Both Notion and Medium offer unique advantages for bloggers, but which one is best suited for your needs?
In this blog post, we’ll compare Notion and Medium head-to-head to help you decide which platform fits your blogging style.
Whether you’re just starting or looking to switch, keep reading to learn more about these two powerful platforms.
Notion vs Medium: A Quick Comparison
Feature
Notion
Medium
Ease of Use
Intuitive, but requires setup for blogging.
Instant publishing with a user-friendly interface.
Customization
Limited themes; third-party tools needed for advanced design.
Minimal design flexibility; uniform look across all posts.
SEO
Basic SEO, relies on external integrations.
Built-in SEO, optimized for search visibility.
Monetization
No native options; requires integrations like payment gateways.
Partner Program enables direct monetization.
Audience Reach
Personal/niche blogs with smaller built-in reach.
Access to a large, established reader base.
Collaboration
Excellent for team-based content creation and internal collaboration.
Limited collaborative features, focusing on individual authors.
Pricing
Free with additional costs for integrations or premium features.
Free with a membership for premium content and monetization.
Best For
Personal or niche blogs, teams collaborating on content.
Writers looking for a large audience and built-in monetization.
Understanding Notion
Notion is a versatile platform known for note-taking, task management, and content organization. While it can support blogging through its public page feature, it’s not designed specifically for blogs. Its simplicity makes it an excellent choice for personal or niche blogs, but the lack of advanced blogging tools and SEO capabilities may limit its growth potential.
Understanding Medium
Medium is a dedicated blogging platform that has gained immense popularity due to its ease of use and built-in audience. You can quickly publish posts without worrying about setup or customization. It’s ideal for writers who want to focus on content creation and reach a wide audience. Additionally, Medium offers built-in monetization through its Partner Program, which allows writers to earn money based on reader engagement.
Notion Vs. Medium: Which is best Blogging platform
1. Ease of Use
Notion
Known for its simplicity and ease of use for personal knowledge management, Notion offers a user-friendly interface with drag-and-drop functionality.
Medium
Medium's simplicity is one of its most significant advantages. There’s no need for any setup or technical knowledge. Once you sign up, you can immediately start writing and publishing posts.
The platform is optimized for writing, but it doesn’t provide any advanced customization features, making it an ideal choice for users who want a no-fuss writing platform.
2. Customization
Notion
Notion allows basic customization of your workspace, including formatting options for text, adding databases, tables, and media. However, when it comes to creating a public-facing website, Notion’s customization options are fairly limited.
Medium
Medium focuses on simplicity and uniformity. Customization is very limited in terms of visual design, meaning your blog will have a similar look and feel to other Medium blogs. You can only customize certain aspects like your bio, tagline, and profile image.
For users seeking a completely unique look, Medium may not be suitable.
3. SEO & Performance
Notion
While Notion itself has some SEO capabilities, they are basic. For example, you can create clean URLs and add meta descriptions manually, but it lacks robust built-in SEO tools.
Medium
Medium has decent SEO built-in, such as automatically generating clean URLs and including keywords. However, you’re limited in what you can control.
For example, while you can optimize your content within Medium’s interface, you can't fully manage meta descriptions or other important on-page SEO elements unless you work within its available options.
Medium's strong infrastructure ensures fast loading times, contributing to a better user experience overall.
4. Monetization Options
Notion
Notion itself doesn't offer native monetization options. However, by using third-party services or embedding payment gateways, you can set up subscription models or paid content for your Notion-based site.
Medium offers an easy-to-use monetization option through its Partner Program, where writers can earn money based on engagement (claps and reading time). This program is a good option if your content resonates with readers on Medium.
However, Medium takes a cut of the revenue, and the monetization system is dependent on audience engagement, meaning you have to consistently produce high-quality content to earn income.
5. Blogging Features
Notion
While Notion is primarily a productivity tool, it has evolved to allow for blogging with its public page feature. However, it doesn’t come with built-in features like scheduling posts, advanced commenting systems, or user engagement tools.
Medium
Medium is designed for blogging, so it excels in features directly related to writing and publishing. It includes built-in tools for easy formatting, adding images and media, and writing long-form content.
Medium also has a built-in audience, which can be beneficial for writers just starting out, as articles are automatically indexed on the platform and can gain exposure quickly. However, it does lack certain features like advanced analytics and the ability to create complex blog layouts.
6. Pricing Value
Notion
Notion has a free plan with limited functionality but offers premium plans for individuals and teams. These plans unlock advanced features like more storage, better collaboration tools, and access to public pages.
Medium
Medium is free for writers and readers, with no charges for publishing content. However, Medium also offers a membership program for readers, allowing access to premium content for a subscription fee.
For creators, there are no upfront costs, but the monetization structure means you’re only paid based on engagement, which may not be as lucrative as having full control over your monetization strategy.
This makes Medium an excellent choice for those who want a no-cost platform but may not be ideal for users seeking more customization or income potential from their blog.
Notion Vs. Medium - Pros and Cons
Notion - Pros & Cons
Pros:
All-in-One Workspace: Notion lets you organize your notes, tasks, and projects in one place, making it perfect for both personal and team use.
Easy to Use: The drag-and-drop interface makes it simple to create and organize pages without any technical know-how.
Collaboration: You can work with others in real-time, making it great for team projects and coordination.
Custom Templates: There are lots of templates you can tweak to quickly create workspaces that fit your needs.
Cons:
Not Great for Blogging: While it’s good for organization, Notion doesn’t have the blogging tools you might need, like SEO options or customizable themes.
Can Get Slow: If you have a lot of content, Notion might start to lag, especially with big databases.
Needs the Internet: You can’t use Notion offline, which can be a hassle if you're in an area with no internet.
Tricky for Beginners: It has a lot of features, which can be overwhelming if you're new to it.
Not for Public Websites: Notion works well for internal use, but it’s not designed for building full public websites.
Limited Customization: Customization options are basic compared to other platforms like WordPress, so you can't personalize your pages too much.
Extra Cost for Custom Domain: If you want a custom domain, there’s an additional cost for that.
Medium - Pros & Cons
Pros:
Super Simple: It’s super easy to start blogging on Medium with no setup needed.
Built-in Audience: Medium has a large, active audience, so your posts can get noticed without heavy promotion.
Clean Design: The minimalist design looks great right out of the box, so you don’t need to worry about customizing anything.
No Tech Hassles: Medium takes care of everything—hosting, updates, security—so you can just focus on writing.
Free to Use: You can start publishing for free and even earn money through Medium’s Partner Program based on how well your content performs.
Cons:
No Customization: You can’t change how your blog looks, as there are no themes or plugins to personalize your site.
No Ownership: You don’t own your audience, so if you leave Medium, you can’t take your followers with you.
Limited Monetization: The only way to make money is through the Partner Program, which can be restrictive compared to other platforms like WordPress.
Platform Rules: Medium controls everything, so if they change their policies, you might lose access or control over your content.
No SEO Control: Medium handles SEO for you, but you can’t tweak it to your liking.
Conclusion- Which is the right Blogging Platform?
Both Notion and Medium have their strengths—Notion excels in content organization but lacks robust blogging and monetization features, while Medium offers a polished, easy-to-use blogging experience with limited customization.
However, for those seeking the best of both worlds, Bullet.so offers a unique solution. It combines the ease of Notion with customizable design and monetization features, allowing you to grow your blog without technical hassle.
Whether you’re starting out or scaling your content, Bullet.so is a seamless choice for bloggers looking for flexibility and growth.
💡 Start building your blog with Bullet.so today! Try it now.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the main difference between Notion and Medium?
Notion is a flexible productivity tool with basic blogging capabilities, while Medium is a dedicated publishing platform with built-in audience engagement.
2. Can I monetize my blog on Notion?
Notion doesn’t have built-in monetization options, but Bullet.so adds that functionality for users wanting to generate revenue.
3. Is Medium a good platform for beginners?
Yes, Medium is beginner-friendly with easy publishing and built-in audience reach, but lacks extensive customization.
4. How does Bullet.so improve Notion for blogging?
Bullet.so enhances Notion’s usability by adding custom domains, monetization, and more robust design options, making it ideal for professional blogging.