Substack

No password at all: a magic link, then you are in.

Onboarding screens3

Email verificationMagic link

Phone numberNo

CAPTCHANone seen

Interests askedNone up front

SkippableBio

Capture 1 of 8

A busy feed with a "Log in or sign up" panel and a "Start your Substack" call to action.

Capture 2 of 8

One screen for both sign-in and sign-up: an email field, with "First time here? Create account" and a password option.

Capture 3 of 8

"Click the magic link inside to continue." There is no password and no code to type.

Capture 4 of 8

"Create your account on Substack" with a single "Confirm your email" button. Proton marks it as a mailing-list message.

Capture 5 of 8

Clicking the link drops you straight into a signed-in feed with "Recommended for you" writers to subscribe to. There is no topic picker.

Capture 6 of 8

The first real question, and it appears only when you open Profile: a name and a terms checkbox.

Capture 7 of 8

Photo and bio, with a "Skip for now" link.

Capture 8 of 8

An empty profile with a generated avatar and handle (@mayaellison2).

The lowest-effort account creation of the six: one email address and one click, no password.
Personalization is pushed later: no interest picker, only a list of recommended writers.
Name and terms are asked only after you are already inside.

Captured 7 October 2026 on web with a made-up persona. Screen counts exclude landing page and first feed.