Top Free Alternatives to Medium
Stop paying expensive subscriptions for Workspace & Notes tools. Discover the best free and open-source replacements for Medium.
Why switch from Medium?
Medium locks articles behind a paywall and restricts your branding. Self-hosting your publications using open-source platforms lets you own your audience, build direct email lists, and keep 100% of your subscription revenue.
WriteFreely
Free / Open Source
A clean, minimalist publishing platform for writers. Connects to the fediverse (ActivityPub).
Key Features
- Minimalist distraction-free editor
- Decentralized ActivityPub networking
- Multiple blogs per account
- Custom CSS support
Pros
- + Incredibly lightweight and fast
- + Allows readers to follow your blog from Mastodon
- + No ads or tracking scripts
Cons
- - Lacks advanced layout customization natively
- - Very simplistic; no built-in newsletter email sending
Ghost
Free / Open Source
Headless Node.js publishing platform
Key Features
- 100% data control
- Self-hostable
- No vendor lock-in
- Community-driven
Pros
- + Ownership of your data
- + Flexible and customisable
- + Cost-effective
Cons
- - Requires server setup
- - Smaller commercial support