Substack App Negative ReviewsSubstack, Inc.

Substack Negative Reviews

4.8
4.88388 star

Total 53 Negative Reviews

Substack App Complaints & User Negative Comments 2023

Substack app received 53 complaints, negative comments and reviews by users. Have you ever had a bad experience using Substack? Can you share your negative thoughts about substack?

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Substack for Negative User Reviews

Useful factsA good set of options, but it’d be nice to know what to do, and not sure how to combat the debt market that’s probably my fault that I don’t understand properly what I can do?.Version: 1.1.9

Beyond garbageApp does not update in real time and is extraordinarily clunky to navigate. I would recommend killing yourself rather than drudge through this piece of trash. No access to information is worth trying to use this app..Version: 1.1.2

Poor interfaceAfter downloading the app it became apparent that there’s a huge floating orange button that stays no matter where you go on the app or what news you’re reading. It’s a huge orange distraction i can do without, sorry I won’t be using this app again until this changes..Version: 1.2.9

Couldn’t start itI downloaded the app and tried repeatedly to open it. Kept getting message to check email to log in. Email came but never worked. I then gave up for while. Very annoying. Now works ok, and is easier than getting lots of emails..Version: 1.2.5

Useless appUtterly useless. Despite registering I have to click to be sent an email with a log in link. And the log in link never works. Pointless app. Substack on the browser is fine but the app is hopeless.Version: 1.0.9

Shocking app.I had a bad experience downloading this app today. I was encouraged to download the app through a newsletter that I subscribe to about Long Covid. However, when I downloaded the app and logged in, it, suddenly subscribed me to all these other random newsletters and my inbox had about 15 emails welcoming me to these other subscriptions, and encouraging me to pay money to view their other newsletters. Completely ridiculous!!! I signed up for this app only to read about Long Covid, I’m not interested in reading all these other random newsletters that they decided to subscribe me to. So I have deleted my account and deleted the app. Goodbye, you’ve lost me..Version: 1.2.6

Good start but needs searchI love substack but am ambivalent about the app. The app has reduced my email inbox clutter, but the lack of a search-within-archive is a pain. When I received my subscriptions via email, I could easily search for and find a stack I needed to refer to, but in the app this does not yet seem possible: instead the search function delivers suggested substack providers to subscribe to, rather than the article I need. 5 stars to come once this lack of functionality is fixed..Version: 1.1.1

I wishI like the Substack app, as there are so many intelligent and talented writers. The issue is, when I subscribe, the emails flood my personal email box. If it would just stay in the app and not send me notifications. I ask it not to send notifications and it still sends them to my personal email still, so I have had to unsubscribe from all of the great writers. Substack is a mixed blessing. I do not have enough time to read all the great papers anymore. Anyway, I wish Substack would keep notifications in its app only. Thank you!!.Version: 1.2.5

Some UX issues, otherwise goodMy main issue with the app is that whenever someone replies in a discussion thread, and I tap the comment from my notifications section (in-app) to open it and read, it brings me to the main discussion page. I have to wade through and find the exact comment - every. single. time. This doesn’t happen on the browser version on desktop, so I’m not sure what the issue is. It makes following and having conversations wildly difficult. If this is fixed, I’ll gladly change my rating to a 5/5, because otherwise the app is great..Version: 1.0.8

Arts and LettersOf course. Now a paid subscription required for Stack. Plus way too much data collected. There is no privacy anymore. Delete..Version: 1.2.10

DisappointedI was really excited to see there was finally a Substack app and I was really pleased with the experience of the app until I realized I wasn’t receiving all my posts into my inbox. I’m baffled by this but it turns out that rather than including your whole feed inside the app it only shows posts that were sent as emails. making this a essentially a sandboxed email app rather that a Substack specific feed reader. This means that you will be completely aware of any posts your subscriptions post to the web only. And in turn this means that if you want to read ALL of your feed the app (what a crazy idea!) you need to go to each subscription individually to check for any posts not sent as email. Nobody is going to do that. Nobody sane. The funniest part is that the “beta” version of Reader on the web DOES show all post in your feed. So until this is resolved I will be deleting this app and sticking with the web..Version: 1.0.1

My first experience with a reader app and my lastIf this is what it sounds like to have an article read to me, I’ll give it a hard pass. From mispronounced names to weird cadence, my ears couldn’t take any more abuse after only three sentences. I’ll just have to make the time to read articles because I’m never subjecting my brain to that torture again..Version: 1.1.7

Awful UXI’ve come onto the app looking to find writers in the topic areas that I’m interested in (tech mainly). The app is difficult and non-sensical to navigate. at the beginning, it just gave me a list of writers that I’ve never heard of to follow… which is just silly, because how am I supposed to choose anything when I’ve never heard of any of these writers. I can’t believe it doesn’t let you choose topic to follow, and then bring writers in from that. Then when I do go and select a bunch of writers (having to randomly selects based on what they’ve called themselves, hoping that they are good ones, because I have no reviews or anything to help me navigate that)… The only thing I’ve left in my inbox with is the crap that made me select at the beginning (some sort of rubbish editors picks). None of which I’m interested in. And all the writers that I just went and clicked on are not appearing in my inbox! Unbelievably frustrating. So massively inferior to Medium. I’m not sure why anyone would use this vs Medium. And no. I don’t work for Medium. I just hope someone at Substack reads this. Also, why am I not paying for membership? Perhaps if you guys had sensible membership subscriptions, you wouldn’t have to go to crowdfunding to raise $2 million..Version: 1.2.12

Need help getting it to recognise me!I’ve recently started subscribing to several writers on Substack and am considering writing my own blog. Ive been using through my internet browser. I downloaded the app and tried to sign in using the same email I’m subscribed with. Unfortunately the app doesn’t recognise me as a previous user and won’t show my account or subscriptions. I’ve searched the Substack website high and low for a means of getting support and have had no luck. Frustrating. I really think I should be able to get in touch with someone if there’s no solution via the FAQs. Hoping you can help! Thanks..Version: 1.1.5

Can’t adjust really small font sizeThis app is a mixed bag but has promise. On the “needs improvement” side: the app only uses a random serif font that appears to be 10 points in size (maybe 9), with text in single space. Neither the font size nor the type are adjustable. It’s a poor reading experience. And … this is a reading app! It’s job is to produce a great reading experience. Which it decidedly does not do. Hopefully future improvements will include letting the reader adjust the font size, have greater line spacing and let the reader choose from fonts. These are all pretty common for reader apps. On the good side: the app’s business logic and organization work flawlessly. It’s nice to be able to see articles from my various Substack subscriptions organized in chronological order. This works well. So, the apps does the hard things well (management and presentation of content from various subscriptions) and does a quite mediocre job on the garden variety UI stuff that most reading apps already do. Hopefully they will improve that in future updates..Version: 1.0.1

Bookmarks?How do I bookmark a link so I can read it later? And how can I go back and find something I read? This app is a good start but it could be so much more useful..Version: 1.1.0

Website is better.Ok, so the content is pretty good. But it’s so obvious to me that the website is so much better, in design and just those little things that add up. I find the app much harder to use, so here are the things that I don’t like about the app that is on the website. 1. The “+” button is GONE. Still haven’t figured out the new way to start a new post on the app. 2. The app can’t support all the italics, bolds, crossed out bits and just makes them normal. When I put in sarcasm, I cross it out to make it clear. Doesn’t work on the app. 3. The app makes the buttons look… rubbish. Sometimes it’s just a hyperlink, not an actual button. 4. The layout, the design, the (everything) is better on the website. You can access stats, and just so much more stuff. I’m sorry this is getting so long so I’ll just close up the review and say: MAKE THE APP AS GOOD AS THE WEBSITE!!! Thank you if you took your precious time to reas this! 🙏.Version: 1.2.15

Profile pics are blankOn desktop, it’s fine, but on iPhone, my profile pic is blank and so are some other profile pics..Version: 1.1.1

Can’t search for articles…There is no ability to search within a subscription or view previously saved articles from the pc..Version: 1.1.2

Battery HogI noticed that something was eating my battery for the last couple of weeks, so much so that I could no longer get through the day without having to put my phone back on the charger in the late afternoon. I eventually thought to have a look at the Battery usage in Settings and saw that a background audio task in Substack was the culprit, claiming 86-91% of my battery drain for days on end. This despite that Substack wasn’t actively running (I force-quit it after using it to read an article one time), and I never used any audio feature in the app. After deleting the app, my battery life is back to normal. Anyone else experiencing shortened battery life may want to delete Substack until this issue is fixed..Version: 1.2.6

Good but missing a few thingsFor the most part I’m really enjoying the substack app. The UI is great, it’s easy to navigate between specific substacks or just look at your combined chronological feed, etc. I’m only giving three stars for now because there are a few features missing (or not working on my device? iPhone X, so not that old): - minimize comment thread! This exists on the main site, so hopefully it was just a small oversight (or it wasn’t considered a priority for release) that it’s not on the app … - minimizing a comment thread should send you to the next comment, rather that keeping your distance scrolled constant. This matters because oftentimes I’ll spend some time reading replies and then want to close the parent comment and move on to the next one, but the way minimizing works on the desktop site if you do that you’ll be in the middle of the replies to a later comment - if you tap the top of the screen and are sent back to the top of the article, it would be nice to be able to tap it again to return to where you were. As someone with aggressive thumbs this feature is a lifesaver elsewhere that it exists Again, the app is mostly great, but these three issues are huge for my enjoyment, so I’ll be leaving my review at 3/5 until they’re added..Version: 1.0.2

Stupid AppStupid App. Hit 'Archive' by mistake, can't be undone. Learn how to build an app already. Once a post has been archived, it can't be un-archived..Version: 1.2.8

It must have been hard to build such a patronizing appSubstack is fine. Some content is engaging, some isn’t. It’s a standard newsletter platform. I was delighted to have an app, as my life is busy and the constant flood of content into my inbox often feels overwhelming. Sometimes I like an idea or a writer so much that I want to support them by subscribing EVEN IF I’M NOT INTERESTED IN READING EVERY SINGLE POST. Substack doesn’t understand this. If they decide you’re not opening the app often enough, they will automatically switch on email newsletters for everything. You can not opt out, only delay the onslaught a bit by signing in and confirming, again, that you do not want all those emails. But if life gets busy and you’re not on the app enough for Substack’s liking — prepare for the emails to return. I’ve unsubscribed from every list and won’t subscribe to any more, though I’ve got a couple of annual subscriptions to see through. Writers: this platform is likely to annoy your readers right off your lists, and actively discourages people signing up for paid subscriptions just to show support. Readers: you’ll never get these people out of your inbox. They override your notification settings on your behalf about once a month. (And send another email to let you know they’ve done so!).Version: 1.1.2

Hopeless. No accessIf you are supposed to be able to access the app after providing an email address, then why doesn’t the link work for multiple emails?.Version: 1.2.10

Hooboy does this app need work!I downloaded and subscribed in order to support Chris Ryan’s work. First, instead of a password setup, Substack uses the “we’ll send you an email link to sign in” tedious nonsense. So got the link, set up a name and a picture, then searched for “Chris Ryan” “Ryan” Christopher Ryan” “Tangentially” and even searched “T”…. Not a single one of those terms came up with ANY results- his or anyone else’s! Maybe my security settings conflict with whatever Substack is doing in the background, but if whatever they are doing in the background is invasive enough to break their website then uh-oh. I have turned off content blockers, no difference in search results. Without the ability to search for content then Substack is pretty much worthless, hope they get some engineering attention on one of the most basic needs of such a site….Version: 1.0.9

Great content impossible to know how to commentYeah as I say above. Going round in circles to find a way to comment.Version: 1.1.3

Needs a delete function!There are two ways to get a post out of your inbox, archiving and saving, and from their support documentation, it seems that both of these are intended for posts you want to read later, not for posts you want to delete from your account. There are tons of reasons to want to delete a post—accidental subscriptions, for example— and the fact that there doesn’t seem to be any way to permanently delete items from your account seems like a major flaw in the app’s design..Version: 1.2.13

Unusable with large numbers of subscriptionsI’ve gone back to using the browser version as the app is unresponsive and sluggish to the point of frustration. Backend work needs to be done to support users with large subscription numbers, I follow over 150 writers..Version: 1.3.1

Warning! Big problems.Update: as a writer using SubStack, I would not recommend that writers jump onto the SubStack platform until things get worked out. Stripe, the company that processes payments, charges 15%. That is outrageous and unacceptable, and they don’t tell you that up front. As stated before, there is NO way to contact any customer service. While there are some things I like about SubStack, I really regret having jumped into it at this point. Now that I have subscribers, there is no easy way to just stop. I think that’s what SubStack is counting on. Currently, the app is not working. There is NO customer service. You cannot talk to a human being if you encounter a problem. The thing I like about Substack is it’s simplicity. It’s a newsletter only, without extra nonsense. It’s great when it works. When it doesn’t work, I guess you just have to hope it does work again, eventually, somehow. I got the impression that SubStack was all about connecting readers and writers, and the whole concept seemed clean and honest. So far, it is not turning out that way..Version: 1.0.3

New to app review?Being prompted to review an application after only a few days worth of spare time usage, from a guy that isn't very internet savvy; may be a part of the development process of platform? I've only recently come to know of SubStack, through contacts on other platforms. I don't fully understand the organization of the "library topics", yet; I find it comparable to setting a toddler loose in a public library, that has no clue to how the books are organized... though I've managed to find a few items of general interest to me by happenstance browsing. I can say, when looking for my contacts by name (searching), I have no problems finding exactly where I need to get to, thus far. As I'm not very familiar with the platform yet, I'm not displeased, but I haven't found any form of "how to use this platform", or instructional, "tips and tricks" page yet either? I'm sure at a later time I may be prompted for another review? Hopefully by then, I'll be able to deliver a better review?.Version: 1.2.0

Can’t upgrade from freeI was just thinking how great the app was when I thought I might upgrade from free to a paid subscription on the Substack I was reading *but* it took me several minutes to dig around and find the “manage subscription” button which just tells me to “manage your account on the web.” Which means leaving the app and having to log in via my mobile browser instead of allowing me to easily upgrade right form the app in just a few seconds. With all the information sources and all the multitasking, and all the things we need to spend our money on, that our modern society expects of us it’s counterintuitive that the app would function as a detriment to users being able to upgrade easily. Imagine going into a brick and mortar store to buy something and they tell you “buy it on the web.” Why waste the user’s time and why make it harder for your writers to make money?.Version: 1.2.9

Chews up batteryGreat UI, great content, but OMG does this app chew up my battery! Every time I’ve had it open for a bit, the battery graph in iPad OS settings looks like a cliff..Version: 1.2.10

Like the idea but definitely needs updatingI love the idea of a substack app. I can subscribe to various publications of my favorite writers and when I log into the app i can view all the recent posts all in one place. It’s kind of like creating your own newspaper or magazine, which is really awesome. So this really has potential Unfortunately, the app needs an overhaul. You can’t change your subscription in the app. Apparently not every publication is shown in the feed. I don’t believe you can search posts within a publication. As a writer, it would be immensely helpful to be able to edit drafts in the app. There is a feature to post directly from the app but it’s lacking so many options compared to the web version that I just don’t see the point of using it. It would also be nice to edit your publication and change settings through the app. I realize that having all those bells and whistles would probably require a “Substack Writer” app, but I think it’s really needed. Cause this app is trying to do a little of both but as a result it’s not doing either all that well..Version: 1.2.10

Buggy appI’ve been using Notes on the app for under a month and twice it has become unusable. The app shuts down when I select the Notes tab. The first time this happened, I reported it and received a meaningless response from support that didn’t resolve the issue. However it appeared to be an issue with a single post, so when that post was pushed further down the page I was able to use the app again - I just couldn’t scroll to the post that initiated the shutdown. And today it’s doing the same thing. I tried viewing notes in a browser instead but since I have the app it just switches to the app and then shuts down. I wish they would pay attention to this issue since it makes the app useless for Notes, which is central to the Substack community experience..Version: 1.2.15

Upset-as can’t unsubscribe to paid subscribersThis is ridiculous. Now I have to download Substack to my laptop as I can’t make these changes on my phone where I have the Substack app I want to unsubscribe from some of my paid subscriptions. I enjoy reading on Substack. But this is nonsense..Version: 1.2.15

Clean UI. Does not respect your privacy.While I love the app, it has a clean UI and a pleasant UX to it by elegantly showing that the interface concept of “less is more” can work work effectively. Unfortunately, I do not like how privacy-invasive the app is. It collects far too much data about you, it’s data that wouldn’t (and couldn’t) be gathered by reading the email newsletters, so Substack is getting greedy for user info with the app. Once I saw what data of mine the app gathers I immediately deleted it and went back to using email newsletters that don’t invade my privacy. This was so close to being great, but due to privacy invasions, this counts as a fail, Substack..Version: 1.0.1

Support and app function NOT matched by realityI am surprised to discover that Support entries are not found in the Substack reader app (e.g., require confirmation on adding emails to my account is nowhere among the options), and that there’s no way to delete archived entries when swiping left, unlike most iOS apps, ADDS the item to the Archive, instead of deleting the item. It is true that what I read matters. It is EVEN MORE TRUE that what I DON’T read matters, and that I don’t want it on my iPhone. I am specifically referring to entries that are NOT from a paid subscription. I have not read any of them, nor listened to podcasts, nor do I plan to. I view this as a serious breach of my privacy. I want it to be fixed soon!.Version: 1.2.7

Great app, but…… suffers from terrible performance. Just scrolling the feed is unbearably janky. It didn’t used to be like this, perhaps you have to use the app a long time to see the issue. As a dev myself I know you must be doing synchronous IO (Core Data queries perhaps?) on the main thread. Don’t do that! Please fix. 🙏🏻.Version: 1.3.1

Deceptive conductJust set up the account and app. NOWHERE on the App Store or the setup does say it’s a paid app. Started reading an article which then stalled saying need to start a 7 day free trial and then pay STILL didn’t say how much Not happy Jan , on principle won’t be subscribing.Version: 1.2.15

Strong app but needs offline supportWould be flawless but rather hobbled by the fact that new posts in inbox are not available offline..Version: 1.1.0

Want to write but having trouble might be I last posted in FebruaryThe Substack is unwilling to let me write the paper.Version: 1.3.0

Better through emailI check my emails on my laptop. I enjoyed the convenience of hearing robert Reich’s podcast by clicking on the email. I don’t like the extra steps needed going through Substack. I also don’t like the female robot voice reading his work either. He has his own form of inspirational speech. Please make all of his recordings available through clicking on email. Substack should be available on MacBook Pro. I have it on my iPhone, but I don’t like switching my earphones to my phone. My laptop continues to be my workhorse. I view my iPhone as an entertainment device, but listening to Mr Reich is a part of my work routine, as pleasurable as it is…. Thank you. Also, commenting should also be made more easily available on my laptop too, btw. This was the original sin. Now I have to login through my iPhone, which knocked my rating down yet another star….Version: 1.2.4

Needs to have parity with their web siteThe app is fine, and I would use it more if it did all of what the web site does. The feature I miss most when using the app is the ability to collapse comment threads in the comment section. There are usually long threads, and I often collapse them so I can move on to the next comment without having to scroll through pages of replies. This is not a small omission because even when in the app, I will close it and go to the web site to read comments. The other feature I miss in the app is the ability to scale up the text using pinch-to-zoom. My eyesight isn’t great, and sometimes I like to make the text larger to make it easier to read. As far as I know, the app does not support this. Even just a setting to change the font size would work. The only thing the app does better than the web site might be notifications. Also, the web site has a feedback problem when you click like on a comment where sometimes it works but there is no visual feedback. That does not happen in the app. But, overall, the app is not as functional as the web site, and so for that reason, I don’t see much reason to use it..Version: 1.2.0

Wonderful but faultyThis is my absolute favourite app and I’ve been waiting a long time as Substack is such a remedy to the horrible Meta owned nonsense. However the chat feature is buggy and I can’t see where on the app to notify you guys so I am writing it here in the hopes you can respond and sort it. At that point I will update this review to 5 starts. In the chat feature for a publication that I am a paid subscriber to, once a specific chat is closed (subscribers can no longer comment), you can still continue to read through comments left. All good - except some comments, when you click ‘read more’ simply will not open. I hope you update this and get it sorted soon. And fair enough, this is still in its early days and I truly love what you’re doing. Keep doing it! Please let us know where to report faults straight from the app in future!.Version: 1.2.6

A good idea but needs attentionI somewhat like this app and would give it more stars but for one - fatal - flaw: the inability to Mark All Read. I recently subscribed to a long-running publication and now have several hundred unread articles clogging up my home page and notifications. If there is a way to Mark All Read, I can’t find it..Version: 1.2.15

Terrible appI have no idea how this has 5 stars, maybe I’m just unlucky. I downloaded this because of a newsletter I’m subscribed to via email and I pay a monthly fee for it. I thought it would be easier to use Substack but that proved incorrect. Could not sign up with my main email after several attempts so I had to use my burner account. Tried to update email but that’s not an option. Whatever, so I find Ancient Origins and subscribe, but it’s only the free version, so it didn’t even do me any good. Each time I try to sign in it makes me send a link to my email, because it never gave me the option to create a password. This stole 20 minutes of my life that I won’t get back. Deleted and done..Version: 1.2.6

Support doesn’t workThe chat function of the support doesn’t work, which is very annoying.Version: 1.2.4

Poor AccessibilityIt’s insane that I can’t increase the text size in this app. I like reading on my iPad, but the font is so small it gives me a headache. I can’t even use system text size settings because they only affect the headings. Not to mention the notification spam if I comment on a busy post. I want notifications for new posts and direct replies, but not for every single comment left on someone else’s post..Version: 1.2.15

Made a mistakeTried yo look and understand stack as a couple of writers interested. It was a mistake as i was led down the garden path and now get emails and notifications from hundreds. How do I escape this mess without changing my email. Most of stack is now spam..Version: 1.2.15

Won’t open with emailWhen I attempt to sign in with a link sent to my email, the app never opens up. Not sure what I’m missing here with all the other good reviews - I can’t even get it to open.Version: 1.1.1

Barely have time for this!I’ve only used this app for a few weeks and I’m extremely disappointed with 99% articles like we have nothing else to do all day than reading these! I’m about to delete this app because I just don’t have time for so many notifications to sit and read for hours when I should be able to watch or listen to this stuff as I’m working all day without stopping!.Version: 1.1.2

NotificationsIf I turn off email notifications they should stay off. Stop turning them back on..Version: 1.2.6

Just annoyingI was subscribed to a few Substacks prior to downloading, but opening the app opened up with a dozen more that I‘d never heard of. Unsubbed from them all in safari (apparently not possible within the app?) but then had 20+ emails confirming each new subscription and unsubscription. What a ridiculous marketing strategy - why??!.Version: 1.1.4


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