LinkedIn Publishing vs Medium
LinkedIn Publishing
Professional B2B publishing platform for long-form thought leadership and newsletter distribution
Publishers using it: —
Medium
A community-driven publishing network offering massive reach and built-in monetization for long-form content
Publishers using it: 1 · incl. Cheddar
Last verified Nov 11, 2026
At a glance
- LinkedIn Publishing scores 3.3/5 and Medium scores 3.2/5 in Benchmark Grid's independent content syndication platforms benchmark, both assessed on the same 10 criteria.
- The widest gaps are revenue model & payout terms (LinkedIn Publishing 1.0, Medium 3.8) and content control & rights (LinkedIn Publishing 1.6, Medium 3.2); they are within 0.3 on 5 of 10 criteria.
- LinkedIn Publishing is built for small and mid-market publishers; Medium for small.
- On total cost of ownership LinkedIn Publishing scores 4.5 and Medium 4.7 (higher means better value, not a lower price).
- In our tracking 0 publishers use LinkedIn Publishing and 1 use Medium.
- Scores last verified 11 Nov 2026. Vendors cannot pay for a score or a position.
Where they differ
LinkedIn Publishing is stronger on referral traffic quality (2.2 vs 1.8).
Medium is stronger on revenue model & payout terms (3.8 vs 1.0), content control & rights (3.2 vs 1.6) and commercial terms transparency (3.0 vs 2.5).
Which one fits
Choose LinkedIn Publishing if…
- You publish at small and mid-market scale.
- You weight referral traffic quality, performance analytics and onboarding effort heavily — LinkedIn Publishing leads on those in this benchmark.
Choose Medium if…
- You publish at small scale.
- You weight revenue model & payout terms, content control & rights and commercial terms transparency heavily — Medium leads on those in this benchmark.
Also weighing these
The nearest-scored tools to LinkedIn Publishing and Medium in this benchmark, listed A to Z.
- 3.6FlipboardA visual content discovery platform for curating immersive social magazine experiences globallyRead review
- 3.1RedditA global network of communities for human-curated discussion, real-time news, and interest-based discovery.Read review
- 3.7SimplefeedAutomated content syndication and distribution platform for enterprises and publishers to reach aggregators and AI LLMs.Read review
- 3.7StackerA data-driven newsroom and distribution platform providing high-quality, syndicated content for publishers and brands.Read review
All 10 scored tools are in Best Content Syndication Platforms.
Who uses them
Publishers we have detected running each tool, from ads.txt, site code and published case studies. Agencies, brands and vendors are excluded.
LinkedIn Publishing · 0
No publisher adoption verified yet.
Medium · 1
Head to head
| Criterion | LinkedIn Publishing | Medium |
|---|---|---|
| Distribution reach & partner network14% of capability | 4.6 | 4.6 |
| Revenue model & payout terms14% of capability | 1.0 | 3.8 |
| Content control & rights12% of capability | 1.6 | 3.2 |
| Referral traffic quality12% of capability | 2.2 | 1.8 |
| Feed formats & integration10% of capability | 1.5 | 1.7 |
| Performance analytics10% of capability | 3.8 | 3.5 |
| Brand safety & compliance8% of capability | 4.2 | 4.2 |
| Targeting & placement8% of capability | 2.4 | 2.8 |
| Commercial terms transparency6% of capability | 2.5 | 3.0 |
| Onboarding effort6% of capability | 4.7 | 4.5 |
| Capability45% of composite | 2.7 | 3.3 |
| Publisher fit40% of composite | 3.5 | 2.5 |
| Total cost of ownership15% of composite | 4.5 | 4.7 |
Cost of ownership
| Sub-score | LinkedIn Publishing | Medium |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing transparency | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Entry cost | 4.9 | 4.9 |
| Implementation cost | 4.9 | 4.8 |
| Hidden-fee risk | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Ongoing cost | 3.8 | 4.6 |
LinkedIn Publishing pricing
Free to publish for all members and Pages; Premium plans optional.
Medium pricing
Free to publish; Reader memberships cost $5/month or $50/year; 'Friend of Medium' tier available for $15/month.
What users say
LinkedIn Publishing
4 positive · 6 neutral · 3 negative
Medium
6 positive · 6 neutral · 7 negative
Mentions we could not tie to a real user, and those flagged as promotional, are excluded. Sentiment is opinion, and is independent of the verified publisher adoptions above.
LinkedIn Publishing scores 3.3 and Medium scores 3.2 in Benchmark Grid's independent Best Content Syndication Platforms benchmark (benchmarkgrid.com/vs/linkedin-publishing/medium, verified Nov 11, 2026)
Common questions
How do LinkedIn Publishing and Medium differ?
LinkedIn Publishing is stronger on referral traffic quality (2.2 vs 1.8). Medium is stronger on revenue model & payout terms (3.8 vs 1.0), content control & rights (3.2 vs 1.6) and commercial terms transparency (3.0 vs 2.5). Neither is better in the abstract — which one suits you depends on which of those dimensions carries the most weight in your operation.
Which is cheaper, LinkedIn Publishing or Medium?
On total cost of ownership — pricing transparency, entry cost, implementation, hidden-fee risk and ongoing cost — LinkedIn Publishing scores 4.5/5 and Medium scores 4.7/5. A higher score means better value, not a lower sticker price.
How are these scores calculated?
Each tool is assessed against its category's published criteria (10 in this benchmark), which make up Capability (45% of the composite), Publisher fit (40%) and Total cost of ownership (15%). Assessment is carried out by SODP's editorial team against a published methodology. Vendors cannot pay for inclusion, scores or positions.
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Both tools are scored in Best Content Syndication Platforms. See alternatives to LinkedIn Publishing or alternatives to Medium.
Weighing a third option? Add a tool to this comparison.
Where to next
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