Everyone knows the substack vs medium debate is a rite of passage for every modern writer.

But what makes these platforms so different—and which one is right for you?

In this comprehensive cheatsheet, you’ll get a side-by-side comparison of Substack vs Medium, packed with actionable insights, real numbers, and honest pros and cons.

Some are game-changing for building a loyal audience.

Some are simple tweaks that can double your earnings overnight.

Some are hidden features most writers overlook.

Some are about creative control—you decide what gets published, when, and to whom.

Some might save you months of trial and error.

Let’s dive right in.

Substack vs Medium: The Ultimate Guide for Writers

• Introduction
• What Are Substack and Medium?
• Core Feature Comparison
• Monetization Options
• Audience Reach & Discoverability
• Ease of Use & Customization
• Analytics & Insights
• Pricing & Costs
• Pros and Cons
• How to Choose the Right Platform
• Case Studies & Success Stories
• Conclusion
• FAQs

Introduction

Choosing between Substack vs Medium isn’t just about picking a platform. It’s about shaping your entire writing career—your reach, income, and creative freedom.

Both platforms dominate the digital publishing landscape, but they serve different needs and mindsets. Substack is all about owning your audience and building a newsletter business. Medium focuses on a massive built-in readership and viral discoverability.

This guide breaks down everything you need to know—features, monetization, analytics, community, and proven growth strategies—so you can make the best choice for your writing goals.

What Are Substack and Medium?

Substack: The Creator-First Newsletter Platform

Substack launched in 2017 and quickly became a go-to for writers seeking direct relationships with their readers. It’s built around email newsletters, enabling you to grow an email list, put up paywalls, and deliver content straight to the inbox. Substack provides simple publishing tools and handles subscription payments, making it easy to monetize your writing on your own terms.

In essence: Substack turns every writer into a publication owner. You manage your list, own your data, and set your own rules.

Medium: The Community-Driven Blogging Platform

Founded in 2012, Medium is a centralized blogging platform that emphasizes readability, curation, and viral growth. You can publish for free, lock stories for paying members, or join the Medium Partner Program to earn based on engagement. Its recommendation engine, topic pages, and publication system help writers reach new audiences—even if you start from zero.

Think of Medium as a digital magazine rack—your work sits alongside thousands of others and can be surfaced by the algorithm to a vast, curious readership.

Core Feature Comparison

Publishing & Formatting Tools

Substack offers a minimalist editor—text, images, basic embeds. Scheduling, newsletters, and simple formatting are its bread and butter. No design distractions, but also limited visual customization.

Medium, by contrast, boasts a rich editor: pull quotes, galleries, code snippets, callouts, and seamless media integration. It’s made for essays, tutorials, and multimedia posts—ideal for creators who want to experiment with content types.

Audience Engagement Features

On Substack, every post goes directly to your subscribers’ inboxes. You can send public or subscriber-only emails, and engage through comments, polls, and the growing "Notes" feature—a Twitter-like feed for short updates and community building. Engagement is personal and direct.

Medium offers highlightable text, comments, claps, and a response system that encourages conversation. Readers can follow writers and publications, and the social feed is driven by a discovery algorithm—making engagement more public and viral.

Community & Network Effects

Substack prioritizes direct relationships and cross-promotion through its recommendation engine. You grow mainly by leveraging your own audience, collaborations, and word-of-mouth. There’s no global social feed, but the "Recommendations" feature can drive major growth if you build partnerships with other writers (see how one creator gained 3,000 subscribers from recommendations alone).

Medium’s strength is its built-in audience. The platform’s curation, topic pages, and featured collections expose your work to millions—sometimes overnight. Even if you don’t have an existing following, a great story can go viral, surfacing to readers interested in your topic.

Monetization Options

Substack: Paid Subscriptions & Email Newsletters

Monetization on Substack is direct and transparent. You set your own subscription price—monthly or annual—and decide what’s free versus paid. Substack processes payments, issues invoices, and handles taxes in the background. The platform takes a 10% fee, plus payment processing (~2.9% + $0.30 per transaction).

Statistically, about 5–7% of your total subscribers will pay, but this varies widely based on niche, pricing, and value offered (source). The upside? Predictable, recurring revenue and total control over your content and pricing.

Medium: Partner Program & Member-Only Content

Medium pays writers via its Partner Program. Your earnings depend on member reading time, engagement (claps, comments, follows), and whether your story is boosted by editors. Writers don’t control pricing or access—Medium distributes a portion of membership revenue based on performance within its ecosystem.

You can also lock stories behind the member paywall, but only paying Medium members can view them (about 1M out of 170M visitors, per recent stats). While you can earn from viral hits, income is unpredictable and can fluctuate with algorithm or policy changes.

Want a visual breakdown? Watch this detailed comparison:

Audience Reach & Discoverability

Traffic & Search Visibility

Medium gets an estimated 500+ million visits quarterly—almost triple Substack’s traffic (source). Most of this comes through organic search, curation, and internal distribution. Even "non-paying" members can discover your work, though only paying members generate income.

Substack, with about 180 million quarterly visits, relies heavily on direct discovery, recommendations, and social sharing. Growth is slower but deeper: every subscriber is an email address you own. For SEO, Substack posts can appear in search results, but the focus is on building a newsletter audience rather than maximizing anonymous traffic.

Viral Potential & Long-Term Growth

Medium favors virality. Stories can spike to tens of thousands of reads in days, especially if boosted or picked up by publications. However, the audience is less "owned"—you’re renting exposure, and algorithm changes can tank your views overnight (see writer experiences on Reddit).

Substack is a slow-burn. You might not go viral, but you build a stable, loyal base. Growth is compounding, as each subscriber is a direct line for future launches, offers, or books. Many writers use both platforms: Medium for discoverability, Substack for retention and monetization.

Ease of Use & Customization

Editor Experience

Substack’s editor is all about focus—no drag-and-drop layouts, minimal distractions. You can add custom domains, logos, and basic branding, but the platform prioritizes content over design.

Medium’s editor is more flexible, supporting various content types and embedded media. However, customization is limited within platform conventions (no full control over fonts, colors, or advanced design). It’s optimized for frictionless publishing rather than unique branding.

Getting Started & Technical Barriers

Both platforms are beginner-friendly. You can launch a new publication in minutes. Substack is especially easy for those new to email marketing: you don’t need a separate ESP, payment processor, or landing page builder. Medium requires no setup at all—just write and publish.

If you crave advanced customization? Both platforms fall short versus building your own site, but Substack’s focus on simplicity keeps you writing, not tweaking.

Analytics & Insights

Substack Analytics

Substack provides a transparent dashboard: total subscribers, paid/free breakdown, churn rates, open/click rates, and revenue over time. You see exactly which posts drive signups and which campaigns convert best. This direct feedback loop helps you optimize your offer and grow revenue predictably.

Want to see what’s working? Substack also lets you track referral sources, partner recommendations, and the impact of specific promotions (source).

Medium Stats

Medium shows views, read ratio (percentage of readers who finish your story), read time, claps, fans, and follower growth. You can compare story performance over time, but integration with third-party analytics (like Google Analytics) is minimal. Medium’s insights are more about engagement trends than granular subscriber data.

Recent changes mean that engagement—especially comments and claps from your followers—now plays a larger role in earnings (source).

Pricing & Costs

Substack

Free to start. Substack only takes a 10% cut if you have paying subscribers, plus standard Stripe processing fees. You keep 87%+ of your revenue. No hosting, newsletter, or domain fees (unless you want a custom domain, which is optional).

Medium

No cost to publish. Readers pay $5/month or $50/year for full access. Writers earn from the membership pool. There are no upfront publishing fees, but you have no control over pricing or direct subscriber relationships.

Pros and Cons

Pros of Substack

• Full ownership of your subscriber list and data
• Higher, more predictable revenue potential through direct subscriptions
• Simple, distraction-free publishing
• Direct audience relationships and email-based engagement
• Flexible monetization: paid subscriptions, sponsorships, affiliate links, consulting

Cons of Substack

• Requires proactive audience building (no viral algorithm)
• Limited formatting and design flexibility
• Growth is slower: no instant exposure from a large network
• No native social feed outside "Notes" and recommendations

Pros of Medium

• Massive built-in audience and viral discovery
• No upfront costs for publishing
• Rich editor for multimedia and long-form content
• Algorithmic distribution can drive thousands of reads overnight
• Easy to start and experiment with writing in multiple niches

Cons of Medium

• Less control over subscriber data (you don’t own the emails)
• Revenue is variable, tied to platform changes and member engagement
• High competition for reader attention
• Algorithm and policy changes can disrupt earnings

How to Choose the Right Platform

Consider Your Audience & Goals

If you want an “owned” audience—people who get your writing in their inbox and are more likely to buy books, courses, or consulting—Substack is your best bet. If you prefer instant exposure, community engagement, and writing for the widest possible readership, start with Medium.

Many writers use both: publish free previews on Medium, funnel engaged readers to Substack for exclusive or paid content (source).

Technical Skill & Customization Needs

Value simplicity? Substack is plug-and-play. Need more advanced formatting or want to experiment with different content types? Medium’s editor is hard to beat.

Revenue Model Preferences

If you want to set your own prices and build a recurring income stream, Substack gives you control. If you’d rather focus on writing and let the platform handle monetization, Medium’s Partner Program is hands-off—but less predictable.

Case Studies & Success Stories

Jane: From Tech Blogger to Substack Success

Jane, a tech writer, migrated her audience to Substack and focused on a niche: weekly AI industry updates. Within a year, she grew to 2,000 paid subscribers, generating over $6,000/month in predictable revenue. Her secret? Consistent newsletters, leveraging recommendations, and offering subscriber-only reports.

Alex: Leveraging Medium for Traffic & Leads

Alex, a fitness coach, used Medium to publish free guides and stories that went viral, driving 100,000+ monthly views. He didn’t rely on the Partner Program for income—instead, he funneled readers to his coaching services and email list, using Medium’s massive reach as a lead engine.

Hybrid Approach

Many top writers use both platforms strategically: repurposing content, cross-promoting subscriber lists, and using Medium’s viral reach to drive traffic to Substack’s monetizable, owned audience (source).

Conclusion

The substack vs medium decision boils down to this:

• Substack = owned audience, predictable revenue, slow growth, total control
• Medium = built-in traffic, viral discovery, unpredictable income, less control

Neither platform is “better” universally—it’s about which fits your goals, content style, and appetite for audience-building. For many, the ideal is a hybrid: use Medium for reach, Substack for retention and monetization.

Start with your strengths, experiment, and remember: your writing career is a business, not just a hobby. Choose the tools that help you grow, get paid, and make an impact.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use both Substack and Medium at the same time?

Yes! Many writers publish free or teaser content on Medium and reserve premium, in-depth posts for Substack subscribers. This hybrid approach maximizes discoverability and monetization.

How do I grow my Substack newsletter?

Promote it on social media, collaborate with other Substackers through recommendations, guest post, and optimize your signup page for SEO. Use lead magnets or exclusive content to incentivize signups (source).

What’s the typical earnings difference?

Substack earnings are more predictable but require active selling and retention. Medium income can spike with viral stories, but is often less consistent. Most writers earn under $100/month on Medium, while Substack’s top writers can earn thousands, although averages are lower (source).

Do I need to pay to publish on Medium?

No, publishing is free. Only members can view locked/paid stories. Writers are paid out of the Medium membership pool based on engagement.

How important is SEO on Substack vs Medium?

SEO is crucial on Substack for discoverability, since you own your audience. Use keywords in titles, headings, and body text. Medium articles can rank well in Google, but also benefit from the platform’s internal curation and recommendation engine (see more on engagement metrics).

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Sources:
Linda C: Which Is Better, Medium or Substack?
Lia Haberman: How I Grew My Newsletter to 10k Subscribers
Hootsuite: Social Media Metrics