Rad TV vs Substack
Substack is a great place to publish and grow a paid audience, and it now does video, too. But it's built for the inbox and the phone, not the living room: no PlayStation, Meta Quest, Fire TV, or Chromecast apps, and no way for a fan to tip a specific video. Rad TV is a real video platform with HD/4K streaming on every screen, where you keep 85% of memberships and tips, paid to your bank.
Creators keep 85% of memberships and tips, paid to your bank by Stripe.
Rad TV vs Substack
| Feature | Rad TV | Substack |
|---|---|---|
| Creator payout | Keep 85% of memberships and tips, paid to your bank by Stripe | 10% platform fee plus processing (~13-16% all-in) |
| Native video hosting & streaming | Yes, with native hosting, transcoding, and adaptive HD/4K streaming | Newsletter-first, with growing native video and live, but not a full OTT video platform |
| Apps on TV, consoles & VR | Web, iOS, Android, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, PS4/PS5, PSVR/PSVR2, Meta Quest | Web, iOS, and Android; video is coming to TV, but no console or VR apps |
| AI production tools | Yes: 4K upscaling, 5.1 surround, and subtitles (Creator+, $29.99/mo) | Minimal, AI clip selection only |
| Viral prediction | Yes, scored before you publish, with recommendations | No |
| Developer API & automation | GraphQL API plus an agent-native MCP server (uploads, transcoding, AI tools, and viral prediction) | No official public API |
| Recurring memberships | Yes, recurring channel memberships you price yourself | Yes, paid subscriptions |
| One-time tips | Yes, one-time tips on a channel or a specific video | No native tipping |
| Members-only video | Yes, natively-hosted members-only videos | Yes, paid posts and paywalled video |
| Creative freedom | Creator-first, with no algorithm or advertiser gatekeeping | Content guidelines; payment-processor limits |
| App-store cut on web signups | None. Fans pay on the web | Apple IAP up to 30% on iOS; outside the US, Apple checkout is the only option |
Substack details last verified 2026-08.
Rad TV vs Substack FAQ
Substack added video, so isn't that the same thing now?
Substack added native video and live streaming, and it's good for shows and podcasts. But it's still a publishing platform: your video can't play as a channel on PlayStation, Meta Quest, Fire TV, Apple TV, or Chromecast, there's no tipping on an individual video, and on iOS outside the US, Apple takes up to 30%. Rad TV is purpose-built for video, with 4K streaming across TV, console, and VR, and memberships and tips that pay you 85% directly.
Should video creators use Rad TV instead of Substack?
If your primary medium is video, yes. Rad TV natively hosts and streams your video across every screen and adds production AI, while still offering recurring memberships and tips. Substack is optimized for written newsletters, with video that plays on the web and phone rather than the living room.
Made by you. Funded by your fans.
Keep 85% of memberships and tips, host and stream your video on every screen, and finish every upload with AI.
