Medium
Free to write / ~$5/mo membership to read
Ghost
From ~$9 per mo (Ghost Pro) / free self-hosted
Medium is a reading network where writers can earn through its member program but do not own the audience. Ghost is an open-source platform you own, with built-in newsletters and memberships. Medium wins on built-in discovery; Ghost wins on ownership, newsletters, and monetization control.
Pick Medium if you want exposure within a built-in reading network and to earn through its member program.
Pick Ghost if you want to own your site and audience with native newsletters, memberships, and full revenue.
Medium and Ghost are both places to publish writing, but they differ fundamentally on ownership. Medium is a reading network: you publish into a large community and can earn through its Partner Program based on member reading, but you do not own your readers or their emails, and discovery is driven by Medium's algorithm. Ghost is open source, so you fully own your site and audience, with native newsletters, memberships, and paid subscriptions, and a flat fee (or free self-hosting) rather than a revenue cut.
On cost, Medium is free to write (readers pay around $5 a month to read members-only stories), while Ghost Pro starts around $9 a month and is free if you self-host. The choice is mostly built-in discovery without ownership (Medium) versus owning your site, audience, and newsletters (Ghost).
We compare audience ownership, monetization, discovery, newsletters, and fees.
| Quick facts | Medium | Ghost |
|---|---|---|
| Audience ownership | Limited | Best-in-class |
| Built-in discovery | Best-in-class | Limited |
| Native newsletters | Good | Best-in-class |
| Monetization control | Member program | You keep revenue |
| Best for | Exposure / reading network | Owning site + newsletters |
Each row reflects the feature on each product's current public release.
| Feature | M Medium | G Ghost |
|---|---|---|
| Own your email list | No | Yes |
| Built-in reading network | Best-in-class | Limited |
| Native newsletters | Good | Best-in-class |
| Memberships & paid subs | Member program | Best-in-class |
| Open source / self-hosting | No | Yes |
| Algorithmic discovery | Best-in-class | Good |
| Full ownership / portability | Limited | Best-in-class |
| Free to start | Yes | Self-host free |
Pricing and features change often. Always verify the current details on each product's official site. Last reviewed 2026-06-26.
Things neither product's marketing page leads with.
Medium offers built-in discovery, but you do not own your readers and earnings depend on its program.
Ghost gives you full ownership, newsletters, and revenue control, but you bring more of your own audience.
For exposure Medium can help; for building a business you own Ghost wins.
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