Softwr

News · head to head

Medium vs Substack

Medium logo

Medium

News

The best place to read and write stories on the internet

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Substack logo

Substack

News

The newsletter platform for writers and publishers

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Medium unlimited access to stories requires a paid Medium membership; Substack substack does not publish pricing on its public pricing page
  • They diverge on capability: Medium covers Story publishing, Substack covers Newsletter publishing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Medium and Substack actually diverge.

Attributes where Medium and Substack differ
AttributeMediumSubstack
Founded20122017

Identical on both: starting price (Free), pricing model (freemium), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web, Mobile), user rating (Not yet rated), category (News).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Medium

  • Story publishing
  • Member program
  • Earning potential
  • Reading time estimates
  • Clap reactions
  • Highlighting & annotations
  • Story recommendations
  • Following system

Only in Substack

  • Newsletter publishing
  • Subscriber management
  • Paid subscriptions
  • Email analytics
  • Post scheduling
  • Archive creation
  • Free/paid tier split
  • Comments & discussion

Both cover

  • Twitter
  • RSS
  • Web support
  • Mobile support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Medium

  • Publishing articles without running your own blognot Substack
  • Reading long-form writing across technology, culture and newsnot Substack
  • Earning from writing through the Medium Partner Programnot Substack

Substack

  • Newsletter distributionnot Medium
  • Reader monetizationnot Medium
  • Community buildingnot Medium
  • Subscriber managementnot Medium

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Medium

  • Unlimited access to stories requires a paid Medium membership
  • Audio versions of stories are a member-only feature
  • Earning money from writing requires joining the Medium Partner Program rather than being automatic
  • The iOS app requires iOS 17.0 or later

Substack

  • Substack does not publish pricing on its public pricing page

Pricing, plan by plan

Medium

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited reading
    • Publishing platform
    • Story drafts
  • Medium Membership$5/month
    • Unlimited access
    • Exclusive stories
    • Member earnings

Substack

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited newsletters
    • Basic design
    • Archive access
  • Pro$12/month
    • Custom domain
    • Advanced analytics
    • Member chat

Which should you pick?

Choose Medium if

  • You need story publishing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile.
  • You also want member program.
Medium review

Choose Substack if

  • You need newsletter publishing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile.
  • You also want subscriber management.
Substack review

Questions people ask

Is Medium or Substack better?
Neither clearly leads. Medium starts at Free and Substack at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Medium or Substack?
Medium starts at Free and Substack at Free.
Does Medium or Substack run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, Mobile, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Medium for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Medium best used for?
Medium is most often used for publishing articles without running your own blog, reading long-form writing across technology, culture and news, earning from writing through the medium partner program. Of those, publishing articles without running your own blog and reading long-form writing across technology, culture and news are not what Substack is typically brought in for.
What can Medium do that Substack cannot?
Medium covers Story publishing, Member program, Earning potential, Reading time estimates. Substack covers Newsletter publishing, Subscriber management, Paid subscriptions, Email analytics. Both handle Twitter, RSS, Web support, Mobile support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Substack: How much does Substack cost?

Substack does not publish rates on its pricing page. The site emphasizes earning potential for writers with the tagline Make money doing the work you believe in.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on Medium

More on Substack

Keep looking

Other head to heads