Trying to decide between Substack and Medium? Both are popular tools in the newsletter space, but they serve different needs. This comparison breaks down features, pricing, and use cases to help you make the right choice.
| Feature | Substack | Medium |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Newsletter | Publishing |
| Starting Price | 10% of revenue | Free |
| Best For | Writers starting newsletters | Reaching new readers |
| Video Automation | ❌ Manual | ❌ Manual |
10% of revenue
Writers starting newsletters.
Free
Reaching new readers.
Substack starts at 10% of revenue, while Medium starts at Free. Consider not just the sticker price but the total cost of ownership — including the time you'll spend using each tool.
If you value your time at $50/hour and spend 5 hours/week on content creation, that's $1,000/month in time cost alone — regardless of which tool you choose.
Choose Substack if: You need writers starting newsletters and prefer free to start.
Choose Medium if: You need reaching new readers and value built-in audience.
Consider neither if: You want automated video content without ongoing manual effort. Both tools require continuous time investment.
Whether you choose Substack or Medium, consider adding video marketing to amplify your results. Video content gets 1200% more shares than text and images combined.
zSellify automatically converts your website content into YouTube Shorts — no filming, editing, or manual publishing required. At $69-129/month, it's an affordable addition to any marketing stack.
Still researching? Check out these related comparisons:
zSellify creates and publishes 2 videos/day from your existing website content. No filming. No editing. No scheduling.
See How It Works →