Medium is a great website for readers looking for a diverse range of content, and for writers looking to improve their skills and potentially earn some money in the process. But what are the best alternatives to Medium?
The 6 best Medium alternatives are:
- HubPages
- Newsbreak
- Vocal Media
- Substack
- Ghost
- WordPress
Below, I’ll go through each of these Medium alternatives in more detail. I’ll discuss how each one operates and why you might want to use it instead of Medium. But first, let’s compare them quickly in a table.
Medium Alternatives Compared
| Platform | How It Works | Money Making Potential | Best For |
| Medium | Publishing platform for articles on various topics | Earn through Medium Partner Program, tips and referrals | Writers in almost any niche |
| HubPages | Publishing platform for articles on various topics | Earn through ad revenue sharing | Writers with a wide range of interests |
| Newsbreak | News and local content platform | Earn through ad revenue sharing | Local journalists and news enthusiasts |
| Vocal Media | Publishing and monetizing creative content | Earn based on engagement, tips and challenges | Creative writers and artists |
| Substack | Newsletter platform with subscription options | Earn through paid subscriptions and sponsored content | Independent journalists and newsletter creators |
| Ghost | Open-source blogging platform | Main monetization option is paid memberships | Tech-savvy writers and bloggers |
| WordPress | Popular content management system | Can monetize through ads, affiliate links, and ecommerce | Versatile platform for various types of websites |
The 6 Best Medium Alternatives
1. HubPages
Are you a budding writer looking for a platform to share your thoughts, stories, and expertise with the world?
Or are you an avid reader seeking a diverse range of articles and blog posts on various topics?
Look no further than HubPages, a versatile online platform that caters to both writers and readers alike.
HubPages is a user-generated content platform that allows writers to publish their articles and interact with a vibrant community of readers. One of the key benefits of HubPages is its user-friendly interface, which makes it easy for writers of all experience levels to create and publish their work.
The platform hosts an extensive collection of articles on a wide range of topics, including lifestyle, technology, health, finance, and much more. You can browse through these articles, discover new perspectives, and find answers to your burning questions.
Why Choose HubPages Over Medium?
Now, you may wonder why writers would choose HubPages over other platforms like Medium. Well, one significant advantage is the monetization potential.
HubPages allows you to earn revenue from your content through various channels, such as ad impressions and affiliate marketing (via Amazon). This feature can be particularly appealing for writers who wish to turn their passion into a source of income.
However, you should note off the bat that HubPages is not somewhere you’re going to get rich quick (much like Medium). In fact, HubPages even say this themselves on their overview page.
“Authors who earn hundreds or thousands of dollars per month are very rare and have put superhuman amounts of work into their online portfolios. For most, HubPages can be a fun side income.”
So, if you go in with the aim of just making money from your writing, HubPages is not the one to consider. However, it is a great place to hone your writing skills and engage with a vast and diverse audience.
2. Newsbreak
If you’re looking for a refreshing alternative to Medium, Newsbreak might just be the platform you’ve been searching for. The hype around the platform peaked in 2020 and 2021, but it’s still a worthwhile alternative for writers with a focus on local news.
Newsbreak is a user-friendly news and content platform that offers a unique blend of local, national, and international stories. It provides an engaging and diverse reading experience, tailored to your interests and preferences.
As a reader, Newsbreak allows you to stay informed about the latest news, trending stories, and insightful articles from your local area. Whether you’re interested in politics, technology, lifestyle, or any other topic, Newsbreak delivers a wide range of content that is both informative and entertaining.
With its intuitive interface, you can easily navigate through various categories, bookmark articles for later reading, and personalize your news feed to ensure you never miss an important update.
Why Use Newsbreak?
But it’s not just readers who benefit from Newsbreak, as writers also have a lot to gain from this platform. One of the standout features of Newsbreak is its focus on supporting local content creators.
If you’re a writer looking to reach a broader audience, Newsbreak offers a great opportunity to showcase your work. With its vast user base, including both national and local readers, Newsbreak provides an ideal platform to gain exposure and connect with a community that shares your interests.
Newsbreak’s monetization options for writers can also be attractive, offering various revenue streams such as ad revenue, reader tips, and sponsored content opportunities. However, it’s not always easy to get monetized on the platform.
You will need at least 100 followers and have published at least 10 stories to get monetized, and it looks like it’s primarily US-based writers that get accepted for monetization.
3. Vocal Media
Vocal Media is a content publishing platform that provides a space for writers to share their stories, opinions, and expertise with a wide audience. Unlike Medium, which primarily relies on a subscription model, Vocal Media focuses on a combination of reader tips, sponsorships, and bonuses for writers.
As a reader, you can benefit from Vocal Media by discovering a wide range of high-quality content across various topics. Whether you’re interested in personal narratives, thought-provoking essays, informative guides, or even fictional stories, you’ll find a plethora of engaging reads on Vocal Media.
Vocal Media’s Monetization Methods
For writers, the platform provides various ways of monetizing your content:
- Earning per 1000 reads ($3.80-$6/1000)
- Tips
- Product sales
Vocal Media also offers challenges and contests with cash prizes, giving writers the opportunity to showcase their skills and potentially earn even more.
4. Substack
Substack is a platform that has gained immense popularity as an alternative to Medium, especially for writers looking to engage with their audience through newsletters. If you already have a dedicated readership or aspire to build one, Substack might just be the perfect fit for you.
With Substack, you have complete control over the content you produce and how it reaches your audience. It’s like having your own personal corner of the internet, where you can share your thoughts, stories, and expertise directly with your readers.
One of the significant benefits of Substack is its focus on building a direct relationship between writers and their audience. Unlike Medium, where readers browse through various articles, Substack emphasizes the importance of subscriptions (both free and paid).
Why Choose Substack?
Readers who subscribe to your newsletter will receive your content directly in their inbox, ensuring that your work reaches those who are genuinely interested in what you have to say. It eliminates the noise and clutter that can often be found on larger publishing platforms, allowing readers to enjoy a more focused and intimate reading experience.
For writers, Substack provides several advantages over Medium. Firstly, it offers a direct monetization model. Substack allows writers to charge a subscription fee for their newsletters, which means you can earn money directly from your audience.
This can be especially beneficial for writers who have already cultivated a loyal following and want to offer exclusive content or insights to their subscribers.
Secondly, Substack provides tools to help you manage and grow your newsletter audience. You can track subscriber numbers, engagement metrics, and even send out promotional emails to attract new readers.
Clearly Substack is very different to Medium though, and it’s best for those looking to create an email list.
5. Ghost
Ghost is a platform designed specifically for bloggers and writers, providing a clean and minimalist environment to create and publish your content. Unlike Medium, Ghost offers a self-hosted option, allowing you to have complete control over your content and website.
Ghost provides a user-friendly interface that makes it easy to write and format your articles. The editor is intuitive and distraction-free, enabling you to focus solely on your writing. With a wide range of formatting options, you can customize your articles to suit your style and engage your readers effectively.
The platform is optimized for performance, ensuring that your articles load quickly and provide a seamless reading experience for your audience. This is particularly important in today’s fast-paced digital world where readers have little patience for slow-loading websites.
Why Create On Ghost?
Contrary to writing on Medium, you have full control over your content and website when you use Ghost. You can choose your own domain name, design your site according to your preferences, and even monetize your content without any restrictions. This level of control allows you to build a unique brand and establish a direct connection with your readers.
The primary way Ghost suggests you monetize your content is through paid memberships. They have a built-in subscription management service that allows you to build up and monetize your audience.
This is a very different alternative to Medium, as there is no existing audience to take advantage of. But if you want to create your own website and monetize through paid subscriptions, Ghost is definitely worth considering.
6. WordPress
Finally, similar to Ghost we have WordPress. WordPress is not just a blogging platform – it’s a powerful content management system that allows you to create and manage your own website. With its vast array of themes, plugins, and features, WordPress offers endless possibilities for writers and content creators.
When you choose WordPress, you’re in full control of your online presence. You can design your website to reflect your unique style and brand, allowing you to create a truly personalized experience for your readers.
One of the biggest benefits of using WordPress is its flexibility. With thousands of themes and templates available, you can find the perfect design for your website, whether you prefer a minimalist aesthetic or a visually striking layout.
Why Choose WordPress Instead Of Medium?
As a writer, WordPress provides you with various tools and options to engage with your audience. You can create a dedicated blog page where you can publish your articles, stories, or poems.
While Medium offers a convenient platform for writers, choosing WordPress provides you with more autonomy and control over your content and online presence. It’s a fantastic choice for writers who want to establish their own brand, have complete control over their website’s design and functionality, and explore a wide range of monetization options.
However, it will require a lot of hard work and effort (and often money) to build up an audience and rank in search results. But if what’s holding you back from using Medium is the fact that it’s hosted on a platform you have no control over, WordPress may be the best choice.
What Is the Best Alternative To Medium.com?
The best alternative to Medium is HubPages, largely because it’s the most similar in the way that it operates. The monetization options may be less powerful, but it’s a diverse platform for both readers and writers.
If making money is your goal, the best Medium alternative would be something like WordPress. If you can put in the time and effort (and if you can afford to pay for things like hosting), there’s simply no better alternative than creating your own website.
3 Medium Alternatives That Didn’t Make The List
1. Quora
I didn’t include Quora on the list because I don’t think it’s as powerful a tool as it once was for writers looking to promote themselves. The platform does have the Quora+ monetization system now, but it’s not that extensive or rewarding.
Plus, there is also an AI chatbot built in to answer your questions, which I suspect will disincentivize real people to respond to questions in the future.
2. Steemit
This blockchain-based platform appears on other Medium alternatives lists, but it seems to have somewhat disappeared in recent years. According to TechCrunch, the company had to lay off 70% of its staff back in 2018.
It’s heavily linked to cryptocurrency, with its own ‘STEEM’ coin. This coin’s value collapsed in 2018, and it has never recovered. It seems the platform has moved over to something called Hive instead. The confusion as to what exactly these platforms actually mean for creators made it impossible to compare with the simplicity of Medium!
3. Wix/Squarespace
Finally, a word on alternatives to WordPress. I already feel that discussing building your own website as an alternative to Medium is a bit of a stretch, so I didn’t want to include lots of website building platforms on the list.
They simply won’t be an attractive option for many looking for a Medium-like experience. Plus, WordPress is the most extensive option, so I’d always recommend using it over something like Wix or Squarespace.
Chris is the creator of Freelance Ready. He originally started freelancing (on Fiverr) while at university, writing and editing website content. He created this website to share his freelancing experience and help others on their own self-employed journeys. He is now a freelance SEO consultant and content editor. You can learn more about Chris here.
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