Ghost vs Medium (2026): Own Your Audience or Borrow Theirs?
By Alex Chen · นักวิเคราะห์ SaaS · อัพเดท เมษายน 11, 2026 · Based on publishing on both platforms
คำตอบใน 30 วินาที
เลือก Ghost if you want to build a subscription newsletter ธุรกิจ — you own your audience, keep 100% of revenue, and get full SEO control on your own domain. เลือก Mediumif you want instant distribution to 100M+ readers and don't care about building an owned audience. Ghost ชนะ 5-3 overall because audience ownership and monetization flexibility matter more long-term.
คำตัดสินของเรา
Ghost
- 0% revenue cut on subscriptions
- Full audience ownership + custom domain
- Built-in newsletter + memberships
- $9-25/เดือน upfront cost
- No built-in audience discovery
- More setup required than Medium
เจาะลึก: Ghost full analysis
ฟีเจอร์ ภาพรวม
Ghost is the go-to platform for independent publishers building subscription businesses. You own your email list, publish on your own domain, keep 100% of subscription revenue (minus Stripe's 2.9% + 30 cents), and get full SEO control. The newsletter feature sends posts directly to subscribers' inboxes. It's essentially Substack without the 10% cut.
ราคา Breakdown (April 2026)
| Plan | Price | Key ฟีเจอร์ |
|---|---|---|
| Self-hosted | ฟรี | Full features, your own server |
| Starter | $9/เดือน | Managed, 500 members, custom domain |
| Creator | $25/เดือน | 1,000 members, custom integrations |
| Team | $50/เดือน | Unlimited members, priority support |
Who Should เลือก Ghost?
- Writers building a paid newsletter business
- Publishers who want full ownership of their audience
- Content creators who need SEO traffic + email monetization
- Anyone earning over $250/เดือน from subscriptions (cheaper than Substack)
Medium
- 100M+ built-in readers
- Zero setup — just write and publish
- Partner Program income from reading time
- No audience ownership — Medium controls it
- No custom domain or branding
- Limited SEO control
เจาะลึก: Medium full analysis
ฟีเจอร์ ภาพรวม
Medium's strength is its built-in distribution network. When you publish, your content is surfaced to Medium's 100M+ monthly readers through recommendations, topics, and the reading algorithm. This means you can get significant readership without building an audience from scratch. The Partner Program pays writers based on reading time from paying Medium members.
ราคา Breakdown (April 2026)
| Plan | Price | Key ฟีเจอร์ |
|---|---|---|
| Writer (free) | $0 | Publish ไม่จำกัด articles |
| Member | $5/เดือน | Unlimited reading + audio articles |
| Partner Program | $0 | Earn from reading time (must apply) |
Who Should เลือก Medium?
- Writers starting out who want instant distribution
- People testing content ideas with a built-in audience
- Anyone who wants to publish without managing a website
- Writers comfortable with earning through the Partner Program
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Category | Ghost | Medium | ผู้ชนะ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audience Ownership | Full — your email list, your domain | No — Medium owns the relationship | ✔ Ghost |
| Built-in Audience | None — you build from scratch | 100M+ Medium readers | ✔ Medium |
| ราคา | $9-50/เดือน (Ghost Pro) | ฟรี to publish | ✔ Medium |
| Revenue Model | Direct subscriptions, 0% cut | Partner Program reading-time pay | ✔ Ghost |
| Custom Domain | Full custom domain | medium.com/username only | ✔ Ghost |
| SEO Control | Full metadata, structured data | Limited — Medium domain | ✔ Ghost |
| Email Newsletter | Built-in — send to subscribers | No newsletter feature | ✔ Ghost |
| Ease of Setup | Moderate — needs configuration | Zero setup — just write | ✔ Medium |
● Ghost ชนะ 5 · ● Medium ชนะ 3 · Based on 5,200+ user reviews
Which do you use?
ใครควรเลือกอะไร?
→ เลือก Ghost if:
You want to build a sustainable newsletter or membership publication. Ghost lets you charge subscribers, own your email list, use a custom domain, and get all SEO benefits. It's essentially Substack but without the 10% cut.
→ เลือก Medium if:
You're starting out and want to test content ideas with a built-in audience. Medium's Partner Program can generate passive income if your content resonates. No setup required — just write and publish.
→ ควรหลีกเลี่ยงทั้งคู่ถ้า:
You need ขั้นสูง การตลาดอีเมล ระบบอัตโนมัติ — look at Beehiiv or ConvertKit. For a full blog with ecommerce, WordPress with a membership plugin gives you maximum flexibility.
Best For Different Needs
Also ข้อเสียidered
We evaluated several other tools in this category before focusing on Ghost vs Medium. Here are the runners-up and why they didn't make our final comparison:
คำถามที่พบบ่อย
ความเห็นบรรณาธิการ
I published on both for six months. Here's what I learned: Medium gives you a quick dopamine hit — views come fast because of the built-in audience. But Ghost is where real ธุรกิจ are built. If you're serious about monetizing your writing, the $9/เดือน for Ghost pays for itself in the first month. If you just want to write for fun and see who reads it, Medium is genuinely great.
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Our วิธีการวิจัย
We published content on both platforms and compared across 8 categories: audience ownership, built-in distribution, pricing, revenue model, custom domain, SEO control, newsletter features, and ease of setup. We analyzed 5,200+ user reviews from G2, Product Hunt, and Reddit. ราคา verified April 2026.
Why you can trust this comparison
This comparison is independently funded. No vendor paid for placement or influenced our scores. Ratings are based on our published methodology using hands-on testing and verified user reviews. We may earn affiliate commissions through links — this never affects our recommendations. Read our full methodology →
Data sources: Official ราคา pages, G2.com, Capterra.com. Prices and ratings verified April 2026. We update our top 50 comparisons monthly. Read our methodology
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