Comparison

Medium or Substack?

Substack to build an email list. Medium to reach an existing audience quickly.

Tool A

Medium

The writing platform with a built-in audience: publish, distribute, monetize.

Tool B

Substack

Competitor

Criterion by criterion

Criterion by criterion
Criterion	Medium	Substack
In my stack	Yes	No, competitor
My rating	4 out of 5	No tool page on my site
What it does better	Built-in organic audience, your articles circulate without SEO or active marketing	Built-in newsletter, an audience you own (email), clearer monetization
What it does worse	You do not own your audience, Medium controls the distribution	Less organic distribution, no built-in audience at the start
Entry price	€0	No tool page on my site
Plan I would pick	Writer (Free) · €0	No tool page on my site
Works with	macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, Browser, Zapier, Make	No tool page on my site
Where the opinion comes from	Based on my Medium review	Compared from my Medium review

Verdict

Substack to build an email list. Medium to reach an existing audience quickly.

On Substack, written from my Medium review