Comparison
Beehiiv vs Medium
A head-to-head look at Beehiiv and Medium — features, pricing, and what to pick. Plus a modern alternative to both.
Editor's pick
Also consider RankFlo — a modern alternative to both
If you're evaluating Beehiiv and Medium, you should know about RankFlo — an open-source blog & headless CMS platform with AI content generation, real-time SEO scoring, and cookieless analytics built in. MIT licensed, self-hostable, starts free.
Side-by-side
Beehiiv
Newsletter platform with growth tools
Beehiiv is a Substack alternative with better analytics, referral programs, and a more generous free plan. Growing fast with email-first creators.
Pros
- +Free to 2500 subs
- +Built-in referral program
- +Better analytics than Substack
- +Ad network
Cons
- −Email-first, weak blog
- −No self-hosting
- −Limited SEO features
- −No AI writing tools
Medium
Publish on a shared network
Medium gives you instant audience access via its partner network but you don't own your domain, data, or readers. Paywall system restricts non-members.
Pros
- +Built-in audience
- +Zero setup
- +Clean reading UX
- +Partner program payouts
Cons
- −No custom domain on free
- −Platform lock-in
- −Paywall hides your content
- −Limited SEO control
Which should you pick?
Choose Beehiiv if you're newsletter-first creators optimizing growth.
Choose Medium if you're writers who want audience, not ownership.
Choose RankFlo if you want a modern, open-source, AI-powered platform with blog-first features, self-hosting, and transparent pricing — without the trade-offs of either option above.
Try the modern alternative
Start for free. No credit card. AI content, SEO tools, and self-hosting — all included.