Substack is for writing. Links is for your bio.
Some creators point their bio at their Substack profile. But Substack profiles load slowly, don't track individual clicks, and don't open correctly from Instagram. Links was built for this. Use both together.
Free forever. No credit card.
Links vs Substack
An honest comparison, feature by feature.
Purpose
Smart deep links
Shield protection
Per-link analytics
Page load speed
Pricing
Best use case
| Feature | Links | Substack |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Link-in-bio (core product) | Newsletter platform (profile is a side feature) |
| Smart deep links | Yes, bypasses Instagram webview | No |
| Shield protection | Yes, blocks crawlers | No |
| Per-link analytics | Every link tracked individually | No per-link tracking |
| Page load speed | Under 1 second | 3-5 seconds (heavy newsletter site) |
| Pricing | Free forever | Free to publish, 10% of paid subscriptions |
| Best use case | Bio link with multiple destinations | Publishing newsletters and articles |
Why creators leave Substack
Your Substack profile is not a bio link tool
Substack profiles are designed to showcase your newsletter archive. They load your recent posts, your subscriber count, and your bio. That's 3-5 seconds of load time for what should be a simple link page. Links loads in under a second with just your links front and center.
Track every click, not just page views
Substack doesn't tell you which links people tap from your profile. You see total views but not whether people clicked your shop, your Instagram, or your booking calendar. Links tracks every single link individually so you know what your audience actually wants.
Your Substack signup works better from Links
When someone taps a Substack link from Instagram, it opens in the webview. The signup form loads slowly and sometimes doesn't submit. Put your Substack signup URL on your Links page and it opens in the real browser where signups actually work.
One bio link, all your content
You write on Substack. But you also have a store, a booking page, social accounts, and other projects. Your Substack profile only highlights your newsletter. Links gives you one page for everything with smart routing that gets people where they need to go fast.
Common questions
Use Links in your bio. Add your Substack as one of your links. This gives you a faster page, click tracking per link, and the ability to add other destinations like your store, social profiles, or booking page. Your Substack stays focused on what it does best: publishing your writing.
Yes. Add your Substack URL as a link on your Links page. When people tap it, they'll be sent to your Substack in the real browser instead of the broken Instagram webview. This means faster load times and working signup forms that actually submit correctly. You get the best of both tools. Substack handles your newsletter publishing and email list. Links handles traffic routing from your Instagram bio. Most Substack writers who switch see signup rates go up because the form works correctly.
Substack profiles can show links to your social accounts, but they're secondary to your newsletter content. There's no per-link analytics, no deep links, and profiles load slowly because they're designed to showcase posts, not route traffic. A dedicated link-in-bio like Links does this job better.
Substack is free to publish on. They take 10% of paid subscription revenue. Links is free with no revenue share or transaction fees because it's not a monetization platform. You link to your own tools and keep everything you earn.
No. Links works for any type of creator. If you write newsletters, add your Substack. If you don't, add whatever matters to your audience: your shop, your services, your social accounts, or your other content.
“I had my Substack profile URL in my Instagram bio for months. It took 5 seconds to load and I had no idea which links people were clicking. Switched to Links with my Substack as one of the links. Signups went up 40% in two weeks.”
Grace H.
Newsletter writer, 18K followers
“Substack is perfect for my writing but awful as a bio link. Links gives me a fast page where my Substack is one link among my shop, podcast, and Instagram. Now people actually find what they're looking for.”
David R.
Substack writer and podcaster
“My Substack signup form was broken in the Instagram webview. Links fixed it by opening the real browser. Two tools, one purpose each.”
Priya S.
Tech newsletter author
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