Substack vs Medium vs Ghost: What’s Better for Your Readers?

Substack, Medium, and Ghost serve the same purpose. In one way or another, they all help writers reach their audience.

Some writers stick to Substack, others prefer Medium, and there are those who choose Ghost. In fact, there are some who use all three.

Feeling a bit confused? No worries, I’ll start with the basics and then go through a comparison to make things clear for you. 

Let’s begin! 

7 Things Writers Must Look for in a Publishing Platform

#1 - Revenue Opportunities

Writers want platforms that ensure fair revenue splits. You need to look for platforms that can offer:

• Subscription revenue
• Partner programs
• Ad revenue

Look for platforms that support diverse monetization methods. This includes paywalls, sponsorships, affiliate marketing, etc. 

In addition to this, make sure the platform you’re working on has transparent policies for fees and payout frequency. 

#2 - Audience Engagement Tools

Engagement tools are a must have for building a committed readership. Features like comments, likes, and shares keep readers involved with your content.

For deeper engagement, consider platforms that offer:

• Newsletters
• Communities or forums
• Discussion threads

Once readers feel personally connected, they’re more likely to stick around and support you.

#3 - Discoverability

The platform you’re publishing your content on should have a nice algorithm. If no one ever finds out what you’re writing, what’s the point of publishing? 

Make sure the platform supports:

• Tags and categories
• Featured articles
• Reader recommendations

Platforms that also promote your work outside their ecosystem (via social media) would be a bonus. 

#4 - Platform Stability and Performance

Nobody wants to lose their work just because of a little glitch. 

Auto-save features and smooth publishing workflows is something you can’t compromise with. 

Additionally, ensure that the platform supports: 

• Responsive design for desktop and mobile
• Fast page load speeds
• Customization (without breaking layouts)

#5 - Ease of Use

A good publishing platform lets you focus on writing instead of wrestling with technology. Make sure you get: 

• Cool editors
• Drag-and-drop customization
• Easy-to-integrate third-party tools

Also, check if the platform offers templates, analytics, and seamless export/import options for managing your content effectively.

#6 - Community Standards

Transparent guidelines and content policies are a life-saver for creators like us. 

Anti-plagiarism measures, content ownership rights, and fair moderation should be on your checklist.

#7 - Integration with Other Tools

Third-party integrations can expand your platform's functionality. 

Whether it’s embedding videos, analytics tools, social media, or payment gateways, seamless integrations are a bonus.

Substack vs Medium vs Ghost: An Overview

#1 - Substack

Substack is helping its writers earn from their readers through paid newsletters. 

It works best for those who want direct control over their audience. 

Not only that, you can add a custom domain to your Substack newsletter website which makes it completely yours.  

#2 - Medium

Medium operates on a reader subscription model and pays writers through its Partner Program.

It’s ideal for writers who are looking to reach a large audience without worrying about marketing their work.

In fact recently, Medium has extended its partner program to 77 new countries. 

#3 - Ghost

Ghost is a self-hosted platform which lets you have full control over your website and content.

This platform fits best to writers who want a highly customizable platform and are comfortable handling their own hosting and technical setup.

Let’s Compare: Substack vs Medium vs Ghost

Ease of Use

Substack is all about simplicity. It’s built for people who want to focus on writing newsletters, not on figuring out tech. 

From email to subscriptions - you can set it up in minutes, and the platform handles everything for you. 

But don’t expect it to make a full-fledged website for you. If you want your site to look unique or match your brand, you’ll have to play around CSS. 

Medium works like a Word document but takes it a step further by managing hosting, design, and publishing for you.

The downside? There aren't many customization features for your profile. It’s clean and professional, but your page will look just like everyone else’s.

Ghost is for people who want it all. You can tweak your site’s design, add SEO features, and even integrate tools like Google Analytics.

However, it’s not plug-and-play like Substack or Medium. Ghost requires some tech skills, especially if you’re self-hosting. If you’re not comfortable with that, you can use Ghost(Pro). But yes, it’ll cost you.

Winner: Substack + Medium (Don’t really have to work on appearance, just start posting) 

Revenue Model

Substack runs on subscriptions. You charge readers for access, keep 90% of your earnings, and Substack takes 10%. That’s all it takes! 

The drawback is your audience might not be ready to pay. Since Substack doesn’t support ads or any partner program like Medium, you’re out of luck. 

Medium pays based on how much time members spend reading your work. 

If your articles do well, you can make decent money. But if they don’t? Forget about earning anything. 

It’s a low-risk option because readers don’t have to pay you directly. However, big payouts are rare unless you consistently go viral.

Ghost is all about control. You set your price, keep 100% of your revenue, and can add whatever monetization method you want — ads, memberships, digital products, you name it.

The catch? You’re responsible for managing everything, including payment processing through Stripe or PayPal.

Winner: Ghost (After all, you’re not limited!) 

Discoverability

Substack doesn’t do much to help readers find you. 

There’s a directory, but most people discover Substack newsletters through social media, Google, or word of mouth.

If you’re willing to hustle and promote yourself, Substack can work. But don’t expect readers to magically appear.

Medium is discoverability on steroids. It has a massive built-in audience and uses tags and recommendations features. 

All of that works great together to connect you with the right readers.

In addition, you get traffic from Google and social media as well. 

Ghost doesn’t bring you an audience. Your only luck is SEO, social media, or other marketing channels. 

It won’t be a problem if you’ve got skills. 

Just in case you’re starting from scratch, it will definitely take you time to find your audience. 

Winner: Medium (You know why!)

Payout Duration and Fees

Substack pays weekly. They take a 10% commission, and payment processors like Stripe or PayPal will charge their fees too.

Medium processes payouts monthly. Earnings are based on engagement, so what you make varies depending on how many members read your content.

Ghost gives you immediate access to your revenue since you’re in charge of payments. There are no platform fees, but Stripe and PayPal will still take their cut.

Winner: Ghost (Instant payouts as you have complete control over your earnings)

Final Verdict

The best platform depends on what you need:

Substack is perfect for starting a paid newsletter. 

On the other hand, Medium is great for writers who are chasing an audience and don’t mind sharing their revenue. 

Now if we talk about Ghost, I’d say it’s best for writers who want complete control over their content, branding, SEO tactics, and revenue streams.

Think about your skills, audience, and goals. Pick the one that fits and start publishing!