7 Best Medium Alternatives for Writers in 2026

Last updated: February 2026 · 11 min read

Medium was the best place to publish writing on the internet for years. The editor is still excellent. But the platform's incentives no longer align with writers. The Partner Program pays based on an opaque algorithm tied to member reading time. The paywall blocks non-paying readers from your work, shrinking your reach. You do not own your audience, cannot collect email addresses, and have no control over how your content is distributed.

Writers are leaving Medium for platforms that let them own their audience, monetize directly, and publish without an algorithm deciding who sees their work. Here are the 7 best alternatives in 2026.

Short Answer

Substack is the best Medium alternative for writers who want simplicity and built-in distribution. The writing experience is comparable to Medium, setup is instant, and the recommendation network gives you discoverability. For writers who want full ownership of their content and subscriber data, Ghost is the better long-term choice, with open-source code and 0% platform fees.

Why Writers Leave Medium

1. Substack - Best for Ease of Use

Best for: Writers who want Medium's simplicity with audience ownership

Substack is the closest experience to Medium for writers. The editor is clean and distraction-free. You can start publishing in minutes with zero technical setup. Unlike Medium, you own your subscriber list and can export it. The recommendation network gives new writers discoverability similar to Medium's distribution. Paid subscriptions let you charge readers directly at a price you set, rather than depending on an algorithm. The trade-off is a 10% revenue cut on paid subscriptions and limited customization.

2. Ghost - Best for Full Ownership

Best for: Writers who want complete control over content, design, and revenue

Ghost gives you everything Medium does not: your own domain, your own design, your own subscriber data, and 0% platform fees on revenue. It is open-source software that you can self-host for free or use through Ghost(Pro) managed hosting starting at $9/month. The editor is modern and powerful with support for rich media embeds, code blocks, and dynamic cards. Native memberships and Stripe payments are built in. Ghost is more work to set up than Medium or Substack, but the ownership and control are worth it for serious writers building a long-term publishing business.

Try Ghost

3. Beehiiv - Best for Growing an Audience

Best for: Writers who want built-in tools to grow readership beyond organic search

Medium's biggest draw was built-in distribution. Beehiiv offers a different kind of distribution that you actually control. The referral program turns readers into promoters. The boost network lets you cross-promote with other newsletters. The ad marketplace connects you with sponsors. Every post gets an SEO-optimized web page, so you build your own search presence instead of feeding Medium's domain authority. For writers who want to actively grow an audience rather than hope an algorithm promotes them, Beehiiv is the strongest option.

Try Beehiiv Free

4. WordPress - Best for Full Content Control

Best for: Writers who want a complete website with unlimited flexibility

WordPress is the most flexible publishing platform in existence. You get full control over your content, design, SEO, and monetization strategy. Thousands of themes let you create any kind of site. Plugins extend functionality in every direction: memberships, courses, forums, e-commerce, newsletters. The writing experience is not as clean as Medium's editor, but block-based editors like Gutenberg have improved significantly. WordPress requires more setup and ongoing management, but you own everything and depend on no platform's decisions.

5. Hashnode - Best for Technical Writers

Best for: Developers and tech writers who want a community plus their own domain

Hashnode is the closest alternative to Medium for technical writers specifically. It gives you a blog on your own custom domain for free, backed by a developer community that provides built-in distribution. The editor supports Markdown, code syntax highlighting, and embeds. Articles get indexed on your domain, so you build your own SEO authority. The community feed, tags, and series features provide discoverability similar to Medium's. If you write about programming, DevOps, data science, or tech, Hashnode is built for you.

6. Buttondown - Best for Minimalist Email Publishing

Best for: Writers who want a clean, simple way to publish via email

Buttondown strips publishing down to its essence. Write in Markdown, hit send, and your work goes directly to subscriber inboxes. No algorithm, no paywall, no feed position to worry about. Paid subscriptions let you monetize directly. The archive page gives your work a web presence. If you liked writing on Medium but hated the platform dynamics, Buttondown removes all of that friction. It is indie software maintained by a single developer who prioritizes simplicity over feature count.

Try Buttondown

7. LinkedIn Newsletter - Best for Professional Reach

Best for: B2B writers and professionals who want instant distribution to their network

LinkedIn Newsletters let you publish long-form content directly on LinkedIn. Every connection and follower gets a notification when you publish. For B2B writers, consultants, and professionals, this is the easiest distribution available. No setup, no separate platform, no audience building from scratch. The limitations are significant: you do not own the subscriber list, have zero design control, cannot charge for subscriptions, and your content lives entirely on LinkedIn's platform. Best used as a distribution channel alongside a primary platform like Ghost or Beehiiv, not as your only publishing home.

How to Migrate From Medium

  1. Export your content. Go to Settings > Security and applications > Download your information. Medium provides a ZIP file with your posts as HTML files.
  2. Choose your new platform. For simplicity, start with Substack. For ownership, use Ghost. For growth tools, try Beehiiv.
  3. Import your posts. Substack and Ghost both have Medium import tools that convert your posts automatically. WordPress has Medium importers available as plugins. For other platforms, you may need to convert the HTML files manually or use a tool like medium-to-markdown.
  4. Set up your domain. If you have a custom domain on Medium, point it to your new platform. If not, register one. Your own domain builds SEO authority over time.
  5. Build your email list. This is the critical step. Medium does not give you subscriber emails. Start collecting emails on your new platform immediately. Add signup forms, create a landing page, and promote it in your Medium bio and final Medium posts.
  6. Cross-post strategically. You can continue posting on Medium to drive traffic to your new home. Publish on your primary platform first, then republish on Medium with a canonical URL pointing to your own site. This protects your SEO while using Medium's distribution.

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