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Substack, Medium, or beehiiv: Where Should You Publish?
Three Platforms Tried and Tested
Aaron Nichols
March 4th, 2025
Table of Contents
Choosing the right platform to publish your content can be daunting. With so many options on the market, it can be overwhelming to compare each publishing platform's different features, pricing models, and audience-building tools when you just want to freakin’ write.
Whether you aim to monetize your writing, grow a loyal community, or simply share your ideas with a broader readership, choosing the right platform will define your ability to succeed. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll examine Substack, Medium, and beehiiv, comparing their strengths and drawbacks to help you stop searching and start publishing.
Why Listen to Me?
I’ve written on Medium and Substack for years and built a small following on each. I’ve also been writing for the beehiiv blog for over a year and testing their features. You can connect with me on LinkedIn here.
Substack vs Medium vs beehiiv: Overview of Platforms
In the last decade or so, writers have been increasingly drawn to online platforms to share their work and build an audience they can control. The “Substack vs Medium” debate has been raging for a while, but beehiiv, the new kid on the block, has thrown their hat in the ring.
This article will explore how each platform works, what they’re best known for, and how writers can best use each to their advantage.
What Is Substack?
Substack is a newsletter publishing platform that helps creators launch paid or free newsletters and foster a direct connection with their readers. Unlike most content publishing platforms that rely heavily on algorithmic feeds, Substack places control in the writer’s hands.
I have used Substack, building a 1000+ subscriber list during the pandemic by driving traffic to Substack through my Medium writing.
Substack users can build a personal audience list, charge subscription fees, and build recurring revenue if they run a paid newsletter. The platform is free to use until creators decide to monetize their content.
Founding Principle: Substack was founded on the belief that writers deserve more control and should be able to monetize their content directly.
Key Selling Point: The primary advantage is the focus on direct audience relationships. Subscribers sign up via email, which gives writers full access to their mailing list without leaving them at the mercy of algorithm changes.
Monetization: Writers can run a free newsletter, offer some posts for free while gating premium content behind a paywall, or require a subscription for all content. Substack takes a 10% fee on all paid subscriber revenue.
Substack is an excellent choice for independent creators looking to earn money and have complete ownership of their audience.
What Is Medium?
Medium is a hybrid content publishing platform that combines elements of a blog hosting service, social network, and digital magazine. Co-founded by Twitter’s Evan Williams, it quickly gained a reputation as a space where anyone could publish.
Medium uses an algorithm to surface engaging stories and articles for interested readers.
I personally wrote on Medium during the pandemic and gained a small following. It was fun in those days!
Founding Principle: Medium prioritizes quality content over clicks. The platform recommends articles based on reading time, engagement, and user interests.
Key Selling Point: Medium offers a simpler route to discovery for new writers compared to building an audience from scratch. With proper tagging, the right topics, and relationships with publication editors, your content can be featured in “publications” on their site or discovered through Medium’s recommendation system.
Monetization: Medium offers a Partner Program where creators earn money based on member reading time. Writers can also limit some posts to “members-only,” providing an opportunity for exclusive content. Unlike Substack, monetization is about engagement on the platform, not direct subscriptions.
While Medium doesn’t offer a direct audience ownership model like Substack (you don’t have full control of your email list), it’s more accessible for beginners who want to try publishing without needing to market themselves.
What Is beehiiv?
beehiiv is a newsletter and email marketing platform designed with advanced growth and monetization in mind. Launched by former Morning Brew team members, beehiiv aims to provide the best-in-class tools for newsletter creators, small businesses, and media outlets.
Founding Principle: beehiiv focuses on offering an all-in-one newsletter ecosystem that supports both free and paid newsletters, along with strong audience segmentation and growth tools.
Key Selling Point: beehiiv boasts superior analytics, testing capabilities, and flexible customization options, making it easier to optimize and scale a newsletter-based business.
Monetization: In addition to direct paid subscriptions (which they do not take a cut for), beehiiv offers an Ad Network that matches newsletter publishers with advertisers and offers “Boosts,” which can help writers grow their audiences by audience sharing with other newsletters.
Key Differences Between Substack, Medium, and beehiiv
Each of these platforms caters to slightly different goals. If you’re a writer who wants straightforward paid subscriptions, you might lean toward Substack. For discoverability, Medium offers a broader reach. If you’re looking for advanced email marketing tools and branding control, beehiiv is the most compelling choice.
We’ve laid out the differences between the platforms across these key metrics below:
Audience building and discoverability
Monetization and subscription models
Platform fees and payment processing
Analytics and growth features
Customization and design flexibility
Audience Building and Discoverability
Relies primarily on your ability to drive sign-ups.
The platform features a directory where people can discover newsletters, but it’s not as algorithmically driven as Medium.
To succeed on Substack, writers must turn casual readers into loyal subscribers through consistent content and personal marketing.
Uses an algorithm to recommend articles based on user interests and reading behavior.
Readers can find new writers organically, which benefits those without an existing audience.
Writing in publications on Medium can further boost discoverability for writers.
Focuses heavily on newsletter growth via advanced referral systems, segmentation, and integration with other marketing tools.
Allows you to leverage boosts (collaborations with other newsletter authors) to quickly build your subscriber base.
Includes much more in-depth analytics than either of the above options
Monetization and Subscription Models
Monetization is straightforward: you set a monthly or yearly subscription price for your newsletter, and Substack takes a 10% fee.
It supports free, freemium, and fully paid newsletters.
Excellent for independent writers focusing on direct, paying subscribers.
The Medium Partner Program pays writers based on how much time paying Medium members spend reading their content.
Writers can label articles “members-only” to attract Medium’s 100 million+ monthly readers.
While some do earn significant revenue, it’s less predictable than a direct subscription model because it depends on Medium’s internal algorithms and membership base.
Offers both free and paid newsletters, similar to Substack.
Features an Ad Network that helps match newsletter publishers with sponsors, providing an additional revenue stream.
Has “Boosts” for shared promotions and collaborations.
This multi-pronged monetization approach can be highly lucrative if you know how to leverage ads and cross-promotions.
Platform Fees and Payment Processing
Charges a 10% fee on paid subscriptions.
Payment processing is done through Stripe, which charges additional transaction fees.
Free newsletters incur no cost aside from payment processing fees for subscriber transactions.
Free to publish.
The Partner Program uses a revenue pool from Medium’s membership fees and distributes earnings to writers based on reading time. This is also done through Stripe and incurs a fee.
Writers have less control over their subscriber data and revenue streams.
Offers multiple tiers: Launch, Scale, and Max.
Fees vary depending on subscriber count and features (paid newsletters, advanced segmentation, etc.).
Payment processing for paid newsletters also goes through Stripe, incurring their standard transaction fees.
Analytics and Growth Features
Provides basic subscriber data, including total subscribers and open rates.
Not as advanced as some dedicated email marketing tools.
Lacks built-in A/B testing for subject lines or deeper segmentation options.
Offers insights such as reads, views, reading time, and where traffic is coming from.
Analytics focus more on article performance than on direct subscriber insights.
Not designed as an email marketing tool, so data about the audience’s emails is unavailable.
Emphasizes in-depth analytics, from open rates and click rates to advanced segmentation.
Allows A/B testing for subject lines, send times, and content variations.
Features a growth dashboard with referral tools, making it easier to track how readers discover and share your newsletter.
Customization and Design Flexibility
Relatively simple newsletter layout with minimal customization.
Focus is on a clean reading experience rather than advanced design.
Writers can embed images, audio, or video, but brand customization is limited.
Known for a clean, minimalistic design that’s uniform across the platform.
Customization options are largely limited to text formatting, images, and layout in your articles.
Writers can’t fully customize the look and feel of their publications/articles like they could with a self-hosted site.
Includes flexible branding features, custom domains, and advanced design customization.
Lets users create newsletter templates that align more closely with their brand identity.
Built for those who view their newsletter as a professional extension of their brand or business.
Pros and Cons of Substack, Medium, and beehiiv
No platform is perfect for everyone. Each has unique advantages and disadvantages that you should consider based on your writing style, audience goals, and revenue expectations.
Pros and Cons of Substack
Pros
Direct Audience Connection: You own your mailing list, giving you a personal connection with readers.
Easy Monetization: Launching a paid newsletter is straightforward; Substack handles payment processing.
Focused Community: Substack has a growing ecosystem of newsletters and readers interested in niche topics.
Cons
Limited Customization: The newsletter design is fairly rigid.
Marketing Burden: Discovery features are limited compared to Medium; you’re mostly responsible for attracting subscribers.
10% Fee: Substack’s revenue share can be higher than some alternatives, especially if you have thousands of subscribers.
Pros and Cons of Medium
Pros
Broad Audience Reach: Medium’s built-in audience can offer discoverability for quality content.
Easy to Start: Posting is as simple as writing an article and hitting “Publish.”
Engagement Metrics: Detailed stats on reads, views, and reading time help you improve your writing strategy.
Cons
Lack of Email Ownership: You don’t get direct access to subscriber email addresses unless you collect them separately.
Monetization Challenges: The Partner Program payouts can vary widely and depend on Medium’s algorithms.
Limited Design Options: Customization is minimal, which can be frustrating for brand-conscious writers.
Pros and Cons of beehiiv
Pros
Advanced Email Marketing Tools: Analytics, segmentation, and A/B testing let you optimize newsletters your way.
Customization and Branding: Supports custom domains and templates for a more polished brand presence.
Multiple Revenue Streams: Offers paid subscriptions, Ad Network, and “Boosts” for collaboration opportunities.
Cons
Steeper Learning Curve: The advanced features can be intimidating for beginners.
Fee Structure: You’ll need to pay for a higher tier to access the best analytics, monetization, and design features.
Less Organic Discovery: You’ll need to do more external marketing and have a better understanding of SEO than you would on a platform like Medium.
Use Cases for Substack, Medium, and beehiiv
Identifying which platform aligns with your goals is the key to deciding which is best for you. Below are some typical scenarios to help you understand how these platforms fit people’s unique needs.
Substack: For Independent Writers and Creators
Direct Reader Relationship: Substack is ideal if your primary goal is to build a small, tight-knit community around your writing.
Paid Content: If you plan to focus on monetization early, Substack’s direct subscription model makes it easy.
Content Control: Substack doesn’t impose editorial constraints. You decide on your content's frequency, style, and paywall strategy.
Example: An independent journalist wanting to report on local issues might pick Substack for the personal relationships and predictable subscription revenue it enables.
Algorithmic Discovery: Medium is a standout choice if your main goal is to reach as many readers as possible—especially if you don’t have an established audience.
Built-in Community: Great for writers who thrive on community engagement, comments, and a network effect.
Low Barrier to Entry: Perfect if you’re new to writing and aren’t ready to handle newsletter marketing or payment processing.
Example: A lifestyle blogger or personal essayist without a big following could find Medium’s extensive community more beneficial for building an organic audience without needing to promote themselves.
Advanced Marketing Features: If you’re serious about email marketing tools and using segmentation, referrals, and A/B testing, beehiiv excels.
Branding Potential: beehiiv lets you heavily customize your newsletter’s look and feel, which is useful for startups or businesses wanting a consistent brand identity.
Multiple Monetization Avenues: Combine paid subscriptions with advertising and cross-promotions to expand your revenue streams.
Example: A tech enthusiast building a newsletter around software trends might choose beehiiv to quickly scale their subscriber list.
Which Platform Is Best for You?
Deciding between Substack, Medium, and beehiiv ultimately boils down to your goals, budget, and marketing strategy. There is no “better” platform across the board; each offers distinct strengths that cater to different needs.
Choosing Based on Your Goals
Audience Growth: If your primary concern is rapid growth without upfront marketing costs, Medium’s algorithm may offer the easiest route.
Monetization Focus: Substack excels if you aim to generate direct revenue and cultivate a community of paying subscribers.
Comprehensive Marketing: For those wanting full control of the design and the capacity to run complex marketing campaigns, beehiiv is the best newsletter platform among the three.
Budget and Pricing Considerations
Substack:
Free to start, but the 10% revenue cut can add up as subscriber count grows.
No advanced premium tiers, making it a simpler but sometimes pricier option in the long run.
Medium:
Publishing is free, but you rely on Medium’s membership system for payouts.
Little control over your revenue stream beyond the Partner Program.
beehiiv:
Offers tiered pricing.
The robust features in higher plans can justify the expense if you capitalize on multiple revenue streams and scale quickly.
Conclusion
Each platform offers unique advantages for different kinds of creators and entrepreneurs.
When choosing the right platform, weigh the pros and cons. Substack’s offers simplicity and direct subscriptions, Medium has a user-friendly interface and discovery engine, and beehiiv offers advanced marketing features and customization options.
Ultimately, the best approach may be to experiment with multiple platforms or combine them to see which option best aligns with your content strategy and aspirations.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Which is better: Substack or Medium?
The choice depends on your goals. If you want to own your audience and set up paid subscriptions easily, Substack is better. If you’re aiming for discoverability without the burden of subscriber management, Medium is a great fit. Some writers even cross-post to both to maximize reach.
2. What is the downside of Substack?
Substack’s main drawbacks include limited customization options, a reliance on external marketing to grow your subscriber base, and a 10% fee on paid subscriptions no matter how many subscribers you have. While direct audience ownership is a huge advantage, building that audience takes a concerted effort.
3. Can I post on both Substack and Medium?
Yes, many writers try themselves at cross-posting. Publishing on both Substack and Medium can broaden reach. Medium’s algorithmic discovery can bring in new readers, while a Substack newsletter ensures direct engagement. However, you may need to adapt your strategies for each platform’s audience.
4. Does Substack count as publishing?
Yes, Substack is considered a publishing platform, especially for newsletters. While it’s not a great place to self-publish books, many writers publish articles, essays, and exclusive content there, often in a more direct manner than on traditional websites.
5. Is beehiiv vs Substack a fair comparison for writers?
Absolutely. beehiiv offers more advanced email marketing and growth features compared to Substack, but it also comes with a steeper learning curve and potentially higher costs depending on the tier you choose. For seasoned newsletter creators who want robust tools, beehiiv can be a strong contender.
6. What if I want a more customized design for my newsletter?
beehiiv provides more design flexibility, including custom domains and layout customization. If that’s a priority for your brand, beehiiv is the best pick among the three.
Final Thoughts
Don’t hesitate to experiment. Trying multiple channels can help you find which platform aligns best with your writing style and business objectives.
As you publish, track key performance metrics (subscriber growth, engagement, and revenue) to see where your efforts yield the strongest results. Ultimately, whether you choose Substack, Medium, or beehiiv, your success will hinge on producing high-quality content that resonates with your readers.
If you’re intrigued by beehiiv’s full suite of features, now’s the time to sign up!
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