Backlink Leaderboard · Head-to-Head Comparison
Substack
#6 of 310 · LDS 9.1
VS
Hashnode
#8 of 310 · LDS 8.8
Comparing Link Dilution Score, AI visibility, Domain Rating and dofollow status. Scores are calculated using the FreeMalta LDS formula — not Domain Rating alone. How we calculate →
Score comparison
Substack vs Hashnode
Link Dilution Score (LDS)
AI Visibility Score
Domain Rating (DR)
Full breakdown
Every metric, side by side.
Metric
Substack
Hashnode
LDS Score
9.1
8.8
AI Visibility
8.3
4.8
AI Stars
★★★
★
Domain Rating
91
82
Link Type
Dofollow
Dofollow
Pricing
Free
Free
Category
Publishing
Developer
Traffic
50M
5M
AI Cited
✓ AI cited
—
Verdict
What the scores actually mean.
Too close to call.
Substack and Hashnode are within 0.5 LDS points of each other. Both are valid backlink sources — your choice should depend on which is easier to get listed on and which fits your content strategy.
Substack is also AI-cited — it appears in AI-generated answers. Hashnode is not. For AEO and GEO visibility, that gap matters.
Substack is also AI-cited — it appears in AI-generated answers. Hashnode is not. For AEO and GEO visibility, that gap matters.
Platform detail
What each platform actually is.
Substack (dofollow, DR91) passes real link juice — unlike Medium which is nofollow. Newsletter posts linking to your site build authority over time. Growing AI citation presence makes it increasingly valuable for GEO.
Rank#6 / 310
LDS9.1
AI Score8.3 ★★★
DR91
Link typeDofollow
PricingFree
Hashnode (dofollow, DR82) is a developer-first blogging platform with low outbound link dilution relative to its authority. Strong juice-per-link ratio for technical content.
Rank#8 / 310
LDS8.8
AI Score4.8 ★
DR82
Link typeDofollow
PricingFree
Also compare
Other Publishing platforms.
Scores are calculated using the FreeMalta Link Dilution Score (LDS) formula. Domain Rating data sourced from Ahrefs. AI citation status based on verified testing across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude and Google AI Overviews. Data updated periodically — always verify with current tools before making link building decisions.