Substack or Medium: Which Platform Suits Me Better?

After spending over a year on Medium and a month on Substack, I weigh their pros and cons to decide whether to stick with one or continue using both.

A self-portrait.

Medium and Substack are two extremely popular platforms for writing and publishing articles, but the question arises — which one is better?
The general opinion is that Medium is no longer at the level it once was. Writers are no longer achieving the engagement and earnings they used to, which is why many, including authors I follow and respect, have decided to move to Substack.

Following their example, I also decided to switch to Substack, although somewhat reluctantly, because I had already settled into Medium, where I was achieving solid results, despite a noticeable drop in engagement recently.

After 1.5 years of experience on Medium and just over a month on Substack, here are my observations about these two platforms:

Medium: 2k followers, 50 subscribers, $800 earnings
Substack: 30 new subscribers (in addition to the imported ones), 0 paid subscribers, no earnings

Advantages of Substack:

• Community and Interaction: The biggest advantage of Substack is the feeling of community and closer interaction with other writers and readers. Although I knew what the word community means, I only truly felt it after I opened a profile here.

• Freedom of Expression: Substack does not impose censorship or use algorithms that, for unknown reasons, favor certain types of content. Every type of content is welcome, and if it appeals to readers, we get likes, comments, subscriptions to newsletters, and of course, money.

• The Existence of Notes: This feature allows for more immediate interactions than on Medium, making me feel like I’ve made new friends. Notes are very fun for me because I can quickly post a thought or picture without much thinking and still get interaction on them as if I had published a long article.

Disadvantages of Substack:

• Pragmatism of Content: It seems that Substack readers appreciate more practical and "useful" posts, which is understandable since subscribing to a paid newsletter costs at least $5 a month. Although many might see this as an advantage of the platform, personally, I would like to see more affinity for poetic and artistic expression.

• Harder to Earn: Substack seems more challenging for monetization. Although I gathered 30 free subscribers in the first month, I haven’t gotten any paid ones. It’s clear to me that to attract paid subscribers, I need to focus my content on one specific niche, but I’m naturally drawn to a broader spectrum of topics. Furthermore, sometimes it feels like it’s not worth writing posts because they require much more time than Notes but achieve similar engagement. For that reason, I’m currently more focused on Notes to build a community and increase my own visibility.

• Writing About Writing: I’ve noticed that many authors on Substack write exclusively about writing itself, often using mainstream self-help phrases about the importance of consistency and perseverance. Although I understand the need for such topics (I sometimes write about them myself), these posts sometimes feel "empty," and I wonder how many of these authors would have something to write about if they couldn’t write about writing. However, it’s clear to me that as long as there is a market, there is a need for a product. From that perspective, we can say that the goal justifies the means, meaning that writing about writing is a good idea.

Advantages of Medium:

• Boosting Program: Medium has a program for promoting the best articles, which ensures greater engagement. Although some consider the program unfair because it favors a small number of authors, I personally don’t mind because they’ve boosted eight of my stories. Based on that experience, I can say I’ve learned how to write a story that has a good chance of being nominated and accepted for boosting. I also appreciate that meta-stories about writing have been eliminated from the competition.

• Regular Earnings: On Medium, I earn an average of $100 per month, which is equivalent to earnings from 20 paid subscribers on Substack. From current perspective, reaching $100 / month on Substack seems as a very distant goal.

• Creative Freedom: Medium allows me greater artistic expression, which I prefer over technical "how-to" writing because it better satisfies my need for creativity.

Disadvantages of Medium:

• Visibility of Non-Boosted Stories: Stories that aren’t boosted rarely achieve significant engagement or earnings. Even with regular publishing, I haven’t achieved any significant results.

• Algorithm Favoritism: The algorithm favors certain types of content, which sometimes forces writers to adapt their style to become more visible, and this can compromise authenticity.

• Lack of Community Feeling: Unlike Substack, on Medium I don’t have such a strong sense of connection with readers and other writers, which makes writing a lonelier experience.

• Unpredictability and Lack of Exponential Growth: I’ve noticed that the number of followers on Medium doesn’t mean much in terms of engagement. In other words, even though I now have 2,000 followers, I earn the same, if not less, than when I had 1,000. Also, many other experienced authors commonly complain about the platform’s unpredictability and a significant drop in engagement recently.

Conclusion:

If I had to choose between Substack and Medium, the decision would be challenging because both platforms offer something unique. Substack seems ideal for writers who value community and closer interaction with readers and are ready to focus on a specific niche to build a long-term subscriber base. Freedom of expression and avoiding algorithms are also a big advantage for those who want complete control over their content.

On the other hand, Medium offers a better opportunity for creative expression and regular earnings, especially if you’re skilled at adapting content to their algorithms and Boosting program. However, the smaller sense of community can make writing on Medium a lonelier experience.

Additionally, no matter which platform I use, I can say that regular writing and publishing can be particularly challenging. Often, after one success, I feel like I’m "flying," but just when I think I’ll continue soaring, reality brings me back to the ground. Continuing to write under these circumstances is especially challenging, and I surely would have given up if writing itself didn’t bring me so much fulfillment and joy.

Despite the advantages and disadvantages of both Medium and Substack, I will continue to use both platforms, hoping that their synergy will help me achieve results more quickly.