Medium vs Substack: Which is Better in 2026?
A comprehensive comparison of Medium and Substack covering features, pricing, use cases, and which tool is the right choice for your needs.
⚡ Quick Verdict
Choose Medium if:
- →You want more affordable paid plans (from $5/mo)
- →You need clean editor or built-in audience
- →Your primary focus is writing & content
Choose Substack if:
- →You need free and paid newsletters or podcast hosting
- →Your primary focus is marketing & seo
Medium vs Substack: At a Glance
Pricing Comparison: Medium vs Substack
Understanding the pricing differences between Medium and Substack is crucial for making the right choice. Here's how their plans compare side by side.
Medium Pricing
Substack Pricing
💡 Pricing takeaway: Both Medium and Substack offer free tiers, making it easy to try before you buy. Compare the specific plans to find the best value for your use case.
Feature-by-Feature Comparison
Here's how every feature from Medium and Substack stacks up.
What Makes Each Tool Unique
🔵 Unique to Medium
Features available in Medium but not in Substack:
- ✓Clean editor
- ✓Built-in audience
- ✓Partner Program
- ✓Publications
- ✓Stats
- ✓Custom domains (publications)
🟣 Unique to Substack
Features available in Substack but not in Medium:
- ✓Free and paid newsletters
- ✓Podcast hosting
- ✓Substack Notes
- ✓Custom domains
- ✓Analytics
- ✓Discovery network
Use Case Recommendations
Best for: Medium
Publishing platform for writers with built-in distribution and monetization. Medium provides a clean writing experience, reader network, and Partner Program for earning from your content.
Ideal use cases:
- •Teams or individuals who need clean editor
- •Teams or individuals who need built-in audience
- •Teams or individuals who need partner program
- •Teams or individuals who need publications
- •Anyone focused on publishing workflows
- •Anyone focused on writing workflows
Best for: Substack
Newsletter platform for writers to build subscription businesses. Substack provides free and paid newsletter publishing, podcast hosting, and a network for discovering new writers and content.
Ideal use cases:
- •Teams or individuals who need free and paid newsletters
- •Teams or individuals who need podcast hosting
- •Teams or individuals who need substack notes
- •Teams or individuals who need custom domains
- •Anyone focused on newsletter workflows
- •Anyone focused on subscription workflows
✍️ Other Writing & Content Tools to Consider
Medium and Substack aren't the only options. Here are other popular tools in the same space:
Jasper
Enterprise AI writing platform for marketing teams
Copy.ai
AI copywriting for sales and marketing content
Writesonic
AI search visibility and SEO tracking platform
Grammarly
AI writing assistant for grammar and clarity
Notion AI
AI writing integrated into Notion workspace
Rytr
Affordable AI writing tool with 40+ use cases
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Medium better than Substack?
It depends on your needs. Medium offers 6 key features including Clean editor and Built-in audience, while Substack provides 6 features including Free and paid newsletters and Podcast hosting. Medium uses a freemium model with a free tier, while Substack is freemium with free access available. Choose based on which features and pricing model align with your requirements.
Is Medium cheaper than Substack?
Substack doesn't have standard paid plans, while Medium starts at $5/month. Both tools offer free tiers, so you can try each before committing. Always check the official websites for the most current pricing.
Can I use Medium and Substack together?
Yes, many users combine Medium and Substack in their workflow. Medium excels at clean editor, while Substack shines with free and paid newsletters. Using both allows you to leverage the strengths of each tool, though this means managing two subscriptions — though free tiers can help manage costs.
What's the main difference between Medium and Substack?
Medium is primarily a writing & content tool focused on publishing platform with built-in audience, while Substack focuses on marketing & seo with newsletter platform for subscription-based publishing. They serve different primary use cases despite being alternatives.