Comparison
Medium vs Squarespace
A head-to-head look at Medium and Squarespace — 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 Medium and Squarespace, 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
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
Squarespace
All-in-one website platform
Squarespace offers elegant templates and an all-in-one hosting + site builder. Blog features are basic, and SEO control is limited compared to dedicated CMSs.
Pros
- +Beautiful templates
- +All-in-one hosting
- +Commerce tools
- +Custom domains
Cons
- −Template lock-in
- −Limited SEO control
- −Weak blog features
- −Transfer is hard
Which should you pick?
Choose Medium if you're writers who want audience, not ownership.
Choose Squarespace if you're designers and creative professionals with portfolios.
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.