Is Cardel an alternative to Medium or ThriveCart?

Cardel is a home for your craft: a site of your own with a blog, newsletter, shop, community, and one inbox. It can replace Medium or ThriveCart when you want your work, audience, and sales in one place. The feature list on this page shows where Medium and ThriveCart are marked.

Can I use Cardel with Medium or ThriveCart?

Yes. Cardel pages can link out to other products, so you can keep Medium or ThriveCart for what it does best and bring the rest of your work to Cardel.

How much does Cardel cost compared with Medium and ThriveCart?

You don't pay for Cardel until you publish. Choose Starter, Pro, or Studio when your site goes live. Medium and ThriveCart set their own prices, so check their pricing pages on this page for current plans.

How do I switch from Medium or ThriveCart to Cardel?

Start with Build Your Site, set up your home, and bring your work over at your own pace. You do not have to move everything on day one.

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MediumvsThriveCart

Medium gives writers a built-in readership and Partner Program earnings without a site. ThriveCart is a lifetime-priced checkout with bumps, upsells, affiliates, and courses.

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How Medium and ThriveCart compare

Medium is where a good essay can find readers on its own. The editor is calm, publications curate, the algorithm and topics surface work to members, and the Partner Program pays writers from member reading time. You bring words; Medium brings the audience and the distribution.

ThriveCart is a cart that pays for itself once. A one-time price buys high-converting checkout pages, order bumps, one-click upsells, subscriptions, coupons, affiliate management, and a course platform through ThriveCart Learn. Digital sellers who hate monthly fees and love conversion rates have made it a cult favorite.

Where they are different

Medium

Medium owns the reader relationship.
Medium is one publication format.
Medium claps and responses stay on Medium.

ThriveCart

ThriveCart is the cart, not the site.
ThriveCart hands buyers to your email tool.
ThriveCart has no inbox or bookings.

Choose Medium when you want readers and modest earnings without owning a site or a list.

Choose ThriveCart when checkout conversion, bumps, and affiliates matter and you want to pay once.

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What's on Medium and ThriveCart

A check means that capability is available. Medium and ThriveCart are marked only when the offer is comparable, not the same product.

Site and brand

Custom domain
Medium: Not included
ThriveCart: Included
Theme and fonts
Medium: Not included
ThriveCart: Included

Public content

Blog
Medium: Included
ThriveCart: Not included

Audience and email

Audience
Medium: Not included
ThriveCart: Included

Commerce

Shop payments
Medium: Not included
ThriveCart: Included

Team

Admin users
Medium: Included
ThriveCart: Included

Feature comparison for Medium and ThriveCart
Feature	Medium	ThriveCart
Site and brand
Custom domain	Not included	Included
Theme and fonts	Not included	Included
Public content
Blog	Included	Not included
Audience and email
Audience	Not included	Included
Commerce
Shop payments	Not included	Included
Team
Admin users	Included	Included

* Note: This table does not capture every feature of Medium or ThriveCart, and is not intended as a comprehensive list. We keep this page current, but Medium or ThriveCart may add or remove features that are not shown here.