Alternatives
Best Medium alternatives in 2026
Data compiled by Toolradar Updated How we rate
Cite this list: Toolradar, best Medium alternatives 2026, toolradar.com/alternatives/medium
2 direct alternatives to Medium and 6 more tools in the same category, compared on pricing, features, and best-for use cases. Pick the right replacement without the marketing fluff.
Quick answer
- Ghost is the top alternative to Medium on our list, followed by Substack and Quip.
- 5 of the 8 alternatives have a free plan, starting with Ghost.
- Highest rated: iLovePDF, 4.7 out of 5 from 13,659 ratings, Sep 2026.
- 8 alternatives
- 2 direct
- 5 with a free plan
Top 3 alternatives to Medium
Ghost
#1 Top pickProfessional publishing platform
Starting price
From $18 /mo
Cheapest paid plan, monthly, as of November 2026
3.9 /5 across G2, Capterra and SourceForge · 264 ratings, Sep 2026
Our take
Best overall
Substack
#2Newsletter platform for writers
Pricing
Free plan
2.4 /5 across G2 and Trustpilot · 179 ratings, Sep 2026
Quip
#3Transform processes with real-time, collaborative documents and spreadsheets embedded directly in Salesforce.
Pricing
Not published
4.5 /5 across G2 and Capterra · 43,705 ratings, Sep 2026
Medium vs 8 alternatives
| Tool | Starting price (Nov 2026) | Free plan | Rating | Fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Price: $5/mo | Free plan: Yes | 4.7 out of 5, from 5,708 ratings across TrustRadius and G2 (5,708) | |
| Price: $18/mo | Free plan: Yes | 3.9 out of 5, from 264 ratings across G2, Capterra and SourceForge (264) | Direct alternative |
| Price: Free + paid | Free plan: Yes | 2.4 out of 5, from 179 ratings across G2 and Trustpilot (179) | Direct alternative |
| Price: Not published | Free plan: No | 4.5 out of 5, from 43,705 ratings across G2 and Capterra (43,705) | Same category as Medium |
 | Price: Usage-based | Free plan: No | 4.6 out of 5, from 13,842 ratings on G2 (13,842) | Same category as Medium |
 | Price: $5/mo | Free plan: Yes | 4.6 out of 5, from 1,236 ratings across G2 and Capterra (1,236) | Same category as Medium |
 | Price: $5/mo | Free plan: Yes | 4.7 out of 5, from 13,659 ratings across Trustpilot, TrustRadius, G2 and more (13,659) | Same category as Medium |
 | Price: $14.99/mo | Free plan: Yes | 4.4 out of 5, from 10,296 ratings across G2 and Capterra (10,296) | Same category as Medium |
 | Price: Not published | Free plan: No | 4.5 out of 5, from 5,469 ratings on G2 (5,469) | Same category as Medium |
Why people consider alternatives to Medium
Medium is a publishing platform for writers and readers. Writers can publish articles, build an audience, and earn money through the Partner Program. Readers get access to quality articles with a membership.
Teams most often switch away when one of these starts to bite:
- Pricing at scale as usage or premium tiers add up.
- Missing integrations with the rest of your stack.
- Performance or scale limits as your needs grow.
- A specific feature gap you have hit in writing & content.
The 2 direct alternatives below cover the same core job (writing & content) with different trade-offs. The 6 tools marked "Same category as Medium" fit the category but replace Medium less directly.
Medium by the numbers
Toolradar data: Medium's entry paid plan ($5/mo, billed monthly) ranks #16 of 200 (joint) for price among the Writing & Content tools with a verified entry price and no stated unit, where the median is $19/mo. As of Nov 2026.
| Metric | Medium | Peer median | Position (1 is best) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry paid plan | $5/mo, billed monthly | $19/mo | #16 of 200 (joint) tools with no stated price unit, verified price |
| Free plan | Yes | 65% have one | n/a |
| Listed as an alternative to | 9 tools | 1 | #83 of 524 (joint) |
| User rating | 4.7/5 (across the web, 5,708 ratings) | 4.5/5 | #21 of 224 (joint) tools with 20+ reviews |
Listed as an alternative to: #89 on 2026-10-16 to #83 on 2026-11-02 (rank among 524 tools, 1 is best).
Each position is counted among the tools that have data for that row, as noted under it. A lower entry price ranks higher; prices are read on vendor pages and compared only with tools priced on the same basis. All Writing & Content data · How we compute this. Advertising and placement fees are not inputs to any position.
Cite this: Toolradar, “Medium by the numbers”, Nov 2026.
Writing & Content leaderboards from Toolradar data
Toolradar ranks Writing & Content tools on one measure at a time, only where at least 8 tools have data. As of Nov 2026.
Lowest entry price, plans with no stated unit
Cheapest standard paid plan per month (annual prices divided by 12), read on vendor pages and compared only with tools priced on the same basis.
Counted among 200 tools with no stated price unit, verified price.
| # | Tool | Entry plan |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wordfast | $1/mo |
| 2 | ProcessGold | $1.67/mo, billed yearly |
| 3 | Voiser | $2/mo |
| 4 | CreatorHat | $2.50/mo, billed yearly |
| 4 | TypingMate | $2.50/mo, billed yearly |
Lowest entry price, flat team plans
Cheapest standard paid plan per month (annual prices divided by 12), read on vendor pages and compared only with tools priced on the same basis.
Counted among 25 tools priced as a flat team plan, verified price.
| # | Tool | Entry plan |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | RecurPost | $9/mo flat, billed monthly |
| 2 | Taia | $10/mo flat, billed monthly |
| 3 | VideoOS by Jupitrr AI | $11/mo flat, billed yearly |
| 4 | Originality.AI | $14.95/mo flat, billed monthly |
| 5 | Feedhive | $15/mo flat, billed monthly |
Lowest entry price, per-user plans
Cheapest standard paid plan per month (annual prices divided by 12), read on vendor pages and compared only with tools priced on the same basis.
Counted among 23 tools priced per user, verified price.
| # | Tool | Entry plan |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | eduMe | $3.49/user/mo |
| 2 | ContextGem 1.0 | $4/user/mo, billed monthly |
| 2 | slop-grader | $4/user/mo, billed monthly |
| 4 | AI dication by Snaply | $5/user/mo, billed monthly |
| 4 | Allergo | $5/user/mo, billed monthly |
Most visited, last 30 days
Distinct visitor sessions on the tool's Toolradar page over the last 30 days, with bots excluded by our analytics. A session counts once however many times it reloads the page.
Counted among 8 tools with 50+ visits.
| # | Tool | Visits |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | NotebookLM | 191 visits |
| 2 | HeyGen | 118 visits |
| 3 | SlideShare | 97 visits |
| 4 | Evernote | 82 visits |
| 5 | Bear | 80 visits |
Most media coverage, last 30 days
Number of distinct articles published in the last 30 days by independent press, blogs and newsletters that mention the tool. A story carried by several outlets counts once; the vendor's own blog, review sites, forums and republishing sites do not count.
Counted among 8 tools mentioned in the last 30 days.
| # | Tool | Articles |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meta AI | 6 articles |
| 2 | ElevenLabs | 5 articles |
| 3 | NotebookLM | 4 articles |
| 4 | Microsoft Copilot | 2 articles |
| 4 | TextExpander | 2 articles |
A position exists only when at least 8 tools have data for that metric. 248 of 524 Writing & Content tools have a verified price; the others publish none we could read (often "contact sales"). Advertising and placement fees are not inputs to any position. Visit counts include visits from every source. How we compute this. Cite this: Toolradar, “Writing & Content leaderboards”, Nov 2026. Data licensed CC BY 4.0. All Writing & Content statistics.
8 alternatives to Medium
Direct alternatives come first, ranked by G2 and Capterra ratings, media mentions, and editor review. Tools marked "Same category as Medium" follow, ranked the same way.
- 1
Ghost
Free planProfessional publishing platform
3.9 /5 across G2, Capterra and SourceForge · 264 ratings, Sep 2026
From $18/mo, billed yearly; free plan available
- 2
Substack
Free planNewsletter platform for writers
2.4 /5 across G2 and Trustpilot · 179 ratings, Sep 2026
Free plan available; paid prices not published
- 3
Quip
Paid Battle-tested at scaleTransform processes with real-time, collaborative documents and spreadsheets embedded directly in Salesforce.
4.5 /5 across G2 and Capterra · 43,705 ratings, Sep 2026
Price not published
Same category as Medium
- 4
Notion AI
Free plan Battle-tested at scaleAI that works where you already work
4.6 /5 on G2 · 13,842 ratings, Sep 2026
Free plan available; paid prices not published
Same category as Medium
- 5
ElevenLabs
Free plan Battle-tested at scaleGenerate lifelike AI voices in 29 languages, clone voices, and enable real-time speech
4.6 /5 across G2 and Capterra · 1,236 ratings, Sep 2026
From $5/mo, billed monthly; free plan available
Same category as Medium
- 6
iLovePDF
Free plan Battle-tested at scaleEvery tool you need to work with PDFs in one place, 100% FREE and easy to use.
4.7 /5 across Trustpilot, TrustRadius, G2 and more · 13,659 ratings, Sep 2026
From €5/mo, billed yearly; free plan available
Same category as Medium
- 7
Evernote
Free plan Battle-tested at scaleThe original note-taking app, still kicking after all these years
4.4 /5 across G2 and Capterra · 10,296 ratings, Sep 2026
From $14.99/mo, billed monthly; free plan available
Same category as Medium
- 8
Foxit PDF Editor
Paid Battle-tested at scaleIntelligent document solution to create, edit, and manage PDFs from any device.
4.5 /5 on G2 · 5,469 ratings, Sep 2026
Price not published
Same category as Medium
Frequently asked questions
What is the best alternative to Medium?
Based on real-signal scoring (G2 and Capterra ratings, media mentions, and editorial review), the top alternatives to Medium are Ghost, Substack, Quip. Each solves the same core job with different trade-offs on pricing, features, and integrations.
Is there a free alternative to Medium?
There is no fully free alternative in this list. Ghost is freemium: a permanent free tier plus paid plans (Professional publishing platform).
Why do people look for Medium alternatives?
Common reasons teams switch away from Medium: pricing that scales aggressively, missing integrations with the rest of their stack, performance or scale limits, or a specific feature gap in writing & content. The alternatives on this page solve the same core problem with different trade-offs.
Side-by-side comparisons
In-depth comparison pages for Medium versus each alternative.
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