With search traffic becoming less reliable thanks to AI-powered summaries and endless algorithm shifts, creators are rethinking how they connect with their audiences. Memberships are quickly moving from “nice to have” to “must have.”

And if you’re a recipe creator ready to explore memberships, you’ve likely come across two paths:

Going all-in on Substack (the newsletter-driven approach).
Hosting your own membership (on WordPress, via a plugin, or through a platform like Memberful, Podia, or Kajabi).

Both approaches can help you own your audience, create recurring revenue, and deepen community, but the experience of running them is very different. Let’s break down the pros and cons so you can make the best choice for your food brand.

Why Substack Appeals to Recipe Creators

*Some of Substack’s value props for recipe creators and food bloggers.*

Substack has become the darling of food writers and recipe creators who want to connect directly with readers without messing with plugins, email platforms, or complex websites. It’s easy to see why:

Pros of Substack

Low lift, quick start. You can be up and running in an afternoon, with zero tech knowledge required.
Built-in discovery. Substack’s Notes feed and Recommendations feature can expose your newsletter to new readers who might never have found your blog.
Reader connection. The platform emphasizes comments, discussion threads, and personal storytelling—ideal if your recipes often come with a side of anecdotes.
Free until you monetize. You can grow your list at no cost, and Substack only takes a cut (10%) once you start charging for subscriptions.
Social meets newsletter. Many readers already associate Substack with “trusted voices,” making them more open to paying for your work there.

Cons of Substack

Limited customization. Your newsletter will look like… a Substack newsletter. Fonts, layouts, and member areas aren’t easily tailored to match your brand.
Platform dependence. While you own your list, you don’t fully control the platform experience. If Substack changes its policies (or fades in popularity), you’ll need to pivot.
Revenue share. That 10% platform fee adds up as your audience grows—money that could stay in your pocket with self-hosting.
Not a full digital kitchen. Substack is best for writing. If your membership vision includes downloadable meal plans, shoppable ingredient lists, or recipe vaults, you’ll run into limits fast.

Why Creators Choose Hosted Memberships

*Some of WordPress’* *membership plugin options* *to download.*

If Substack is like renting a charming apartment downtown, hosting your own membership is like buying a house. More responsibility, yes, but also more freedom.

Pros of Hosting Your Own Membership

Full control over branding. Plugins like Memberful, Restrict Content Pro, or WooCommerce Memberships allow you to match your membership area to your blog’s style.
Flexible offerings. Want tiered subscriptions, exclusive recipe vaults, downloadable PDFs, or video libraries? Self-hosting makes this possible.
Keep more revenue. Instead of paying a 10% fee, you’ll pay a flat monthly rate for your plugin or platform, often saving money as your subscriber base grows.
Own the whole ecosystem. No platform lock-in. Your site, your rules, your data.
Integrates with other tools. From email marketing (like Kit or Flodesk) to affiliate commerce (like Instacart or Amazon Fresh), you can tie your membership directly into the rest of your food creator toolkit.

Cons of Hosting Your Own Membership

More setup time. You’ll need to install plugins, connect payment processors, and possibly troubleshoot.
Ongoing maintenance. Site updates, plugin conflicts, and support fall on you (or a developer you hire).
No built-in discovery. Unlike Substack’s community ecosystem, you’ll need to drive your own traffic via SEO, social, or paid ads.
Potential overwhelm. With so many options, it’s easy to overbuild before you’ve validated what your audience wants.

So Which Should You Choose?

Here’s a practical way to think about it:

Substack works best if your membership idea is primarily writing- or newsletter-driven, if you want to get started without technical hassle, or if you’d like to benefit from built-in discovery features.
Other hosting options work best if you already have a food blog, want tight control over your brand experience, or envision a membership beyond words—like gated recipe archives, video tutorials, or shopping integrations.

Neither is “better” universally. It comes down to how much control you want, how much effort you’re willing to put in, and what type of experience you want to deliver to your readers.

No Matter the Platform, Don’t Leave Growth on the Table

Food creators today need more than pageviews, they need owned relationships, recurring revenue, and ways to future-proof their audience. Substack and self-hosted memberships both provide paths to get there, with different trade-offs in simplicity, control, and revenue.

Choose the one that aligns with your creative style and business goals.

And whichever route you take, don’t forget: tools like Grocers List can supercharge your membership by turning casual followers into loyal subscribers and paying fans.

Built exclusively for food creators, Grocers List helps you:

Capture more emails with Save to Email buttons inside DMs.
Monetize recipes instantly with one-click ingredient shopping tied to your Instacart or Amazon Fresh affiliate accounts.
Boost engagement by turning Instagram comments into recipe DMs and list sign-ups.
Drive more affiliate sales with Amazon deep links that open directly in the app.

So, while your membership platform sets the table, Grocers List makes sure the kitchen is stocked, the guests keep coming back, and everyone leaves full.

Substack or Hosting Your Own Membership Site? Pros & Cons for Recipe Creators