Substack versus Medium: Six Reasons Medium is the Best — If You Hate Readers

The reality of creating a Better Internet

Paying respect….

Medium loves to call itself the best platform for writers. That’s technically true if your definition of “best” involves throwing your work into a black hole and catching the clap from bots.

Recently, Medium published a self-congratulatory article about why it’s supposedly a better option than Substack.

I’m just here to translate the marketing fluff into plain English.

1) Write on Medium if you don’t have an existing audience

Translation: “Write on Medium if you enjoy the thrill of having 7,500 followers and averaging 50–60 reads per post.” By the way, those are my real stats.

According to Medium, they’ll “promote your stories for you.” My guess is those promotions are printed out and stuffed into Tony’s shoebox.

Meanwhile, on Substack, my 600 subscribers gave me over 1,000 views on my last post without a single “boost.”

2) Write on Medium to easily grow email subscribers

Sure, Medium will collect subscribers for you, and then hide your posts from them like a deadbeat renter hiding from the landlord on rent day.

Their claim? Email subscriptions are “more straightforward than ever.” My reality? I’m convinced half my “followers” are ghosts from the early 2020s who have no idea they’re still following me.

Medium collects subscribers the same way your grandma collects decorative plates. It looks impressive until you realize they are never leaving the shelf.

3) Write on Medium to reach without a niche

They say you can “write about whatever you want” and reach readers anyway. This is true. I could write the most groundbreaking, life-altering post in history, and Medium would still make sure it reaches the exact same 53 people who read my last one.

On Substack, I can write about anything and still get twenty times the engagement. It’s weird how things are different when the platform benefits from you having more readers, which can lead to more paid subscribers.

Unlike the other place, where the smug guy in charge acts like a modern-day Mr. Scrooge.

4) Write on Medium if you don’t want to be chained to a content calendar

Medium says there’s “no grind” and “no schedule.” They left out the part where there’s also no money, no growth, and no point.

On Substack, yeah, I post regularly because people actually read the crap I write. On Medium, I could disappear for six months, and the platform wouldn’t even notice.

In fact, disappearing might be the smartest growth strategy on Medium, because at least then your stats can’t get worse.

5) Write on Medium if you don’t want to deal with hate speech

Medium likes to pat themselves on the back for “a kinder, more diverse, and more inclusive internet.” Which is noble… if the platform itself wasn’t one big graveyard where engagement goes to die.

I’m not saying kindness is bad.

All I’m saying is that it’s the safest place on the internet because there’s no one around to offend.

6) Write on Medium if you want strong SEO without becoming an SEO pro

According to Medium, you don’t have to know SEO because Medium ranks highly on Google. My thoughts? If no one’s reading, I don’t care if my story is on page one of Google or carved into the moon.

SEO is great for platforms that have a pulse. I guess?

Fun fact… being number one on Google is overrated, and it still pays nothing.

Medium is Still the Best Platform for Writers

At the end of the day, Medium lets you focus on what matters.

You know… like writing. Medium will handle the hard stuff, such as broken algorithms, terrible distribution, and making sure your story gets buried under fifty AI-generated listicles before anyone can read it.

You’ll write, you’ll publish, and you’ll stare at the stats page like it’s a lottery ticket you already know is a loser.

Nevertheless, Medium is still the best platform for writers who want to work hard on a story and then watch it vanish. Kind of like Medium’s audience.

---