Many people have found a way to express their passion through blogging. Others have found ways to make it an income source. You will find so many topics on religion, sports, relationships, parenting advice, among others. Companies are also embracing the use of blogging to give more information about their products. It has become an integral way of growing audience bases and consumer engagement. For you which platform is better?

Let’s see the battle: WordPress Vs Medium

You will find many bloggers on the WordPress platform because that is what was previously available to them. They got to control the content and the platform on which they would share it. We now have so many options available, including Medium, and that is the basis of our article. We will look into, which is the better option between WordPress or Medium, and hopefully, you can decide which one works for you.

Medium is a platform that allows users to share their blog content with their subscribers. It will enable you to reach many subscribers at one go. The people on the platform are like-minded and get to share their content with people who appreciate the kind of content they have.

1. Blogging

WordPress was initially set up as a blogging platform, although it has grown into so much more. Users get to enjoy a broad range of functionality, thereby allowing them to churn out great content. The developers have taken the time to ensure that they cover every aspect of blogging, and an editor is a fantastic tool for those who understand how to use it. As a beginner, you may have some challenges using the editor because some of the functions are a bit more complex. It may also not have the friendliest interface, thus making it harder to use if you have not had previous experience. Steps like adding links and images can also be a bit challenging. The Gutenberg editor will make it easier, even for those who do not have the experience.

The user interface on Medium is friendly, and if you use the editor, you can focus on your writing and not on so many other things. It is clutter-free, and is, therefore, more inviting, especially for beginners. Using functions such as adding images is as simple as clicking on the plus sign, and following the prompts.

2. Design

You have many themes available on the WordPress platform, thereby allowing you to design your blog page as you wish. You also get to enjoy the use of very many plugins, which will enable you to give online visitors a pleasant experience. You can take advantage of SEO because your blog will be optimized even if you do not have the relevant plugins.

Medium, on the other hand, does not allow you to customize your blog as you wish. How it works is that you publish your content on the Medium website, so you have to go with the design they offer. You, however, have the option of adding images and changing font colors.

3. Content Ownership

WordPress has the option of self-hosting or WordPress.com. If you are self-hosting, you have complete control over everything, including the content. The platform can, therefore, not interfere with your content. WordPress.com does not give you that much leeway, because the platform has maintained certain rights to what you submit. They retain the right to reproduce, adapt, publish, and modify the content. They can even make your content available to third parties if they so wish.

Lack of content ownership also applies to Medium. They decide how they will publish your content and can remove it without any say on your part. You, therefore, give them permission to display, store, format, and distribute it in whichever way they please.

Useful Read: How To Write A Blog Post In 30 Minutes

4. Branding

You can easily promote your brand when you are posting stories on Medium. You get to share content with other people, and if you have fantastic content, you can quickly become a favorite for many readers.

WordPress gives you control over how you want to promote your brand. The more your website grows, the more you can capitalize, thus leading to better brand awareness and recognition. You position yourself as a stand-alone as opposed to Medium, where you are part of a community. You can market your website and put into place different tactics to encourage better engagement with the audiences.

5. Freedom of Movement

You may, at some point, feel that you need to change your platform and will, therefore, need a platform that can give you a certain level of freedom. If you are on Medium, you can export your data in HTML format. You may, therefore, find it challenging to export your data on other platforms such as WordPress. You also do not have the option of exporting your likes or comments, so you tend to lose out.

Medium is also not very friendly when it comes to setting up a redirect from the platform to WordPress. You will need to manually set up a redirect for every story, which can make the process tedious.

WordPress, on the other hand, is an open-source platform, and you get to move as you wish. All you need to do is install the relevant plugin, and you can then import or export your data to your heart’s content. You also get access to your user comments and reviews.

With the backup plugin, you can install and migrate to a new site or domain name with ease.

6. Sharing Of Content

While self-hosting WordPress gives you complete control of your content, there is really not much you can do with it once you publish it. If you want to share your content, you will have to install a plugin or Jetpack. Even if you share it on different channels, including social media, you may still not get any views. If you go for WordPress.com, you get to share your content across various social media platforms. You can include sharing buttons to increase engagement with your content.

Medium is a social community, and any content you publish will find its way into the community forum. They have made the process of sharing on social platforms easy by removing the need for you to have to install plugins. You get the sharing buttons embedded in your content. You can also come up with search results from the use of specific keywords. Engagement with the audiences is better because they can book Mark and comment on your stories. You get to see all the activity by being able to track your content on your timeline.

7. Monetizing Your Blog

Some people have made blogging an income source, and it is, therefore, essential that you choose the right platform. Choosing the blogging platform WordPress is, therefore, an excellent idea if you want to monetize your blog. You have complete control of everything and can, therefore, do affiliate marketing, sell ad space, and even opt to start an online store.

You can also make money on WordPress.com by placing ads, but you will have to pay. The different subscription packages have different offerings. If you go for the most basic free package, you cannot monetize any of your activities. Since you don’t have control over your content, the platform can decide to place their ads or branding on your blog page. You must, however, note that even with the paid plans, you can only work with Word ads, an automated advertising platform on WordPress.

Medium does not give you the option of placing ads or banners on your website, and so it can become challenging to monetize your page. You can, however, increase brand awareness by embedding subscription forms on your blog. There is, however, not much money-making potential with that option.

Related Read: Affiliate Marketing For Bloggers (A Beginners Guide)

8. Pricing

The self-hosted option on WordPress is free to install, but you would have to pay for web hosting. WordPress will provide a list of web host providers you can go for, and some will charge you as low as $5 per month. You also get access to free plugins and themes. If you want some advanced functionality, you will have to purchase some of the more expensive extensions.

The basic WordPress.com plan is free, but there are so many restrictions that come with it. As we have already stated above, you cannot monetize if you go for the basic plan. They can also impose ads on your website, which can make it inconvenient for you. You have the option of a paid-up plan and get the benefit of having a little more control over what you do. If you want to upgrade your blog by installing third-party plugins, you have to go for the most expensive package, which will cost you about $24 per month.

You incur zero-cost on Medium. Using the platform is very simple; as simple as signing up to the website and sharing your content. You, unfortunately, do not have the freedom to do anything, including customizing or even monetizing your blog page.

9. Online Community

WordPress has been around for a very long time, and you get access to a very extensive community. The platform is serious about getting its members to interact, and you will often hear of events such as meetups, among others. You also have access to several forums and social groups, where members share and provide solutions for other members. You get to interact with all kinds of people; whether writers or individuals in different areas.

Medium is already a kind of community, and you will find like-minded people on the platform. The community is mostly writers, and you get to interact, share, and follow other writers. It provides a fantastic opportunity to improve your skills.

10. User Experience

Writing on Medium is very basic, and you get to avoid any distractions. You will also like the fact that how you edit your content is how it will look once you publish. You will also find it easy to handle images using the inbuilt options. Writing on Medium is as simple as writing your content and publishing it. You, therefore, do not deal with customization options, thus making it very simple to use even for beginners.

On WordPress, you can use the visual editor, but you will not really get to see how the content looks before you publish. WordPress will give you several extensions you can use for the images. You must, however, note that how the preview looks may be a bit different from how it will look once you publish your article.

New Writers may also find that WordPress is a bit more complex to use because there are so many options. You have different plugins, editor buttons, and settings, among others. It may, therefore, require that you take some time to learn how to use the various functionalities so that you have an easier time on the platform.

11. Support

You have free community support on WordPress and other third-party extensions. Beginners also have access to thousands of videos, tutorials, and how-to content, among others.

You get a level of support on Medium through the ticket-based support systems and extensive documentation. Getting a response may take some time because it depends on how much work the support teams have.

Final Thoughts

We have looked at some of the differences between WordPress and Medium for anyone who wants to start blogging. The platform you finally opt for will depend on what you hope to achieve in the long run. If all you wish to do is write and share your content, then Medium is a fantastic option. It is free; you don’t need to download anything; all you need to do is sign up onto the platform, and you are good to go. You, however, do not have the option of customizing or monetizing your blog page.

WordPress has a long history with regard to blogging and offers several benefits. Such include customization and the possibility to monetize your blog page. Once you understand what it is you are looking for, you can easily choose between these two fantastic platforms.