PlotStack or Substack Insights: which is better for Substack?

PlotStack vs Substack Insights for Substack analytics

Checked 2026-10-31 on the vendors' sites and Substack's help center · Independent, no affiliate relationship with either tool

The short answer: Both are read-only Chrome extensions that work from your logged-in Substack session and keep data in your browser. Pick Substack Insights for a quick, simple answer to what works and when to publish (free under 1,000 subscribers, $9.99 one-time above). Pick PlotStack if you want everything in one detailed dashboard, including growth sources, retention and per-Note signups, at no cost, and don't mind a very new one-person tool that doesn't support custom domains yet.

Side by side

	PlotStack	Substack Insights
Price	Free. No paid tier or in-app purchases listed.	Free for publications under 1,000 subscribers; $9.99 one-time above that.
What it shows	Subscribers, open rate, clicks, growth curve, acquisition and traffic sources with conversion, cohort retention, countries, per-post metrics and per-Note stats, plus written findings that compare you with your own previous 30 days.	Top posts by likes, comments and restacks, top converting posts, best day and time to publish, post length and topics that resonate.
Notes stats	Included: where Notes are seen, a day-by-hour posting schedule, attributed signups and a searchable list of every Note.	Notes analytics (best times, top Notes, reply patterns) are listed under the paid tier.
Exports	CSV of posts and Notes tables; PNG captures of any view, with paid and revenue figures always hidden.	CSV pre-loaded with prompts to paste into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini.
Your data	No account and no server. Stores aggregated metrics in your browser, discards subscriber emails and profiles, and re-syncs once a day in the background until you click Disconnect.	Uses your existing session; analysis happens in your browser, and it says it never sees, stores or transmits your credentials.
Limits	*.substack.com publications only (no custom domains). Uses Substack's undocumented internal endpoints, which may change. Version 1.6.0, no ratings yet.	Publication overview and post patterns on free; Notes and conversion stats need the paid tier above 1,000 subscribers. Its site shows a 5.0 Chrome Web Store rating.

Check Substack's own stats first

Substack's dashboard already shows your subscriber growth, each post's opens and signups, and per-Note stats (open a Note and click View stats). An extension is worth installing when you want those numbers side by side, over time, or exported, instead of clicking through one post or Note at a time.

Simple answers vs a full dashboard

Substack Insights answers a few questions well: which posts land, which convert, and when to publish. PlotStack gathers almost everything Substack spreads across its stats, growth, posts and Notes screens into one place and writes short findings, such as a Note far above your usual or your main source of new readers. If you'd rather not dig through charts, the simpler tool is the better one.

What both have in common

Neither asks for your password and neither posts anything. Both read your stats through the Substack session already open in Chrome, which is how most Substack analytics tools work because Substack has no public stats API. That also means either can break when Substack changes its site; your built-in dashboard is always the fallback.

Our pick

Under 1,000 subscribers, try both: they cost nothing. Above 1,000, PlotStack gives you Notes and conversion stats for free that Substack Insights charges $9.99 for, as long as your publication is on a substack.com address. Substack Insights is the steadier choice if you want a polished, well-rated tool with less to learn.

Our verdicts

PlotStack: A free, read-only Chrome dashboard that pulls together what Substack spreads across several screens (subscribers, open rate, acquisition sources, cohort retention, per-post and per-Note stats, attributed signups) and points out what stands out compared with your own past numbers. No account and no server: data stays in your browser, and paid and revenue figures are hidden by default. It reads Substack's undocumented internal endpoints through your logged-in session and syncs once a day in the background, it doesn't support custom domains yet, and it's a very new one-person project with no Chrome Web Store ratings yet, so expect breakage when Substack changes things.
Substack Insights: A simple, inexpensive Chrome side panel that ranks your posts and Notes and exports a CSV with ready-made AI prompts. Analysis runs in your browser using your logged-in Substack session; it only reads, never posts. Small and new (v1.0 on the Chrome Web Store).

Sources

Prices change; confirm on each vendor's site. See how we verify tools. More tools like these: Analytics.