Brandwave

Fourthwall vs Substack:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Substack had more branded searches than Fourthwall among creator membership platforms worldwide. Substack had about 2.3 million branded searches, while Fourthwall had 90,500. Substack made up 35.3% of all creator membership platform searches we track, and Fourthwall accounted for 1.4%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about creator membership platforms, Substack appeared in three of the five answers and Fourthwall in two. Substack was mentioned before Fourthwall in two out of three answers that named either.

Among creator membership platforms worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Substack, about 25 searches for every 1 for Fourthwall

Substack 2.3M searchesFourthwall 90.5K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Substack, mentioned in 3 of 5 answers, Fourthwall in 2

Substack in 3 of 5Fourthwall in 2 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Substack, named ahead of Fourthwall in 2 of 3 answers

Substack first in 2Fourthwall first in 1

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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. Fourthwall was mentioned in two out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Substack was listed before Fourthwall in two out of three answers that named either.

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.

Is Fourthwall or Substack more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Fourthwall and Substack by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all nine creator membership platforms we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Fourthwall and Substack among creator membership platforms worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Substack, Fourthwall. 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%

How has the Fourthwall and Substack comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

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

2 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, Fourthwall rose from 6th to 5th among creator membership platforms worldwide.

How are branded searches counted?

8 search terms

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

Fourthwall

1 branded search term

  • fourthwall

Substack

7 branded search terms

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

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among creator membership platforms

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