Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Medium VS BlackArch

Compare Medium VS BlackArch and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Medium logo Medium

Welcome to Medium, a place to read, write, and interact with the stories that matter most to you.

BlackArch logo BlackArch

BlackArch Linux is an Small Arch Linux iconArch Linux -based distribution for penetration testers...
  • Medium Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-08
  • BlackArch Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-14

Medium features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Medium offers an easy-to-use interface that makes it simple for anyone to start writing and publishing content without any technical knowledge.
  • Built-in Audience
    The platform has a large and active user base, so new content has the potential to reach a wide audience quickly.
  • Publishing Tools
    Medium provides versatile publishing tools that support text, images, and various media formats, which helps in creating rich and engaging content.
  • SEO Benefits
    Articles posted on Medium tend to rank well in search engine results, thanks to the platform's high domain authority.
  • Community and Interaction
    Medium encourages reader engagement through comments, claps, and highlights, fostering a sense of community among writers and readers.

Possible disadvantages of Medium

  • Monetization
    While Medium has a Partner Program, it may not be as lucrative as other methods of monetization available on independent blogging platforms.
  • Control and Customization
    Medium offers limited customization options compared to dedicated blog platforms like WordPress, restricting how you can brand and personalize your blog.
  • Content Ownership
    By publishing on Medium, you agree to their terms and conditions, which may include giving up some control over how your content is used and distributed.
  • Paywall Issues
    Some articles are placed behind a paywall, which might limit the reach of your content if you want it to be freely accessible to everyone.
  • Dependency on Platform
    Relying solely on Medium means that any changes to the platform's policies or algorithms can directly impact your reach and engagement.

BlackArch features and specs

  • Extensive Tool Collection
    BlackArch boasts a repository of over 2700 tools tailored for penetration testing and security research, providing users with a comprehensive range of utilities.
  • Arch Linux Base
    Being based on Arch Linux, BlackArch benefits from the streamlined package management and rolling release model, allowing users to always have access to the latest updates and packages.
  • Customization
    The distribution allows for high levels of customization, enabling users to tailor their system to their specific testing needs and preferences.
  • Community Support
    BlackArch has an active community that contributes to its continuous development and improvement, providing assistance and enhancements.
  • Open Source
    As an open-source project, BlackArch allows users to contribute to its development, ensuring transparency and collaborative improvement.

Possible disadvantages of BlackArch

  • Complex Setup
    Due to its Arch Linux base, BlackArch may require a steeper learning curve and familiarity with Linux commands, which can be challenging for beginners.
  • Resource Intensive
    Running such a large suite of tools can be resource-intensive, requiring a system with significant RAM and processing power to perform optimally.
  • Not for All Users
    Its specialized focus on penetration testing and security research might not make it suitable for general-purpose computing needs.
  • Potential for Security Risks
    With access to powerful security tools, there's potential for misuse if proper precautions and ethical standards are not strictly adhered to.
  • Limited Official Documentation
    While community resources are available, official documentation might be sparse, posing challenges for users seeking comprehensive official guides.

Analysis of Medium

Overall verdict

  • Medium can be considered a good platform for those who enjoy a wide array of content and appreciate quality writing on diverse subjects. However, the value of Medium depends on individual preferences and whether the topics and writing styles align with what the reader is looking for.

Why this product is good

  • Medium offers a diverse range of articles from both professional and amateur writers, providing readers with numerous perspectives on various topics. Its clean user interface and ease of use make it an appealing platform for both writers and readers. The platform also supports monetization for writers, allowing them to earn from their content.

Recommended for

    Medium is recommended for avid readers seeking a variety of topics ranging from personal development to technology. It's also ideal for writers looking to publish their work to a broad audience and potentially earn revenue through the platform's Partner Program.

Analysis of BlackArch

Overall verdict

  • BlackArch is a powerful and highly specialized distribution that is well-regarded in the cybersecurity community. It is a strong choice for users who need a broad range of tools specifically tailored for penetration testing and security analysis. However, it can be complex for beginners due to its Arch Linux base and the advanced nature of its toolkit.

Why this product is good

  • BlackArch Linux is a distribution specifically designed for security researchers and penetration testers. It offers a vast collection of security-related tools, making it a comprehensive platform for advanced users seeking to perform security assessments and ethical hacking. The distribution is based on Arch Linux, known for its simplicity and customization potential, and it provides regular updates to ensure users have access to the latest tools and features.

Recommended for

  • Experienced security researchers
  • Penetration testers
  • Cybersecurity enthusiasts
  • Users comfortable with command-line interfaces
  • Individuals who require a customizable and up-to-date security toolkit

Medium videos

Medium Review - with Tom Vasel

More videos:

  • Review - Starting a blog on Medium.com? Watch this FIRST.
  • Review - The Medium Review
  • Review - The Medium - Before You Buy
  • Review - I recommend: The Medium (Review)

BlackArch videos

BlackArch Linux Review - Better Than Kali Linux?

More videos:

  • Review - BlackArch 2020.01.01

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Medium and BlackArch)
Blogging
100 100%
0% 0
Linux
0 0%
100% 100
Blogging Platform
100 100%
0% 0
Operating Systems
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Medium and BlackArch. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Medium and BlackArch

Medium Reviews

19 Best WordPress Alternatives in 2025
Medium focuses on thoughtful content and community engagement. It offers a user-friendly interface, a large readership base, and various features for writers and readers.
Source: www.pixpa.com
25+ Medium Alternative Platforms for Publishing Articles
Medium is an online platform that was created in 2012 by Evan Williams. It is a place for people to share their thoughts and ideas on various topics. Medium has about 100 million monthly visitors, which makes it one of the most popular platforms for publishing articles.
Source: forgefusion.io
10 Best Medium Alternatives for Reading and Publishing
From thะต simplicity of Ghost to thะต vะตrsatility of Substack, thะตrะตโ€™s a homะต for ะตvะตryonะต seeking great Medium alternatives. Thะตsะต altะตrnativะตs offะตr a world of possibilitiะตs for rะตadะตrs and authors alikะต. Whะตthะตr youโ€™rะต in sะตarch of a uniquะต platform to sharะต your thoughts or want to read frะตsh contะตnt, thะตsะต platforms havะต somะตthing spะตcial to offะตr. All in all, we...
9 Best Medium Alternatives for Making Money With Your Writing in 2023
Substack and Medium differ primarily in their monetization methods. Medium pays creators based on reader engagement, while Substack enables writers to monetize directly through paid subscriptions to their newsletters. This business model allows Substack users to build a direct relationship with their readers via their email inboxes, whereas Medium interactions primarily...
How to Choose the Best Blogging Platform in 2021 (Compared)
Medium works much like a social networking site where you can create an account and start publishing your articles. After you sign up, youโ€™ll have a profile address like this: https://medium.com/@yourname. But you cannot use your own domain.

BlackArch Reviews

Best Secure Linux Distros for Enhanced Privacy & Security
This popular pentesting distro hails from Arch Linux, and contains over 2,000 different hacking tools - allowing you to use whatever you need without having to download new tools. BlackArch Linux offers frequent updates, and can be run from a USB stick or CD or installed on your computer.
Top 10 Most Secure Linux Distros for Personal Use
BlackArch is based on Arch Linux, and it is a lightweight Linux distro designed for penetration tester, security researchers, and computer experts. This Linux distro provides multiple features, combined with 2,000+ cybersecurity tools that users can install according to their requirements. BlackArch can be used on any hardware, as it is a lightweight Linux distro and also a...
Source: linuxhint.com
Best Kali Linux Alternatives
BlackArch is an Arch Linux-based security research and penetration testing distribution. It contains a depository consisting of more than 2500 tools that are growing day by day. The collection of BlackArch tools can be built on top of Arch Linux.
Source: linuxhint.com
Top 15 Best Security-Centric Linux Distributions of 2020
Compared to other distros on this listed, BlackArch Linux is a relatively new project yet, it has been able to stand out as a reliable OS in the community of security experts. It ships with the user option to choose any of these desktop environments: Awesome, Blackbox, Fluxbox, or spectrwm, and as expected, it is available as a live DVD image and can be run from the...
Source: www.tecmint.com
The 22 Best Linux Distros for Hackers (Pentesting)
BlackArch Linux - a Linux-based ethical hacker operating system for intrusion testers and security researchers. The new version also has a total of 1400 intrusion testing tools, with the old ones updated and added, making it a mandatory download for hackers and security researchers.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Medium seems to be a lot more popular than BlackArch. While we know about 3092 links to Medium, we've tracked only 14 mentions of BlackArch. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Medium mentions (3092)

  • My security camera shipped a GitHub admin token in its login page
    Quantenna used 1.1.1.1 for RPC to their wifi chip in their SDK by default. Should not have been exposed to global routing but of course people screwed that up. https://medium.com/@mrtcve/atts-misuse-of-cloudflare-dns-ip-1-1-1-1-e64901e41a09. - Source: Hacker News / 2 days ago
  • Jane Street: Incremental
    It depends on how you define the observable pattern. The fundamental components here are laziness and weak connections between graph nodes. Node values are getting materialized only when you observe them, and the system is flexible for live structural changes. Usually, you don't need to materialize the entire graph when you need to observe just some nodes. Additionally, you can halt computations at any point in... - Source: Hacker News / 5 days ago
  • AI Mania Is Eviscerating Global Decision-Making
    Supposedly 70% of software projects failed even before AI. So are AI projects better or worse than that? Also like people have asked about the 70% failure rate, how do you define failure/success. https://medium.com/@trienpont/why-do-over-70-of-software-projects-fail-deb4f48f18e6. - Source: Hacker News / 7 days ago
  • Gpu.ai $1k Grand Prize Buildathon August 22nd 2026: Build on Free Cloud GPUs
    Hey guys! GPU.ai is hosting a buildathon with free cloud GPUs on August 22nd 2026 -- register at gpu.ai/buildathon -- all projects will be open-sourced. Learn more: https://medium.com/@john_64490/gpu-ai-1-000-grand-prize-buildathon-on-august-22nd-2026-build-ai-apps-on-free-cloud-gpus-fe27ece9783c?sharedUserId=john_64490. - Source: Hacker News / 8 days ago
  • I built a privacy-first crypto portfolio tracker after the Ledger breach
    Back in the day I used the now-defunct site coin.fyi or coinexplorers.com to track my portfolio. When they disappeared, I looked at the alternatives โ€” and none of them adapted to my necessities. The main one: a private, encrypted portfolio management platform in the style of ProtonMail. One where the service provider itself cannot see what I hold. So I decided to create my own.... - Source: Hacker News / 9 days ago
View more

BlackArch mentions (14)

  • Witchcraft
    I prefer the black arch logo over the red version. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Just started learning what is the better OS?
    Use ubuntu or debian until you get comfortable. I recommend at lest doing this once when you have time and a free machine, it will teach you a lot. Eventually you'll enjoy Slack and Arch installs a lot more than ubuntu and debain and mb BSD for some machines like your own encrypted cloud. Kali is just preloaded with tools for pentesting, you can install those tools on any machine, the ditro of linux is... Source: over 3 years ago
  • Black Arch
    Black Arch for serious pen testers not for posers who run Kali as a daily driver. Source: almost 4 years ago
  • how do I add penetration tools in vanilla arch
    If you want to jump ship, consider https://blackarch.org/ but don't come here asking for help (and given their install instructions, you might very well need assistance). Source: about 4 years ago
  • Protip: Use Wikipedia to find the proper download links for distros and software.
    There is also blackarch.org and blackarch.io, I really wonder if those isos cotain malware in some sort. Its funny that this tactic is even used on linux distros. Source: over 4 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Medium and BlackArch, you can also consider the following products

Ghost - Ghost is a fully open source, adaptable platform for building and running a modern online publication. We power blogs, magazines and journalists from Zappos to Sky News.

Kali Linux - Kali Linux is a Debian-derived Linux distribution designed for digital forensics and penetration...

WordPress - WordPress is web software you can use to create a beautiful website or blog. We like to say that WordPress is both free and priceless at the same time.

Parrot OS - The best choice for security experts, developers and crypto-addicted people.

DEV.to - Where software engineers connect, build their resumes, and grow.

Bugtraq - Bugtraq system offers the most comprehensive distribution, optimal, and stable with automated...