Medium is great for getting your writing in front of people, but getting paid on the platform is another story. If you live in a country where Stripe doesn’t work, the Medium Partner Program might as well not exist. That leaves thousands of writers publishing for free with no real way to earn.
The good news is that Medium isn’t your only option. There are platforms that welcome international writers and actually pay them in cash, not exposure. Some offer pay-per-read models, some share ad revenue, and others help you build your own website so you can control your income completely.
This guide cuts through the noise and gives you the five best Medium alternatives that pay writers anywhere in the world. Whether you want something easy, something flexible, or something that helps you build long-term income, you’ll find your next step here.
Our Top 3 Picks for Global Writers
No time to read the full list? Here are our top picks for different goals.
🏆 Best for Easiest Global Payouts: HubPages
For writers who need the most accessible payment option, HubPages is the winner. It pays out through PayPal, which is available in over 200 countries, making it the easiest and most reliable way for international creators to get started.
🚀 Best for Building Your Own Brand: WritingManager.com
For serious writers who want to build a long-term asset, WritingManager.com is our top recommendation. It’s not a publishing platform itself, but a powerful tool that helps you create SEO-optimized content for your own blog. This allows you to monetize with methods like Google AdSense or affiliate links that pay out globally, giving you total control and 100% ownership.
✍️ Best for Creative Monetization: Vocal. media
If you're a creative writer who enjoys a challenge, Vocal. Media is an excellent choice. It offers multiple ways to earn through reads, tips from your audience, and regular writing contests with big cash prizes.
The Full List: 5 Medium Alternatives That Pay Globally
Here’s a detailed breakdown of each platform, including who it’s best for and what to watch out for.
1. HubPages: The Classic Ad-Revenue Sharer
Rating: ★★★★☆
HubPages has been around forever and remains a solid choice for earning through ad revenue. It's a network of niche sites where your articles earn money when people view and interact with the ads on the page.
How You Get Paid: You get a share of the revenue from display ads (The HubPages Ad Program) and affiliate links (like Amazon) placed on your articles. The more traffic you get, the more you earn.
Global Payouts: This is the key benefit. HubPages pays out primarily through PayPal, which is available in most countries. This makes it one of the most accessible platforms for international writers.
Pros:
- PayPal Payments: Easy to get paid almost anywhere.
- Passive Income Potential: Good, SEO-friendly articles can earn you money for years.
- Better SEO Control: You have more control over your content than on Medium.
What to Watch Out For:
- Earnings can be slow to build.
- The site's design feels a bit dated.
- Your income can fluctuate with ad rates.
2. Vocal.media: The Creative Monetization Platform
Rating: ★★★☆☆
Vocal feels a lot like Medium, but gives you more ways to earn. It's built for creative writers, storytellers, and journalists.
- How You Get Paid: Vocal offers a few different income streams.
- Pay-per-Read: A flat rate for every 1,000 views.
- Tipping: Readers can send you tips directly on your articles.
- Challenges: They host regular writing contests with large cash prizes.
- Global Payouts: Vocal uses Stripe. While this is the same as Medium, you need to check Stripe's official website to see if direct bank payouts are supported in your country. The list of supported countries for direct payouts is often larger than what the Medium Partner Program allows.
Pros:
- Multiple Ways to Earn: The mix of reads, tips, and challenges is great.
- Big Prizes: The writing contests can be very lucrative.
What to Watch Out For:
- The pay-per-read rate is low, so you need a lot of views.
- It's still dependent on Stripe, so it's not a solution for everyone.
3. Substack: The Newsletter & Subscription King
Rating: ★★★★☆
Substack made newsletters cool again. It’s the easiest way for any writer to start a subscription-based publication. With the creator economy expected to hit nearly half a trillion dollars by 2027, building a direct audience is more valuable than ever.
How You Get Paid: You earn money from paid subscriptions. Readers pay a monthly or annual fee to get your work in their inbox. You set the price, and Substack takes a 10% cut.
Global Payouts: Substack also uses Stripe. So, you must be in a country where Stripe offers payouts to individuals or businesses.
Pros:
- You Own Your Audience: Your email list is a portable asset.
- Predictable Income: Subscriptions provide a more stable income than ads.
- Incredibly Easy to Use: You can get started in just a few minutes.
What to Watch Out For:
- You have to find your own audience. There's almost no built-in discovery.
- Like Vocal, it depends entirely on Stripe's availability in your country.
4. NewsBreak: The Local News Aggregator
Rating: ★★★☆☆
NewsBreak is a massive news app, especially in the US. They have a creator program that pays writers for content, with a heavy focus on local news and community events.
How You Get Paid: The payment model often includes a fixed base rate per article plus performance bonuses based on views and engagement.
Global Payouts: NewsBreak pays contributors via direct bank deposit and works with international payment processors to make this happen. You will likely need to apply and be accepted into their creator program.
Pros:
- Huge Potential Audience: The platform has millions of users.
- Guaranteed Pay: Some models offer a fixed rate, which is more stable.
What to Watch Out For:
- The payment terms can change often.
- The focus is heavily on US local news, which might not fit your niche.
- The creator program can be competitive to get into.
5. WritingManager.com: The Professional's Path to True Ownership
Rating: ★★★★★
This option is different. WritingManager.com doesn't pay you. It's a professional content creation tool that helps you build your own monetized website, which is the best way to get paid anywhere in the world.
Instead of being limited by a platform's rules, you use a tool like this to create high-ranking content for your own blog (like on WordPress). Then, you monetize it yourself with methods that pay globally.
How You Get Paid: You build your own income streams on your own site.
- Google AdSense (pays via wire transfer almost everywhere).
- Affiliate Marketing (networks like Amazon pay internationally).
- Selling Digital Products (using PayPal or Gumroad).
Global Payouts: This gives you total freedom. You can choose to integrate PayPal, Payoneer, wire transfers, or whatever works in your country.
Pros:
- Complete Payment Freedom: You decide how you get paid.
- You Own 100% of It: Your website is a real asset that you control.
- Designed for SEO: It helps you create content that ranks on Google, driving free traffic.
What to Watch Out For:
- This is not a quick fix. It takes time to build your own site and audience.
- WritingManager.com is a professional tool with a subscription fee.
The Final Verdict
Don't let where you live stop you from earning money as a writer.
If you need a simple and accessible way to start, HubPages is your best bet because of PayPal. If you're in a Stripe-supported country, Substack is excellent for building a direct audience.
But if you are serious about building a long-term, independent writing business, the clear winner is to build your own platform. Using a professional tool like WritingManager.com to create content for your own website gives you the ultimate freedom to get paid however you want, wherever you are.
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