Substack vs Medium [2024] Pay, Features Comparison 

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I’ve been making money with my online content for over a decade – and that includes my writing. I’ve seen it all.

I love the freedom of making a living by sharing my thoughts on the internet. And I want to help you do it, too.

So let’s explore Substack vs Medium. I’ll compare features, pricing, and more.

Plus, I’ve done original research showing whether it’s Substack or Medium that brings in TEN TIMES more readers than the other on Google search.

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Substack vs Medium Overview

Substack and Medium are both platforms that you can use to publish and monetize content online. But they’re hardly twins. In fact, they’re barely cousins. 

Substack is for hosting newsletters. Medium is basically a network of blogs.

But that key distinction barely scratches the surface of the Substack vs Medium debate. Ready to zoom in? Let’s take a closer look.

What Is Substack and How Does Substack Work?

Substack is a newsletter platform that makes it easy to monetize your content with paid subscriptions. 

Here’s a basic breakdown of how Substack works:

  1. You create your Substack account by going to the official Substack website and clicking “Create your Substack.”
  2. You publish content in the form of an email newsletter.
  3. People choose to subscribe to your newsletter.

Subscriptions can be paid or free. But let me guess – if you’re reading about Substack vs Medium on a site called Touchdown Money, you’re hoping to get paid!

Well, Substack is designed to be monetized. That’s basically the whole idea. Readers come to Substack knowing they’ll likely have to pay, and they accept it because it gives them access to their favorite creators.

When deciding whether to use Substack or Medium, you’ll want to know exactly what each platform offers.

Here are the main features you’ll enjoy with Substack:

  • Posts are simultaneously delivered on the web, through email, and through the Substack mobile app.
  • Podcast hosting
  • Embedded videos in your posts 
  • The Substack Community which includes comments, chats, and direct messaging.

Together, these features allow you to produce engaging content. This is exactly what you’ll need to grow your list of subscribers.

Substack publishes your content online via website, email, and on their mobile app.
When you post content through Substack, it’s published on the web, by email, and in the Substack mobile app. 

Looking at Substack for its email newsletter? You might also be interested in my list of the best email marketing software.

What Is Medium and How Does Medium Work?

Medium is a simple, user-friendly platform that you can use to publish articles online. And best of all, it’s completely free to get started!

The idea with Medium is that you can publish content without creating your own website or newsletter. Everything you publish is hosted on the Medium website. 

Check out how easy it is to get started on Medium:

  1. Go to Medium.com.
  2. Click “Get Started” in the top-right corner.
  3. Sign up through Facebook, Google, or email.
  4. Click “Write” in the top-right corner and start composing your first post!

I’m not kidding when I say you could be writing your first article in less than 30 seconds. It’s seriously that fast. 

Medium’s user interface is also refreshingly simple. Will you get lots of bells and whistles? No. You literally see a blank page with 2 boxes. 

One box for the title and one box for the body of the text. But that’s perfect for creativity! It’s a blank slate. 

And on that blank slate, you can put down your brilliant ideas, along with images and videos.

Okay, so posting on Medium is easy. But so far, something’s missing from the story – something green and oh-so-exciting. I’m talking, of course, about money.

With Medium, there’s no option to set your own subscription fee (this is a key distinction in the Substack vs Medium debate). Instead, you can monetize your Medium account by joining the Medium Partner Program.

Here’s how the Medium Partner Program works:

  1. You apply to the program. You must already be a Medium Member, which costs $5 per month. You must also have posted a story within the last 6 months and live in an eligible country.
  2. If accepted, you officially enroll in the program. This involves getting set up with the 3rd-party payment systems Stripe and Tipalti.
  3. You put your stories (it’s up to you how many) behind a paywall, meaning only Medium Members can read them.
  4. Medium pays you. The payment amounts depend on how much engagement your content gets (including replies, new follows, claps, and highlights). 

With Medium, people don’t subscribe specifically to your account (which is another big difference in the Medium vs Substack conversation). But you’ll still earn more money if you can attract a larger audience. 

For instance, the amount you earn will depend on how many people read (or listen to) your stories and how long they stay on the page. Medium explains this “read ratio” as people who read your story for 30 seconds or more divided by total views.

So, whether you’re using Substack or Medium, the main goal is the same: Produce popular content.

On Medium, creators can easily view their earnings, views, and more.
Medium stats display your earnings, views, and read ratio.

Substack vs Medium Pricing / Substack vs Medium Cost

Pricing is another area where Substack and Medium are miles apart. 

No, it’s not that one is way more expensive than the other. In a sense, they’re both free.

It’s just that the two platforms have radically different pricing models. Keep reading to see what I mean. 

Substack Pricing

Substack takes a 10% cut of the money you earn through subscriptions. That means the amount you pay to Substack depends on how much money you’re making. 

Let’s say you’ve got 300 subscribers, and your monthly subscription fee is $5. That means your newsletter earns $1,500 each month (not bad!). But Substack takes 10% of that, meaning you give them $150 a month – leaving you with $1,350 for yourself.

You’ll also have to pay for credit card processing. Substack runs its billing through Stripe, which will charge you two separate fees:

  • A “credit card” fee of 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
  • A “billing” fee of 0.5% for recurring payments

Medium Pricing

Posting on Medium is completely free. You can get started without even giving them your credit card information.

But what if you want to monetize your content? In that case, you’ll have to apply for the Partner Program. And to be eligible for the Partner Program, you need to be a Medium Member, which costs $5 a month.

The good news is that a Medium membership gives you more than just the right to monetize your posts. You’ll also get access to all the other content on the platform – and there’s fascinating stuff available. 

Not bad for something that costs less than a plate of barbecue chicken wings! Oh dang, now I’m imagining chomping on tangy chicken wings.

Substack vs Medium Pros and Cons

Substack and Medium are fantastic platforms. Seriously, they’re both user-friendly, and you could be super successful on either of them.

But they’re not perfect. 

Let’s take a look at each platform’s pros and cons.

Substack Pros and Cons

Substack Pros:

  • It’s easy to monetize your newsletter. All you have to do is switch to a paid subscription model and set your monthly fee.
  • Content is delivered through 3 different channels. Your posts will appear on the web, on the Substack mobile app, and in your subscribers’ inboxes.
  • There’s no monthly fee. Whether or not you choose to charge subscribers, you won’t have to pay Substack for using the service. (But you will give them a share of your profits.)

Substack Cons:

  • It can be harder to attract an audience. Big-name journalists love Substack because they already have a following. But if you’re starting from scratch, landing subscribers could be a challenge.
  • Your content isn’t as discoverable. In other words, Substack newsletters don’t show up in Google as often as Medium articles. 
  • Substack takes a 10% cut of subscription fees. So, while you don’t technically have to pay for the service, they’re quietly making a killing off your work (if you’re earning a lot through subscriptions).

Medium Pros and Cons

Medium Pros:

  • The user experience is amazing. Signing up for Medium is easy, and publishing content is somehow even easier. The word intuitive doesn’t even do it justice.
  • There’s a large internal audience. Users are used to browsing on Medium, and that makes it more likely they’ll stumble on your posts.
  • You can put only certain posts behind paywalls. That means you could post free content to lure people in, then steer them behind the paywall so you’ll get paid.

Medium Cons:

  • You have to apply to monetize your posts through the Medium Partner Program. This is a major difference in the Substack vs Medium debate. With Substack, anyone can choose to monetize their newsletter.
  • There’s a lot of competition for eyeballs. Medium is a huge community, and while it’s great to have lots of potential readers, you’ll also be competing against lots of fellow creators. 
  • If you want to monetize, you have to pay. Only Medium Members can apply to monetize their articles, and that requires paying a $5 monthly fee.

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Substack vs Medium Reviews

I found a Reddit thread where someone asked the “Medium vs Substack” question. They wanted to publish articles, and they weren’t sure if Substack or Medium would be a better platform.

A person on Reddit starts a thread asking others for their opinions on Medium vs Substack.
Someone starts a Reddit thread by asking the “Medium vs Substack” question.

Someone responded with a detailed breakdown of the Substack vs Medium comparison. They said that the question of which platform is better depends on your goals and that Medium is better for “exposure” while Substack is better for income. 

They also suggested building an audience on Medium and then monetizing it on Substack.

Someone on Reddit explains that Medium is better for exposure, while Substack is better for making money.
A Redditor describes the strengths of both sides in the Substack vs Medium debate. 

Another Redditor pointed out it’s easier for people to “stumble upon” your content with Medium than it is with Substack. 

Someone on Reddit explains that Medium is better to grow a following than Substack.
Medium or Substack? This person says Medium makes it easier for people to discover your posts. 

Someone else said they’d been using both platforms for years. Unfortunately, they hadn’t had much success with either platform – which is actually a useful point. Whether you use Medium or Substack, attracting an audience is always a challenge! 

A person on Reddit explains how they use both Substack and Medium.
In a comment on Reddit, someone says they haven’t had much success with Medium or Substack.

Neither Substack nor Medium is really a way how to make money fast. It takes time to build your audience.

If you’re interested in how to make more money, check out my resources:

Substack vs Medium: Which is Better?

I guess Substack vs Medium is a soccer game, not a baseball game – because guess what? It’s ending in a tie. 

Neither platform is better than the other. It depends on your situation. 

Substack is the better choice if you already have a big following and you just need a way to capitalize on it. 

But Medium might be better if you don’t have tens of thousands of social media followers yet. Why? Because users browse Medium in a way they don’t really do with Substack – meaning they might stumble upon your content. And if you’re lucky, an especially strong post could even go viral!

There’s also the option to make the Medium-to-Substack transition, where you build your audience on Medium, and then move to Substack, where you can charge subscription fees. 

If I were to start a pet care blog or figure out how to make money as a travel photographer, either Medium or Substack would be a good place to start. 

extra point Extra Point: If you know (or are willing to learn) SEO to show up at the top of search results, do know that Medium shows up over 10X more in Google search results compared to Substack! You can also read my RankIQ review to find tools to help you optimize your content.

Medium's homepage gets over 27 million visitors each month.
My research shows that Medium stories bring in nearly 27 million visitors each month. That’s a lot of potential exposure for you.

Substack gets around 2 million visitors every month.
My research also shows that Substack brings in about 2 million visitors each month.

Ultimately, both sides in the Medium vs Substack debate are top-notch. You’re likely to enjoy your experience with either of them!

With Substack or Medium, you can make a lot of money if your site is very popular. Letters From an American on Substack is estimated to earn over $5 million dollars a year. 

Both The Pragmatic Engineer and Lenny’s Newsletter on Substack are estimated to earn between 1 and 2 million dollars a year.

So either Medium or Substack can be a way:

Commonly Asked Questions About Substack vs Medium

Alternatives to Substack / Alternatives to Medium?

If you’re considering Substack or Medium, you could also choose one of these alternatives:

What Is the Difference Between Substack and Medium?

You can use Substack or Medium to create content, but with Substack, you send a newsletter to subscribers, while Medium employs a blog-like model where you post articles on their site. 

Medium gets 10 times the number of visitors from Google search compared to Substack.

Publishing your writing is one of my favorite:

Is It Better To Publish on Medium or Substack?  

The winner of the Substack vs Medium debate depends on your situation. Your content might be more visible on Medium, making it better for anyone with no existing following. But it’s easier to monetize your content on Substack, which is great for anyone who already has an audience. 

Whether you choose Substack or Medium, publishing your content is one of my favorite low-cost business ideas with high profit. 

Can I Post on Both Substack and Medium?

You can absolutely post on both Substack and Medium. In fact, that could be a good way to grow your audience and maximize your earnings. Just make sure you’re not stretching yourself too thin. It’s better to crush a single platform than produce subpar content for two of them. 

It’s smart to publish the same content everywhere you can. This is how to make money on Facebook and how to make money on Pinterest.

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