Hashnode is a free, developer-focused Medium alternative with unmatchable features.
| Hashnode | Medium | |
|---|---|---|
| Paywall & Popups |
No paywalls, no annoying popups. All articles are freely available to all readers.
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Readers are overwhelmed with paywalls and sign up prompts.
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| Custom Domain |
Yes, and it’s 100% free!
|
Yes BUT only if you’re a paid member.
|
| Markdown Editor |
Hashnode fully supports Markdown and offers live previews.
|
No Markdown support on Medium.
|
| Syntax Highlighting |
Hashnode’s editor automatically detects code blocks and add the appropriate syntax highlighting.
|
Medium has no code syntax highlighting, nor does it offer built-in support for code blocks at all.
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| Dev Community |
Hashnode is a developer community that draws millions of monthly pageviews.
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Medium’s “one size fits all” approach doesn’t account for the specific needs of tech writers.
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| Blog appearance and customization Custom CSS |
Hashnode allows you to transform the look & feel of your blog with custom CSS.
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Medium’s customization options are limited and do not include custom code injection.
|
| Automatic GitHub Backup |
Your articles are automatically backed up on GitHub in markdown format.
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You can’t back up your articles. Hence, moving out of Medium will be difficult.
|
| SEO Customization |
Yes
|
Yes
|
| Group related posts in Series |
Yes
|
No
|
| Create static pages Ex: /about or /talks |
Yes
|
No
|
| Share post drafts |
Yes
|
Yes, but only if the reader is logged in.
|
| Email newsletter |
Yes
|
Yes
|
| Dark mode |
Yes
|
No
|
| Built-in analytics |
Yes
|
Yes
|
| Embed Third-Party Widgets Non-standard iframes inside articles. Eg: Mailchimp Newsletter Form |
Yes
|
No
|
| Audio Blogs “Listen to this article” feature |
Yes
|
No
|
| Custom page rules for creating unique URLs or redirects Eg: domain.com/myyoutube |
Yes
|