Medium Vs Wordpress: Which is best for Blogging?

Medium vs. WordPress: Compare key features like audience reach, monetization, and ease of use to select the right blog platform.

Nagarathinammal

Oct 8, 2024

Medium Vs Wordpress: Which is best for Blogging?

If you've been thinking about starting a blog, you've likely heard of both Medium and WordPress. These two platforms are among the most popular options for creating content online.

WordPress, often known as the ultimate content management system (CMS), actually started as a blogging platform. Medium, on the other hand, is a more recent entry but has quickly gained a reputation for its clean, minimalist design and strong sense of community.

But how do Medium and WordPress stack up against each other? Which one should you choose for your blogging journey?

Let's dive in and compare these two platforms, starting with a quick look at what makes each unique.

Medium vs. WordPress: Head-to-Head Comparison

Feature	Medium	WordPress
Ease of Use	Extremely simple to use	Beginner-friendly but more complex with advanced features
Customization	Limited to basic formatting	Highly customizable with themes and plugins
Control	Medium manages your content	Full control and ownership of your site and content
Monetization	Partner Program based on engagement	Multiple options including ads, subscriptions, and e-commerce
Audience Reach	Built-in audience, easier to gain readers	SEO-dependent, requires more effort to build an audience
Cost	Free plan available, paid membership for extras	Free to use but requires paid hosting and domain
Best For	Writers focused on ease and built-in audiences	Creators who want full control and scalability

What is WordPress?

WordPress is a versatile content management system (CMS) powering 43% of websites, from personal blogs to business sites like Microsoft.

It’s known for flexibility, user management, and customization options with themes and plugins. Perfect for those seeking full control, advanced features, and long-term scalability. Requires hosting and domain purchase. Not only blogs, you can also develop website, documentation, portfolio and so on.

Key Features of WordPress

Open-Source Flexibility: As an open-source platform, WordPress gives you full access to the source code, enabling you to customize your site to meet your specific needs.

User Management: WordPress allows you to assign different user roles, ensuring only authorized personnel can modify or manage the content on your site. This feature is essential for businesses or large websites where multiple contributors are involved.

Extensive Themes and Plugins: Choose from thousands of free and premium themes to give your website a unique design. Plugins extend the functionality of your website, from adding social media buttons to integrating eCommerce solutions like WooCommerce.

SEO and Multimedia Support: WordPress is built with search engine optimization (SEO) in mind. You can also easily embed multimedia, such as images, videos, and audio, into your posts.

Complete Control and Ownership: Unlike Medium, WordPress gives you full ownership of your content and website. You have control over every aspect, including monetization, design, and security.

What is Medium?

Medium is a simple, community-driven publishing platform for writers. It's easy to use, has built-in audience reach, and focuses on engagement through features like Claps and Highlights. Ideal for writers who want to focus on content creation without the complexities of website management.

Key Features of Medium

Simplicity and Ease of Use: Medium’s minimalistic design makes it easy for anyone to start writing and publishing without having to worry about technical details.

Content Discovery: Medium’s algorithm helps new content get discovered by a broad audience. Writers can benefit from Medium’s built-in reader base without having to rely heavily on SEO or marketing strategies.

Clap and Highlight Features: Medium allows readers to interact with content through claps (similar to likes) and highlights, which helps increase engagement and provides valuable feedback to writers.

Medium Partner Program: Writers can earn money through the Medium Partner Program, which compensates them based on reader engagement. This is an easy way to start monetizing content, especially for new writers.

Medium Vs. WordPress: Ease of Use

Medium:

Medium is incredibly easy to use. It’s a minimalist platform where you can sign up, write, and publish posts without worrying about any technical setup. The interface is clean, user-friendly, and designed to help you focus purely on writing and sharing your content.

WordPress:

WordPress offers two versions: WordPress.com (hosted) and WordPress.org (self-hosted). Both are more complex than Medium, especially the self-hosted version, which requires a bit of technical know-how for setting up themes, plugins, and hosting. However, once you're familiar, it's very customizable.

🏆 Winner: If you're looking for simplicity and ease of use, Medium wins here. So, Medium-1, WordPress-0

Medium Vs. WordPress: Customization and Design Options

Medium:

Medium is quite limited in terms of design customization. All blogs on Medium have the same basic layout, so while your content will look clean and professional, you won’t have much control over how your blog looks or functions.

WordPress:

WordPress, on the other hand, is known for its vast customization options. You can choose from thousands of themes, both free and paid, and tweak almost every aspect of your site’s design. Plus, with plugins, you can extend the functionality of your blog, adding features like SEO tools, email signups, social media integration, and more.

🏆 Winner: For flexibility and design control, WordPress is the clear winner. So, Medium-1, WordPress-1.

Medium Vs. WordPress: Ownership and Control

Medium:

With Medium, you’re using a third-party platform, which means you don’t fully own your blog. If Medium decides to change its policies, charge fees, or even shut down, your content could be affected. You also have limited control over your site’s functionality and monetization.

WordPress:

With a self-hosted WordPress.org blog, you have full ownership and control. You can build your wordpress site you like, manage your content freely, and even take your website to another hosting provider if needed. You have complete control over monetization options, SEO, and site design.

🏆 Winner: If you want full control over your blog site, WordPress takes the lead in this category. So, Medium-1, WordPress-2

Medium Vs. WordPress: Audience Reach

Medium:

Medium already has a built-in audience. If your content is well-written and resonates with readers, it can get promoted across the platform, giving you more exposure. Medium’s algorithms and recommendations also help new writers gain readership without worrying much about SEO.

WordPress:

With WordPress, you’ll need to build your audience from scratch. While you can use SEO, social media, and other marketing strategies to promote your blog, you won’t have the instant built-in readership that Medium offers. The reach you get depends largely on your promotional efforts.

🏆 Winner: If you want to immediate access to a broad audience without extensive external promotion, Medium wins. So, Medium-2, WordPress-2

Medium Vs. WordPress: Monetization

WordPress:

Medium allows you to monetize through its Partner Program. You earn money based on how many people read and engage with your stories. However, the revenue model is largely dependent on Medium’s algorithms and subscriber base. If your story goes viral, you could earn a good chunk, but it’s not a guaranteed source of income.

Medium:

WordPress offers far more flexibility when it comes to monetization. You can display ads, use affiliate marketing, create sponsored content, or even sell products directly on your blog. You control how you monetize your site, making it a much better option if your goal is to earn serious income.

🏆 Winner: For more monetization options, WordPress is the winner. So, Medium-2, WordPress-3.

Medium Vs. WordPress: SEO and Marketing Tools

Medium:

Medium takes care of SEO automatically, but you have limited control over it. You can optimize your posts for keywords, but beyond that, Medium handles the rest. This makes it easy for beginners but can be frustrating for more advanced bloggers who want to control every aspect of their SEO.

WordPress:

WordPress is fantastic for SEO. With plugins like Yoast SEO or Rank Math, you can fully optimize every aspect of your site’s SEO, including meta tags, keywords, XML sitemaps, and more. WordPress also gives you better control over social sharing and marketing integrations.

🏆 Winner: For bloggers serious about SEO and marketing, WordPress is the clear winner. So, Medium-2, WordPress-4

Medium Vs. WordPress: Cost

Medium:

Medium is free to use, but to get the full experience (such as reading all articles on the platform), readers need to sign up for a membership that costs $5/month. For bloggers, there's no cost, but you're also limited in terms of customization and monetization.

WordPress:

WordPress.com offers free plans with limited functionality, but most bloggers opt for WordPress.org, which requires paying for hosting (around $5 to $15/month). While this costs more, the investment gives you more freedom and scalability in the long run.

Monthly maintenance costs vary from $5–$25 for personal websites, $35–$500 for business websites, and can reach $5,000 or more for eCommerce sites

🏆 Winner: If cost is your main concern, Medium wins as it's free to start with minimal setup. So, Medium-3, WordPress-4.

Medium Vs. WordPress: Pros & Cons

Pros and Cons of WordPress

Pros:

Customization: WordPress offers a wide variety of themes and plugins, allowing you to personalize your blog to fit your brand and style.

Ownership: You fully own your blog, content, and audience, providing control over how your site grows and monetizes.

SEO-friendly: With built-in SEO features and plugins like Yoast, WordPress is excellent for optimizing your content for search engines.

Scalability: Whether you’re starting small or expanding into eCommerce, WordPress scales with your needs.

Monetization Flexibility: You have multiple ways to monetize your blog, from ads to affiliate marketing, or even selling products and memberships.

Cons:

Learning Curve: WordPress, especially the self-hosted version, can be complex for beginners, requiring a bit of time to learn.

Maintenance: You’re responsible for keeping the site updated, securing it, and backing it up, which might be time-consuming for non-technical users.

Costs: While WordPress itself is free, additional costs for hosting, premium themes, and plugins can quickly add up.

Dependency on Plugins: To add certain features, you’ll often rely on third-party plugins, which may sometimes cause compatibility issues or require updates.

Hosting Required: Self-hosted WordPress (WordPress.org) requires you to find and pay for your own hosting, which adds another layer of responsibility.

Pros and Cons of Medium

Pros:

Simplicity: Medium is designed for simplicity and ease of use, allowing you to start blogging immediately without any setup.

Built-in Audience: Medium offers access to a large, established audience, helping your content reach readers without the need for heavy promotion.

Beautiful Design: Medium provides a clean, minimalist design out of the box, making your content look professional without needing to customize anything.

No Maintenance: Medium takes care of all technical aspects like hosting, updates, and security, so you can focus purely on writing.

Free to Start: You can publish content for free, and Medium’s Partner Program allows you to potentially earn revenue based on reader engagement.

Cons:

Limited Customization: You can’t change the look and feel of your Medium blog, as there are no themes or plugins to personalize your site.

Ownership Issues: You don’t own your Medium audience. If you leave the platform, you can’t take your followers with you.

Monetization Constraints: The only way to monetize on Medium is through the Partner Program, which may limit your earning potential compared to WordPress’s flexibility.

Platform Dependency: Since Medium hosts your content, you’re subject to its rules and changes, meaning you could lose access or control if policies shift.

No SEO Control: Medium handles SEO for you, but you can’t customize SEO features or optimize for search engines in the same way you can on WordPress.

WordPress and Medium: Key Limitations to Consider

WordPress requires ongoing maintenance and can suffer from plugin conflicts, which may affect site performance. Additionally, its steep learning curve can be daunting for beginners. In contrast, Medium offers a user-friendly experience but lacks design customization and control, limiting monetization options for writers.

These challenges can be addressed by using a Notion based website builders, like Bullet.so. Bullet.so allows non-technical users to effortlessly customize and manage their content, all while organizing it within Notion. This solution provides flexibility, ease of use, and SEO optimization without needing extensive technical expertise.

Introducing Bullet.so: The best No-Code Blogging Alternative

If you appreciate the straightforwardness of Medium but desire the customization options that WordPress offers, you might find Bullet.so to be an appealing medium or wordpress alternative. This no-code website builder allows you to craft a blog tailored to your needs, all without the technical hassles that often come with such projects.

What is Bullet.so?

Bullet.so is a no code notion based website builder, designed to help users create professional-looking websites and blogs without needing any coding skills. It combines the ease of use with powerful features, making it ideal for bloggers, freelancers, and small business owners. Here’s what makes Bullet.so a standout choice:

No Code Required: With Bullet.so, you can design and launch a blog or website without writing a single line of code. It’s built for non-technical users who want full creative control without the hassle.

User-Friendly Interface: The platform offers a simple and intuitive interface that allows you to create your site easily. You can add text, images, videos, and other elements without needing any design experience.

Customizable Templates: Bullet.so provides a variety of customizable templates to choose from, allowing you to create a blog that reflects your style and branding. You can modify colors, fonts, layouts, and more with just a few clicks.

SEO and Analytics: The platform is built with SEO in mind, making it easier for your content to be found by search engines. Plus, Bullet.so offers analytics tools to track your site’s performance, helping you understand your audience better.

Responsive Design: Your blog will look great on any device. Bullet.so ensures that all templates are responsive, so your readers will have a seamless experience whether they’re on a desktop, tablet, or smartphone.

Affordable Pricing: Bullet.so offers competitive pricing plans that fit different budgets, making it accessible for anyone looking to create a blog.

Membership Features: Bullet.so lets you add membership features to your site, allowing you to offer exclusive content to select users. Whether you're looking to provide premium articles, online courses, or access to a special community, Bullet.so simplifies the process of generating a revenue stream while giving you full control over your content.

For those who want to create a stunning blog site quickly and easily, Bullet.so provides the perfect middle ground between the simplicity of Medium and the flexibility of WordPress.

📢 Explore Bullet.so’s intuitive platform and create your blog without any technical hassle. Get started here!

Conclusion

In conclusion, choosing between Medium and WordPress depends on your blogging goals, level of technical expertise, and desire for customization or simplicity.

Overall, WordPress emerges as the winner in this comparison. While Medium excels in simplicity and built-in audience reach, WordPress offers far greater customization, control, and scalability, making it the superior platform for serious bloggers who want full ownership of their site and diverse monetization options.

If you're looking for a middle ground, Bullet.so provides a no-code solution that combines the simplicity of Medium with the flexibility of WordPress, offering a great alternative for bloggers wanting more control without the technical complexity.

Ultimately, the best platform for your blogging journey depends on your individual needs—whether it's ease, control, or customization.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is WordPress a good choice for blogging?

Yes, WordPress is excellent for bloggers who want full control and customization. It’s suitable for those who plan to expand their site and explore monetization options.

How do I set up a blog on Medium?

To set up a blog on Medium, create an account, click on your profile, and start writing. You can publish your posts right away without additional technical steps.

Can I use a free plan on WordPress?

Yes, WordPress offers a free plan, but it comes with limitations like WordPress ads and fewer customization options. For full features, a paid plan is recommended.