Substack vs Directus

Substack provides a platform for creators to build an audience and potentially monetize their content through subscriptions.

A gradual and reliable growth mechanism for newsletters, built on consistency and word of mouth.

Substack has a user-friendly interface that allows for easy setup and multimedia posts.

Substack provides the opportunity for writers to own their subscribers and communicate directly with them.

Substack allows for both free and paid content, giving flexibility in content sharing and potential monetization.

Substack allows writers to categorize their posts into unlimited publications, making it user-friendly for creators.

Directus is praised for its clean design and effective use as an admin panel or API engine.

Users love Directus’s customization options and flexibility in handling various use cases such as CMS and backend framework.

Offers a wide range of features including customizable dashboard, data visualization, and a user-friendly interface which makes it accessible for non-coders.

Directus is highlighted for its seamless integration capabilities with various tech stacks and its rapid deployment features.

The community appreciates Directus for its speed and performance improvements in managing backend operations.

Highly rated for reducing the time to launch apps significantly with its intuitive approach to backend setup.

New writers may struggle to monetize effectively on Substack without a pre-existing audience.

Substack does not offer advanced features such as personalization tags or email automations, which limits marketing effectiveness.

While there are success stories, many new writers face challenges in gaining visibility and building an audience.

Writers may find it difficult to gain traction on Substack, especially without an established audience.

There is a perception that Substack may not provide enough engagement compared to platforms like Reddit.

Substack may not be the best option for long-term growth compared to other platforms that offer better discoverability.

Some developers feel that the abstraction of the database can impede development flexibility by introducing non-standard field types.

Certain users found issues with performance and bugs during extensive use of Directus, indicating needs for better stability and bug fixes.

While Directus offers extensive features, some have expressed the need for more straightforward guidance on utilizing them effectively.

Some users reported that documentation can lack depth in advanced topics, which can hinder effective implementation for complex use cases.

A few users experienced challenges with the setup process, deeming it less intuitive compared to other platforms.

Users felt that while Directus is powerful, it may require more technical expertise than some competitors, limiting its accessibility to non-developers.

The native editor was a key reason for choosing Substack due to its ease of use.

Users appreciate the minimalist design of the Substack editor, allowing focus on writing.

The simplicity of publishing content on Substack is frequently highlighted by users.

Substack allows for creative, personal writing, garnering a welcoming community.

A user noted that they find their writing process improved with Substack's tools.

Several users encourage others to start writing on Substack for its user-friendly nature.

Offers an intuitive and flexible editing experience.

Field creation directly maps to database columns, ensuring structure.

Flexibility and easy setup for fields, enhancing customization.

Users appreciate the polished and intuitive UI.

Allows for granular role-based access control, improving security.

Offers features for content workflows and automations.

Users have expressed frustrations with the draft page becoming unresponsive at times.

Some complaints about a lack of detailed formatting options compared to other CMS platforms.

Users noted that SEO effectiveness on Substack can be lacking, affecting visibility.

Some find that monetization options can be unclear or limited without a paid subscription.

Reports of suboptimal user experience with formatting issues during editing.

Users mention that some features feel half-baked or underdeveloped compared to competitors.

Lack of solid documentation limits user experience.

Backward compatibility poses issues when upgrading versions.

No extension marketplace complicates custom development needs.

Search functionality is inadequate, complicating content retrieval.

Issues with the editor saving content to the wrong language.

Limited customization in views can hinder usability for editors.

Substack allows quick setup without technical knowledge, appealing to non-experts.

Users appreciate the community and engagement aspects of Substack, as it attracts serious writers.

The platform is free and offers monetization options for writers.

Directus seamlessly integrates with existing tech stacks, praised for its API capabilities.

Helpful community and resources for integration with various front-end frameworks.

Directus allows for custom extensions to be created, enhancing integration capabilities.

Integration with authentication providers like Firebase is feasible, enhancing security and user management.

Directus can be configured for multilingual support, enabling global reach.

Integration with popular front-end frameworks like Svelte allows for smooth project deployment.

Substack lacks solid SEO functionality, which can hinder discoverability.

Emails sent through Substack are public, reducing exclusivity for subscribers.

Users struggle with managing multiple lists when using Substack and Mailchimp together due to lack of integration.

There is no direct integration for tracking Facebook Pixel conversions with Substack.

Users face challenges with joins and lack of specific authentication integrations, limiting use cases.

Lack of LDAP integration and reliance on common authentication methods has frustrated some users.

Upgrades can be a burden, requiring significant SQL scripting and workarounds.

Preserving custom logic and features across upgrades can be tedious and error-prone.

Complexity in setting up a fully customized e-commerce solution without extensive development knowledge.

Some users report difficulty in managing the Directus API and receiving 500 errors during setup.