Medium is a hosted blogging platform with built-in audience and monetization, while WordPress is a self-hosted content management system requiring more technical setup but offering complete control. Medium prioritizes simplicity and discoverability; WordPress prioritizes customization and ownership.
Medium vs WordPress — Side-by-side comparison on A Versus B
Hosted blogging platform with built-in audience and revenue-sharing monetization
Open-source content management system powering 43% of websites with visual editor and plugin ecosystem.
Hosting & Setup. Monetization Options. Customization. Built-in Audience. SEO Control. Cost (Annual). Data Ownership
Choose Medium if you want to start writing immediately with minimal technical skills and access a built-in readership of 100M+ users—ideal for writers prioritizing discoverability over monetization. Choose WordPress if you need full customization, complete data ownership, unlimited monetization options, and SEO control—essential for serious publishers, businesses, and content creators building long-term brands.
Medium: 50% (pool-based) | WordPress: N/A
Medium: High (algorithmic reach) | WordPress: N/A
Medium: 30-90 (eligibility required) | WordPress: N/A
Medium: Articles, audio, multimedia (3) | WordPress: N/A
Medium: High (platform-dependent) | WordPress: N/A
Medium: Declining (Category counts down 20-38%) | WordPress: N/A
Medium: 0% (platform owned) | WordPress: N/A
Medium: None; platform follows only | WordPress: N/A
Medium: Limited/not available | WordPress: N/A
Medium: $5,000+ (top writers) | WordPress: N/A
Medium: 5 minutes | WordPress: 30-60 minutes
Medium: Free (or $5-12/month premium) | WordPress: $60-300+ per year
Medium: 15-20 official templates | WordPress: 90,000+ themes
Medium: Limited to native features | WordPress: 60,000+ plugins
Medium: 50% (Medium takes 50%) | WordPress: 100% (you keep all)
Medium: Very difficult (2/10) | WordPress: Easy via XML export (9/10)
Medium: 0 hours (fully managed) | WordPress: 2-5 hours (updates, security, backups)
Medium: 50% (Member program) | WordPress: N/A
Medium: $5-12 (Pro required) | WordPress: N/A
Medium: Medium retains rights (creators license) | WordPress: N/A
Medium: No (requires paid membership) | WordPress: N/A
Medium: General interest + business + tech | WordPress: N/A
Medium: $168/year (Premium membership) | WordPress: N/A
Medium: 3/10 (template-based) | WordPress: N/A
Medium: 2-5 minutes (sign up and publish) | WordPress: N/A
Medium: 50+ (official partnerships) | WordPress: N/A
Medium: Shared (Medium retains platform rights) | WordPress: N/A
Average Writer Earnings (Partner Program)
Medium: $50-500 (Medium Partner Program) | WordPress: N/A
Medium: 5/10 (limited meta controls) | WordPress: N/A
Medium: 100M | WordPress: 43% of all websites (self-hosted instances)
Medium: 15-20 built-in templates | WordPress: 60,000+ available themes
Medium: Limited native features | WordPress: WordPress plugins
Medium: $0 free, $120 premium optional | WordPress: $100-200 (domain + basic hosting)
Medium: 4/10 (limited meta control) | WordPress: 9/10 (full control + advanced plugins)
Medium: 3/10 (difficult export) | WordPress: 10/10 (complete ownership & backup)
Medium: N/A | WordPress: $100-200 (hosting only)
Medium: N/A | WordPress: 6.9 (RC 7.0 March 2026)
Medium: N/A | WordPress: Self-hosted (user managed)
Medium: N/A | WordPress: $4 (WordPress.com) + $20-100 hosting
Medium: N/A | WordPress: $260-2200+ (hosting, plugins, maintenance)
Medium: N/A | WordPress: $4 (managed) / $0 (self-hosted)
Medium: N/A | WordPress: Yes - requires plugins for advanced features
Medium: N/A | WordPress: Yes - Yjs CRDT engine in WP 7.0
Medium: N/A | WordPress: 2.5-4.0s (varies with plugins)
Medium: N/A | WordPress: Partial - WordPress 7.0 adds core AI (plugin-dependent before)
Medium: N/A | WordPress: Via plugins (WooCommerce, MemberPress)
Medium: N/A | WordPress: 15+ top options
Medium: N/A | WordPress: 2-3% via Stripe/PayPal plugins
Medium: N/A | WordPress: 10 (full code access)
Medium: N/A | WordPress: You manage updates, SSL, backups
Medium: N/A | WordPress: $240 + hosting ($10-50/month)
Medium: N/A | WordPress: Beginner (0-6 months experience)
Reported Security Vulnerabilities (2024)
Medium: N/A | WordPress: 156 plugin/theme CVEs
Medium: N/A | WordPress: Extensive—drag-drop, theme customizer, page builders
Medium: N/A | WordPress: $5-15 (hosting only)
Medium: N/A | WordPress: 2.5 (optimized)
Medium: N/A | WordPress: Intermediate to Advanced
Medium: N/A | WordPress: Full export capability
Medium: N/A | WordPress: Full (robots.txt, schema, redirects)
Medium: N/A | WordPress: 20-40 hours (with learning)
Medium: N/A | WordPress: $180-360 (hosting only)
Medium: N/A | WordPress: 10,000+ free & premium
Medium: N/A | WordPress: Unlimited (WooCommerce)
Medium: N/A | WordPress: 1.5-2.5 seconds (optimized)
Medium: N/A | WordPress: $0 (self-hosted, domain only)
Medium: N/A | WordPress: $25-50/month (WP Engine, Kinsta managed hosting)
Medium: N/A | WordPress: 58,000+ plugins
Medium: N/A | WordPress: 2-4 hours (theme selection, plugin setup)
Medium: N/A | WordPress: 38% (WooCommerce dominates)
Medium: N/A | WordPress: 99% (varies by host)
Medium: N/A | WordPress: 2.9% + $0.30 (Stripe)
Medium: N/A | WordPress: Depends on host (typically 99.9%)
Medium: N/A | WordPress: Community forums + paid support
Medium: N/A | WordPress: Complete control via robots.txt, .htaccess, code injection
Medium: N/A | WordPress: Simple to Medium (Blogs, Business Sites)
Medium: N/A | WordPress: $3-10/month + free software
Medium: N/A | WordPress: 58,000+ plugins + 10,000+ themes
Medium: N/A | WordPress: No, separate purchase
Medium: N/A | WordPress: Yes, completely free
Medium: N/A | WordPress: Requires plugins (WooCommerce, MemberPress)
How to choose between Medium and WordPress
Medium vs WordPress — Structured Comparison Data
Machine-readable comparison dataset for Medium vs WordPress. Contains 129 attribute comparisons, 5 FAQ pairs.
Medium vs WordPress — Attribute Category Vocabulary
Taxonomy of attribute categories used to classify comparison data for Medium vs WordPress.
Can I export my content from Medium to WordPress?
Medium allows exporting posts to HTML or JSON, but the process is manual and doesn't preserve formatting perfectly. WordPress can import RSS feeds and some HTML, but custom formatting, images, and links often require manual cleanup. This is one of Medium's main limitations for writers building long-term brands.
How much money can I make on Medium vs WordPress?
On Medium, writers in the Partner Program earn from subscription revenue sharing—typically $0.50-$3 per 1,000 reads (varies by member engagement). Most writers earn $50-500/month unless they have massive followings. On WordPress, you control all monetization: ads (Google AdSense: $1-10 per 1,000 views), affiliate commissions (10-50%), sponsorships ($500-5,000+), and digital products. WordPress has unlimited earning potential but requires driving your own traffic.
Is WordPress really better for SEO than Medium?
WordPress offers more SEO control (custom meta tags, XML sitemaps, canonical URLs), but Medium articles rank very well due to its high domain authority. Medium is better for initial discoverability (algorithm boost); WordPress is better for long-term, targeted SEO growth. For earning organic traffic, WordPress wins when combined with proper SEO strategy.
What happens to my content if Medium shuts down or changes?
Your Medium content is stored on Medium's servers. While Medium has been stable since 2012, you have limited control. If policies change (paywall removed, monetization altered, content policy shifts), you're affected. With WordPress, you own the server/data and can migrate anywhere. This is critical for serious publishers building brand equity.
Can beginners manage WordPress without technical skills?
Yes. Managed WordPress hosting (Bluehost, SiteGround, Kinsta) handles technical maintenance automatically. Many hosting providers offer one-click WordPress installation. However, plugins, updates, and troubleshooting may require basic problem-solving or hiring support ($50-200/hour). Medium requires zero technical knowledge, making it better for non-technical writers.
How to Choose Between Medium and WordPress
Hosting & Setup: Medium has Fully hosted, no setup required, while WordPress has Self-hosted, requires server and domain.
Monetization Options: Medium has Medium Partner Program (revenue sharing), subscriptions, paid newsletters, while WordPress has Ads, affiliate marketing, sponsorships, digital products (user controls all).
Customization: Medium has Limited themes and templates, minimal branding control, while WordPress has Unlimited themes, plugins, custom code, full design control.
Built-in Audience: Medium has Access to 100M+ monthly Medium readers through algorithm, while WordPress has No built-in audience, must drive traffic independently.
SEO Control: Medium has Limited SEO customization, relies on Medium's domain authority, while WordPress has Full SEO control with Yoast, All in One SEO, custom meta tags.
Cost (Annual): Medium has $120/year for premium membership (optional for monetization), while WordPress has $100-500/year (domain + hosting minimum), plus optional plugins.
Data Ownership: Medium has Medium owns your content and data, limited export options, while WordPress has You own all content and data, full control and export.