.

It’s fundamentally about trust. Do the UK population trust those in power to be fair and just in using this system? How could we possibly trust those in power, when everyday there are more reports of abusive of the power that they already have. Think about tax avoidance. Think about big companies that have raided their employees pension pots. Think about the number of corruption cases we see everyday.

Both the UK’s past and current circumstances (such as The Cost of Living Crisis) have been driven by the greed of those in power. Always wanting more: More money. More power. More influence. It’s like a never-ending hunger. Like an unquenchable thirst.

We’ve all played the board game Monopoly and know how it ends: The rich becoming super rich and owning everything, whilst the middle-class and poor own nothing. Greater financial inequality. More poverty. More misery middle-class, working-class and poor. Part of this isn’t just a UK problem, but a global one.

But our UK Politician’s can make Britain a better place. They could tackle tax avoidance by the super rich, break up monopolies, make the public sector strong, make society feel fairer and more just.

But they don’t. Instead they continue to offer manifestos that they throw out the window the minute they get into power. They are dishonest with the public and often outright lie. They don’t listen to the people they are supposed to represent. They don’t listen to the experts who try and advise them on ill-informed policy decisions. They don’t seem to have any bit of integrity or good values.

Of course not all Politicians are bad. Some have good intentions, but these intentions are drowned by a bureaucratic system that is run by the super rich for the super rich.

But I’m not without hope. I’ve recently joined Your Party, a UK political party set up by Jeremy Corbyn and others who want to change society for the better. Whilst their members are still in discussions around policies and the direction of the party, I hope will all of my heart that this will be a place where I can claim I am politically home.

Take Care,

Antony

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