Brandwave

How popular isSubstack?

In September 2026, people searched for Substack by name about 2.3 million times worldwide, an 81.8% increase from the previous year. These searches made up 35.3% of all global creator membership platform searches, placing Substack second out of nine platforms. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about creator membership platforms, Substack appeared in three of the five answers and was the fourth most recommended of the nine.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

Substack is the second most searched of 9 competitors and the fourth most recommended in AI answers.

  1. PatreonShare of searches 51.4%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  2. SubstackShare of searches 35.3%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th
  3. Ko-fiShare of searches 8.4%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
  4. Buy Me a CoffeeShare of searches 1.7%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
  5. FourthwallShare of searches 1.4%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 6th

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Top creator membership platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Substack was mentioned in three out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Substack is the fourth most recommended of the nine.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Patreon1st
  2. Circle2nd
  3. Ko-fi3rd
  4. Substack4th
  5. Mighty Networks5th
  6. Fourthwall6th
  7. Memberful7th
  8. Kajabi8th
  9. Buy Me a Coffee–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Patreon4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Substack3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Ko-fi3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Circle3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Memberful3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Fourthwall2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Kajabi2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Mighty Networks2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Buy Me a Coffee0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about creator membership platforms

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 20, 2026.

Which creator membership platforms compete with Substack?

Substack against creator membership platforms worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Patreon, Substack, Ko-fi. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthPatreonSubstackKo-fiBuy Me a CoffeeFourthwallKajabiMighty NetworksCircleMemberful
Oct 202561.8%23.2%8.3%2%1.4%2.5%0.61%0.12%0.04%
Nov 202561.9%23.3%8.3%2%1.4%2.5%0.5%0.1%0.04%
Dec 202558.9%27%7.9%1.9%1.3%2.4%0.48%0.08%0.04%
Jan 202658.8%27.1%7.9%1.9%1.3%2.4%0.48%0.08%0.03%
Feb 202658.3%26.9%7.8%1.9%1.6%2.9%0.47%0.09%0.04%
Mar 202657.4%26.4%7.7%1.9%4.2%1.9%0.38%0.08%0.03%
Apr 202654.6%30.5%9%1.8%1.5%2.2%0.44%0.09%0.03%
May 202659.3%27.1%8%2%1.3%2%0.32%0.06%0.03%
Jun 202659.5%27.8%8%1.6%1.1%1.6%0.32%0.06%0.03%
Jul 202654.6%30.9%9%1.8%1.5%1.8%0.36%0.06%0.03%
Aug 202655.7%31.5%7.5%2.2%1.2%1.5%0.25%0.06%0.02%
Sep 202651.4%35.3%8.4%1.7%1.4%1.4%0.28%0.06%0.02%

  1. 1.Patreon

    51.4%

    Held 1st. 3.4M estimated branded searches, -18.1% vs prior month. Share -4.2 points.

  2. 2.Substack

    35.3%

    Held 2nd. 2.3M estimated branded searches, -0.77% vs prior month. Share +3.8 points.

  3. 3.Ko-fi

    8.4%

    Held 3rd. 550K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +1 points.

  4. 4.Buy Me a Coffee

    1.7%

    Held 4th. 110K estimated branded searches, -33.3% vs prior month. Share -0.6 points.

  5. 5.Fourthwall

    1.4%

    Moved from 6th to 5th. 90.5K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.2 points.

  6. 6.Kajabi

    1.4%

    Moved from 5th to 6th. 90.5K estimated branded searches, -17.7% vs prior month. Share -0.1 points.

  7. 7.Mighty Networks

    0.28%

    Held 7th. 18.1K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  8. 8.Circle

    0.06%

    Held 8th. 3.6K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

  9. 9.Memberful

    0.02%

    Held 9th. 1.6K estimated branded searches, +23.1% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

Compare popularity between Substack and its closest rivals

Every comparison with Substack

23 comparisons

How has branded search demand for Substack changed worldwide over the last 12 months?

2 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Substack worldwide rose from 1.3M to 2.3M.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Substack’s share of searches among creator membership platforms worldwide increased from 23.2% to 35.3%.

How did search popularity change for creator membership platforms worldwide in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, Substack gained share of searches among creator membership platforms worldwide, from 31.5% to 35.3%.

  2. In September 2026, Ko-fi gained share of searches among creator membership platforms worldwide, from 7.5% to 8.4%.

  3. In September 2026, Patreon lost share of searches among creator membership platforms worldwide, from 55.7% to 51.4%.

  4. In September 2026, Buy Me a Coffee lost share of searches among creator membership platforms worldwide, from 2.2% to 1.7%.

  5. In September 2026, Fourthwall rose from 6th to 5th among creator membership platforms worldwide.

  6. In September 2026, Kajabi fell from 5th to 6th among creator membership platforms worldwide.

How are Substack’s branded searches counted?

9 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Substack’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

  • Substack
  • substack app
  • substack articles
  • substack live
  • substack newsletter
  • substack newsletter platform
  • substack newsletters
  • substack notes
  • substack podcast

Do you work for Substack? To request corrections or removal please contact us via our support page and we will be happy to assist.

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Where does Substack compete?

Substack is ranked in five competitor sets. Each share is worked out among that set's brands, so it differs from set to set.
Competitor setRankShare of searchesRanking
Blog hosting platforms2nd of 722.7%Show ranking
Creator membership platforms2nd of 935.3%Shown above
Membership platforms2nd of 1039.3%Show ranking
Newsletter platforms1st of 759%Show ranking
Paid newsletter platforms1st of 587%Show ranking
Creator with pink hair and a pink jacket

Is Substack your brand?

Put your own campaigns, spend and outcomes next to this demand line, so you can see which of your marketing lined up with the movements above.

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