Edit: I’m experimenting with adding audio versions of my posts, generated using AI text-to-speech. Let me know what you think! Hello everyone, I’ve been exploring Substack all day to see how it works. I’ve also been using Patreon for years, even before I started this blog. So, I thought it would be nice to write a review of both platforms, focusing on accessibility and functionality. To start with the conclusion: Substack wins in terms of functionality—at least for my purposes—while Patreon wins on accessibility. Substack’s Accessibility Substack does work, I guess. You can do the basics: create a post, import subscribers, and set up a page. But saying it’s easy or enjoyable to use with screen readers would be a lie. Let’s start with the post editor. At the very top, there are two buttons—File settings and Done—that don’t seem to do anything when pressed. I honestly have no idea what they’re for. Then, there are two title and description fields, one at the top and one at the bottom. It’s not clear what each of them does or how they differ. When I asked an AI after taking a screenshot, it turned out that one is for metadata and SEO, and the other is for the actual title and body of the post or email. None of this, however, is clearly labeled. After that, there’s a Thumbnail section, which is fine. But right below it is a Close button that isn’t clearly marked for screen readers. It closes your post, but it’s oddly placed for such a key button. Another strange thing is that the interface is half in Dutch and half in English. It seems like there’s some kind of automated language detection that doesn’t fully work. Because of that, some labels I’m translating from Dutch into English might not match exactly for the English site. Then, there’s a Continue button that takes you to the publishing section once you’re done writing. There are also two oddly named buttons: Undo2 and Redo2. I have no idea why there’s a “2” there—there’s no Undo1, after all. Just bad labeling. When you get to the parts where you can add media—audio, video, and images—the labeling stays weird: Headphones add audio, Image add pictures, and Video add video. Some formatting buttons are also strange, with one lacking a label and just being called Button and another just having a “+” symbol. The “+” turns out to let you tag another creator when you press it. When you insert an image into your post, it shows up as a long HTTPS link instead of the picture itself when using a screen reader. And there’s no option to add alternative text, which is essential for accessibility. Thankfully, Patreon includes that feature. The video player is also a pain. There’s no clearly labeled play button—just one labeled “S,” which turns out to play the video. When it’s playing, there’s no obvious way to pause it. You have to focus roughly on the player area and press the space or enter key. Only then does the video stop playing and the video player’s full interface appears. All in all, Substack technically works—but that’s the best I can say about it. Patreon’s Accessibility Patreon doesn’t have all of Substack’s awkward issues, but it’s not perfect either. Converting a video into a podcast doesn’t work smoothly with screen readers. Some sections are difficult to edit, and your cursor can get stuck in the podcast area. When that happens, the only way to move back to other sections is by pressing Shift + Tab repeatedly to go past all the buttons and links until you reach your previous place. The podcast popup essentially traps your focus until you navigate away manually. There are a few other small issues, but nothing too serious. Overall, Patreon is much more accessible than Substack. Both platforms claim to care about accessibility, but it’s clear Patreon takes it more seriously. Functionality and Features Functionality-wise, Substack is stronger for what I do. I focus on awareness campaigns, and everything I share is publicly available. I don’t have membership perks—my tiers simply allow optional support. That said, Substack has several features I wish Patreon would adopt. I love that people can just sign up with their email, and that I can import contacts directly (with consent, of course). For awareness campaigns, reach is key—so the easier it is for people to join, the better. Patreon requiring users to create an account just to subscribe is a real pain. Substack also has much better discoverability. You can tag other creators, and likes or “restacks” help your content spread faster. There are just more tools to help you grow your audience. I also prefer Substack’s email domain format—it’s simply name@substack.com. Patreon is rolling out name@creator.patreon.com, but that’s longer and not yet available to everyone. Similarly, Substack’s URLs are cleaner (yourname.substack.com vs. patreon.com/yourname). Substack’s stats page is also far more detailed and advanced. Same for the payment options: substack integrates with Stripe, which supports more payment methods than Patreon. For example, in the Netherlands, having iDEAL is a major plus. Without it, things get unnecessarily complicated. Also, Substack seems to be more widely known here in the Netherlands. Final Thoughts Accessibility remains a big factor for me. Patreon’s app feels much easier to use on iOS, and while Substack’s stats page is better, Patreon’s mobile analytics make it easier to see new free and paid members—including their names, not just numbers. Overall, Substack feels clunky to navigate with a screen reader, even though it technically gets the job done. Patreon just feels smoother and more carefully designed. I can accomplish the same tasks on Patreon in half the time and with half the effort compared to Substack. For now, I plan to post new content on both platforms. But I don’t think I’ll move all my old posts to Substack—it’s just too much work given the current accessibility limitations. I hope this review helps other creators with disabilities who use Substack and Patreon—and maybe even helps the teams behind those platforms improve further. That’s it for now. Yours, Ihab 💛 Enjoy my content? You can support me on Patreon or on Stripe for €1 a month—it really helps keep everything going! join here
