Medium vs Pelican

Medium and Pelican are both popular platforms for creating and publishing online content. Medium is a user-friendly platform with a focus on social networking and community engagement, while Pelican is a static site generator that offers more control over customization and hosting options.

General information

Medium
Pelican
Introduction :
Our platform is a versatile and user-friendly content management system that has gained popularity for its ease of use and customization options. Launched in [year], it has quickly become a go-to choice for individuals and businesses looking to create and manage their online presence. With a wide range of themes and plugins available, our platform offers endless possibilities for creating unique and professional websites.
Introduction :
Pelican is a static site generator that is open source and was first released in 2010. It is popular for its simplicity, speed, and flexibility, making it a preferred choice for developers who want to create fast and secure websites. Pelican allows users to write content in Markdown or reStructuredText and offers a range of plugins and themes for customization.
Advantages :
  • Easy to use for beginners
  • Wide range of themes and plugins
  • Strong community support
  • SEO-friendly features
  • Customizable design options
Advantages :
  • Easy to use and beginner-friendly interface
  • Fast loading times for websites
  • Strong security features to protect content
  • Customizable themes and plugins for flexibility
  • Good for small to medium-sized websites
Disadvantages :
  • Limited customization options
  • Steeper learning curve for beginners
  • Higher cost for advanced features
  • Limited support for e-commerce functionality
  • Limited scalability for large websites
Disadvantages :
  • Limited customization options
  • Steeper learning curve compared to others
  • Lack of built-in SEO features
  • Limited plugin and theme options
  • Less user-friendly interface compared to competitors
Website users : Over 40% of websites
A widely-used platform with a significant market share, making it a popular choice for a large number of websites.
Website users : Thousands
Pelican is used by thousands of websites, making it a popular choice among content management systems for website creation and management.
๐ŸŸก Difficulty : Average.
Getting started requires basic technical skills and understanding of the platform. Some initial learning curve but resources available for assistance.
๐ŸŸก Difficulty : Average.
Getting started with Pelican requires some technical knowledge and familiarity with static site generators, but resources are available for support.
Year launched : 2002
Launched in 2002, Medium has been providing a platform for writers and publishers to share their content for nearly two decades.
Year launched : 2002
Pelican was launched in 2002, making it one of the earlier content management systems available for users to create and manage websites.
Official website : https://medium.com/
Official website : https://www.pelicanweb.org/


Commercial details

Medium
Pelican
๐ŸŸก Open source : Partially.
Medium's platform is partially open source, with limited access to the codebase for customization and development.
๐ŸŸก Open source : Partially.
Pelican is partially open source, with the core codebase being fully open source, but some plugins and themes may have different licenses.
๐ŸŸข Free option : Yes.
There is a free option available with limited features, suitable for basic websites or blogs. Additional features may require a paid plan.
๐ŸŸข Free option : Yes.
Pelican offers a free self-hosted option with no limitations on features, making it a cost-effective choice for users looking to manage their own content.
๐ŸŸข Paid option : Yes.
Paid options available for additional features and support, providing more customization and flexibility for users.
๐ŸŸข Paid option : Yes.
Pelican offers a paid option for users looking for additional features and support, providing a more comprehensive experience for those willing to invest.


Platform details

Medium
Pelican
๐ŸŸข Hosted : Yes.
There are hosted options available for users, offering convenience and ease of use without the need for self-hosting.
๐ŸŸข Hosted : Yes.
Pelican offers a hosted option for users looking for a convenient and managed solution for their website hosting needs.
๐ŸŸข Self host : Yes.
Self-hosting options available through various third-party vendors, offering flexibility and control over hosting environment.
๐ŸŸข Self host : Yes.
Pelican can be self-hosted on various 3rd party vendors, giving users more control over their hosting environment.
โšช Headless CMS : Unknown.
Support for headless systems is not clearly stated, but there may be headless features available through an API.
๐ŸŸก Headless CMS : Supported via plugin.
Pelican does not natively support headless features but can be integrated with plugins or APIs for headless functionality.
๐ŸŸก Static content generation : Supported via plugin.
Medium does not natively support static content generation but can be achieved perhaps via a popular plugin.
๐ŸŸข Static content generation : Support natively.
Pelican natively supports static content generation, making it efficient and reliable for creating static websites without the need for additional plugins.


Key features

Medium
Pelican
๐ŸŸก Content management : Supported via plugin.
Medium offers basic content management features but may require additional plugins for more advanced functionality compared to other platforms.
๐ŸŸข Content management : Support natively.
Pelican is a good platform for managing content as it offers native features specifically designed for content management tasks.
๐ŸŸก Blogging : Supported via plugin.
Medium is a good platform for blogging when enhanced by popular third-party plugins/extensions for additional features and customization options.
๐ŸŸก Blogging : Supported via plugin.
Pelican can be enhanced by third-party plugins for blogging functionality, offering flexibility and customization options for bloggers.
๐ŸŸก E-commerce : Supported via plugin.
Medium can be used for e-commerce with the help of third-party plugins like Shopify Buy Button or Ecwid integration.
๐ŸŸก E-commerce : Supported via plugin.
Pelican can be used for e-commerce with plugins like Pelican-Commerce, but it may require additional setup compared to dedicated e-commerce platforms.
๐ŸŸก Community forum : Supported via plugin.
Medium offers basic community features, but its functionality can be enhanced by third-party plugins for a more robust forum experience.
๐ŸŸก Community forum : Supported via plugin.
Pelican can support a community/forum with plugins like Disqus, but lacks native features for robust community engagement compared to other platforms.
๐ŸŸก Content subscription : Supported via plugin.
Content subscriptions/paywalls are supported through third-party plugins, offering flexibility and customization options for monetizing content on Medium.
๐ŸŸก Content subscription : Supported via plugin.
Pelican does not natively support content subscriptions/paywalls but can be enhanced with third-party plugins for this functionality.


Other features

Medium
Pelican
๐ŸŸก Multi-site : Supported via plugin.
Support for multi-site is available through popular plugins, offering flexibility and scalability for managing multiple sites within the platform.
๐ŸŸก Multi-site : Supported via plugin.
Support for multi-site in Pelican is typically achieved through third-party plugins, offering enhanced functionality for managing multiple sites within the platform.
๐ŸŸก Multi-language : Supported via plugin.
Supports multiple languages via plugins like WPML or Polylang, offering flexibility and customization for multilingual websites.
๐ŸŸก Multi-language : Supported via plugin.
Pelican does not natively support multi-language but can be enhanced with plugins like Pelican-i18n for multi-language functionality.
๐ŸŸก XML Sitemaps : Supported via plugin.
XML sitemaps can be supported through popular third-party plugins, offering enhanced functionality for users who require this feature.
๐ŸŸก XML Sitemaps : Supported via plugin.
Support for XML sitemaps can be enhanced by popular third-party plugins/extensions in the Pelican ecosystem.


When choosing between Medium and Pelican, consider your priorities: if you value ease of use and community interaction, Medium may be the better choice. However, if you prefer more control over customization and hosting, Pelican could be the ideal platform for your needs.