7 Best Medium Alternatives for Publishers and Readers

You spend weeks writing something you’re proud of. You hit “publish” on Medium… and it disappears into the noise. A few claps, maybe a handful of views, but no real growth, no ownership, and half your readers can’t even finish your post because of the paywall.

That moment makes many writers stop and ask: Is there a better place to publish? A space where your words reach more people, where you own your audience, and readers can explore freely without limits.

This guide breaks down the best Medium alternatives for both publishers and readers, platforms that provide more control, visibility, and connection. Let’s find where your writing (or reading) truly belongs.

Quick Comparison of Best Medium Alternatives

Platform	Hosting Type	Custom Domain	SEO Control	Monetization Options	Design Flexibility	Ownership
Bullet.so	Hosted (Built on Notion)	✅ Yes	✅ Full meta titles, descriptions, URLs	Memberships, Paid Content	High (AI Styling + CSS Support)	✅ Full
WordPress	Self-Hosted	✅ Yes	✅ Advanced (Yoast, RankMath)	Ads, Subscriptions, Stores	Unlimited (Themes + Plugins)	✅ Full
Wix	Hosted	✅ Yes	✅ Basic SEO Tools	Ads, Premium Plans, eCommerce	Moderate (Drag-and-drop Templates)	⚠️ Partial
Blogger	Hosted by Google	✅ Yes	⚠️ Limited SEO Settings	AdSense Integration	Basic Templates	⚠️ Limited
Ghost	Self-hosted or Managed	✅ Yes	✅ Built-in SEO	Memberships, Subscriptions	Moderate (Minimalist Themes)	✅ Full
Substack	Hosted	⚠️ No (Subdomain only)	⚠️ Limited	Paid Newsletters	Very Limited	⚠️ Partial
Squarespace	Hosted	✅ Yes	✅ Basic SEO Tools	Memberships, Subscriptions, Stores	High (Premium Templates)	⚠️ Partial

Medium: Quick Overview

Medium is a popular blogging platform known for its clean design and built-in audience. It’s widely used by journalists, academics, and thought leaders to share ideas without worrying about the technical side of blogging.

Why People Like Medium

Simple, distraction-free writing experience

Access to a large, engaged readership

Built-in distribution through Medium’s network

But Here’s the Catch

You don’t fully own your content or domain

SEO and analytics are limited

Monetization is tied to Medium’s Partner Program

Medium is great for exposure—but if you want full control, stronger SEO, or better monetization, it’s worth exploring alternatives.

Why Look Beyond Medium?

Medium is loved for its clean interface and built-in audience, but it has serious drawbacks:

❌ Limited content ownership and export options

❌ No access to advanced SEO metadata

❌ Hosted under Medium.com—hurts brand recognition

❌ Cannot install tracking or conversion tools

❌ Monetization limited to the Partner Program

If you're looking to build a true brand, connect with your audience directly, and optimize for search engines, Medium might not be enough.

7 Best Medium Alternatives in 2025 (for Publishers & Readers)

1. Bullet.so

Pricing Tiers: Starts with $0/site/month, premium from $7/month, advanced features and membership at $15/month

Building a website from Notion feels easy at first. You write your content, publish it, and share the link. But soon you see the limits, the site looks plain, doesn’t rank well on Google, and doesn’t match your brand style.

That’s where Bullet.so helps. It turns your Notion pages into a clean, professional website in just a few clicks. With Bullet AI, you can design and style your site without touching a single line of code, just by giving simple prompts.

Think of it like this: Notion is where you create and plan your ideas. Bullet.so is where you design, publish, and grow them. Together, they make building a smart, beautiful website simple for anyone.

Screenshot of Bullet.so homepage showcasing a clean, modern blog interface built with Notion

Key Features of Bullet.so

Seamless Notion Integration

You keep writing and organizing inside Notion, just like you already do. Bullet connects with your Notion workspace and syncs updates automatically. No need to copy-paste or manage content in two places.

AI Styling with Bullet AI

This is the game-changer. You can tell Bullet AI how you want your site to look using plain text prompts. For example: “Apply light yellow bg color to the selected element”. The AI applies the design instantly. If you want more design control, you can use CSS code and the design panel.

Custom Domains

Instead of a long Notion link, you can connect your custom domain like yourname.com. This makes your site look professional and builds trust with visitors.

SEO Optimization

Bullet gives you full control over SEO settings—meta titles, descriptions, and URLs. This helps your content rank better on Google and drives more organic traffic.

Easy-to-Use Design Tools

Use the simple design panel to tweak colors, fonts, and layouts. If you’re advanced, you can even edit the CSS code directly.

Analytics and Tracking

Connect tools like Google Analytics to see how people use your site. Track visitors, page views, and engagement to improve your content strategy.

Custom Call-to-Actions (CTAs)

Add sign-up forms, buttons, or links to drive actions. Want more newsletter subscribers or trial users? Bullet makes it easy.

Monetization Options

With the membership feature, you can charge for premium content. Build a subscriber base and earn directly from your website.

With its user-friendly features, customization options, and robust SEO capabilities, Bullet.so offers an excellent alternative to traditional blogging platforms.

💡 How to Switch from Medium to Bullet.so:

Copy your blog content into Notion.

Customize your domain, SEO, and theme settings.

Publish your new blog — live in minutes.

📢 Try Bullet.so for free today—create a new account and transition from Notion to blog in minutes!

2. WordPress.org

Pricing Tiers: Free to use (self-hosted); hosting costs vary from $4/month up; premium plugins/themes extra.

WordPress.org is a powerful open-source platform for building websites. It gives you full control over hosting, design, and features.

With thousands of themes and plugins, you can customize your site exactly how you want. It supports advanced SEO, monetization, and total ownership of your content.

WordPress works for solo bloggers, businesses, and anyone who wants a professional, fully flexible website.

Key Features

Customization: WordPress provides thousands of themes and plugins, allowing users to customize their websites extensively.

Ownership: You have full ownership of your content and data, which means you control what happens to it.

Community Support: A vast community offers tutorials, forums, and resources for troubleshooting and learning.

Monetization Options: Extensive: affiliate links, ad networks, paid memberships, online stores, sponsored content via plugins and integrations.

Domain Control: Complete ownership, supports custom domains (with subdomain as default for free).

Built-In Audience: No built-in; relies on organic traffic, own follower base, and social media.

SEO Features: Native SEO tools plus plugins (like Yoast); customizable URLs, meta descriptions, XML sitemaps, and more.

Pros:

Flexibility in design and functionality.

High degree of control over content and monetization options.

Strong SEO capabilities to enhance visibility.

Cons:

Requires some technical knowledge for setup and maintenance.

You need to handle web hosting, security, and backups, which may require additional costs.

3. Wix

Pricing Tiers: Free tier available; paid plans from $29 to $159/month depending on features and size.

Wix is a popular no-code blogging platform and website builder that offers a drag-and-drop website builder for beginners and non-coders. It has over 2,000 templates, built-in SEO tools, e-commerce support, and AI-assisted setup.

Wix is perfect for portfolios, local businesses, and small online stores. You can create a visually appealing website quickly without technical skills.

Key Features

Ease of Use: The intuitive drag-and-drop editor allows you to design your site without any coding skills.

Templates: Wix offers a wide variety of templates tailored for different niches, ensuring a quick start.

Mobile Optimization: Websites built on Wix are automatically optimized for mobile devices.

Monetization Options: E-commerce selling, gated content, affiliate, ads, dropshipping, and external brand promotions.

Domain Control: Paid plans offer custom domain; free users get a Wix subdomain.

Built-In Audience: Leverages Wix App Market and some community discovery, but mostly depends on user’s own promotion.

SEO Features: Basic SEO tools: adjustable titles, meta tags, mobile optimization; additional SEO setup available.

Pros:

Quick and easy setup with no technical expertise needed.

A wide range of customizable templates.

All-in-one solution, including hosting and domain registration.

Cons:

Limited customization

Some advanced features may require upgrading to a paid plan.

Content is hosted on Wix’s platform, which means less control over data.

4. Blogger

Pricing Tiers: Completely free to use; custom domain registration at extra cost (typically ~$10-15/year).

Blogger, is Google’s free blogging platform for casual writers and beginners. You can publish content easily and monetize with AdSense. It integrates smoothly with other Google tools, making setup simple.

Blogger is ideal for hobby blogs or anyone who wants a quick, no-cost way to write, though it offers limited design options and fewer tools to grow your audience.

Key Features

Google Integration: Seamless integration with Google services like AdSense, Analytics, and Drive.

Custom Domains: Users can connect their custom domains easily.

Free Hosting: Blogger offers free hosting for your blog on the blogpost.com domain.

Monetization Options: Google AdSense integration, affiliate links, sponsored posts; easy to monetize with Google programs.

Domain Control: Free on blogspot.com subdomain; supports easy setup for custom domains.

Built-In Audience: No built-in discovery features; relies on search engines or user’s promotional efforts.

SEO Features: On-page meta descriptions, custom permalinks, clean URL structures, mobile responsive, decent organic ranking potential.

Pros:

Simple and straightforward interface for beginners.

Free to use with basic features.

Good for casual bloggers or those looking for a simple platform.

Cons:

Limited design options and less flexibility in customization.

Ownership concerns, as Google can disable your account at any time.

Less focus on community and networking compared to other platforms.

5. Ghost

Pricing Tiers: Managed Ghost(Pro) hosting starts around $9/month; advanced tiers for memberships, custom prices per tier.

Ghost is a fast, open-source platform for professional writers and publishers. Its clean editor and minimalist design focus on writing and content. Ghost supports memberships, paid newsletters, and gated content.

Strong SEO and smooth performance make it perfect for bloggers, journalists, or anyone building a content-focused site without distractions.

Ghost publishing platform interface displaying a minimalist blog editor with SEO tools

Key Features

Speed: Ghost is optimized for speed and performance, making it a great choice for blogs with heavy content.

SEO and Membership Tools: Built-in SEO features and options for creating membership sites or subscription models.

Clean Interface: A user-friendly editor with a focus on writing without distractions.

Monetization Options: Memberships, paid tiers, premium content, email subscriptions, Stripe integration—no ads needed.

Domain Control: Custom domains on self-hosted or Ghost(Pro), full ownership of content.

Built-In Audience: No built-in platform audience, but powerful email and membership tools to grow own community.

SEO Features: Automatic meta-data, XML sitemaps, canonical tags, structured data; advanced technical SEO built-in.

Pros:

Excellent for writers who want a streamlined publishing experience.

Flexible membership and monetization options.

Open-source nature allows for customization.

Cons:

Requires a bit of technical knowledge for self-hosting.

Limited themes and plugins compared to WordPress.

Pricing can be high for managed hosting options.

6. Substack

Pricing Tiers: Free to start; paid subscriptions with flexible tiers (monthly, annual, founding member; minimum $5/month).

Substack is a platform for writers who want to create and monetize newsletters. You can publish instantly, charge for subscriptions, and reach readers directly. It also offers discovery through its built-in network.

Substack is best for writers who want simplicity and a direct connection with their audience. It has limited customization and analytics compared to full websites.

Key Features

Email-Centric: Focused on email subscriptions, allowing creators to reach their audience directly.

Simple Setup: Easy to use with a straightforward interface.

Monetization Options: Paid newsletters (subscriptions and founding member tiers); no ads or affiliate, but direct audience monetization via email lists.

Domain Control: Hosted on Substack; no true custom domain control or independence.

Built-In Audience: Large built-in newsletter discovery ecosystem; algorithmic recommendations and Substack community.

SEO Features: Minimal blog-focused SEO tools; good email list delivery but limited search visibility.

Pros:

Direct connection with your audience through email.

Built-in monetization features for subscriptions.

No technical knowledge required to get started.

Cons:

Limited design and customization options.

Primarily focused on newsletters rather than traditional blog posts.

Content is hosted on Substack’s platform, limiting control over your brand.

7. Squarespace

Pricing Tiers: Personal plan from $16/month; Business and eCommerce plans up to ~$49/month; includes hosting, templates, support.

Squarespace is an all-in-one website builder for creatives, freelancers, and small businesses. It offers sleek templates, AI-powered design, integrated commerce, and reliable hosting. You can launch a professional site quickly.

Squarespace is great for visual portfolios and business sites, though it is less flexible than platforms like WordPress.

Key Features

Stunning Templates: Offers beautifully designed templates optimized for mobile and desktop.

Built-in E-commerce: Supports e-commerce features for those looking to sell products or services.

Monetization Options: Built-in e-commerce, online booking, paid memberships, and subscription selling.

Domain Control: Custom domains included or easily connected; full ownership of content (within Squarespace platform’s ecosystem).

Built-In Audience: No internal network/audience, so success depends on user’s own external promotion and SEO.

SEO Features: Basic SEO controls (titles, meta tags), clean mobile optimization, social sharing, but less granular than WordPress.

Pros:

High-quality design options and aesthetic appeal.

All-in-one solution including hosting, templates, and support.

Good for portfolios, businesses, and blogs.

Cons:

More expensive compared to other platforms.

Limited flexibility in customization compared to WordPress.

Some advanced features may require higher-tier plans.

Which Medium Alternative Is Right for You?

→ If your goal is to earn money from paid content or memberships, Substack or Bullet.so are the best choices. They let you monetize your work directly and build a paying audience.

→ For those who want a visually stunning portfolio or brand website, Squarespace or Wix make it easy. You can create a polished, professional look without coding.

→ If you want full control over design, features, and hosting, WordPress.org gives you unlimited customization. You can tweak everything exactly the way you want.

→ Writers looking to publish distraction-free content with strong SEO will benefit from Ghost. It focuses on speed, simplicity, and a clean reading experience.

→ For anyone who just wants to blog casually with minimal setup, Blogger is simple and free. You can start writing immediately without worrying about hosting or design.

And if you want to turn your Notion pages into a full blog instantly, Bullet.so is your go-to. It transforms your Notion content into a professional website in minutes, with styling and SEO built in.

💡

Tip: Focus on what matters most to you; ease of use, ownership, SEO, or monetization. Pick the platform that matches your goal, and your content will grow faster.

Conclusion

In this guide, we explored the best Medium alternatives for writers and readers. You saw platforms that give you more control, better SEO, flexible monetization, and ownership over your content. Each option has strengths depending on whether you want a quick setup, full customization, a built-in audience, or a visually polished site.

For writers who want to grow their audience, own their content, and make their work truly discoverable, Bullet.so stands out. It turns your Notion pages into a professional, SEO-ready website in minutes.

With Bullet AI-powered styling, membership features, and full domain control, it combines simplicity with power. You can write, publish, and earn without worrying about technical hurdles or limited visibility.

Choosing the right platform depends on your goals. But if your priority is ease, control, and real growth, Bullet.so gives you the tools to reach readers, showcase your brand, and build a sustainable online presence, faster and smarter than other alternatives.

Build Your Website For FREE!

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are the best Medium alternatives for blogging?

Popular alternatives include Bullet.so, WordPress.org, Wix, Blogger, Ghost, Substack, and Squarespace, each offering unique features and benefits.

2. Why are writers leaving Medium?

Writers are leaving Medium due to limited content ownership, lack of SEO customization, and restricted monetization options.

3. Is Medium or Substack better?

Substack is better for writers focused on newsletters and direct monetization, while Medium offers built-in distribution but limited branding control.

4. Is Medium still worth it?

Medium is worth it for exposure and ease of use, but may not suit creators seeking full branding control or advanced SEO features.

Webflow Vs. Squarespace: Right platform for blog and website Wix Vs Squarespace for Blogging: A Comprehensive Guide to Setup, Features, and Pricing

Nagarathinammal