Writing deserves
an interface that disappears.
Medium decides how much its Partner Program pays you and buries the essay in a feed. WordPress demands extra plugins for footnotes. Serif gives you typography-first layouts, footnotes in the editor, and a paywall that keeps every dollar on your side of the platform fee.
Serif
Serif
Typography-first for longform essays and literary magazines.
Live Preview →Typography worthy of the work
The Serif theme sets a calm reading layout before you open the editor: serif type, a warm off-white page, and one reading column.
Typography that treats the reader with respect
Serif sets body text at 18px with a 1.75 line height inside a 720px reading column, on a warm off-white page. Headings use the same serif face, so a long essay reads like a printed page rather than a feed card. Change the theme and the typography changes with it, without touching your posts.
Footnotes in the editor
The editor has a footnote command in the slash menu. Footnotes render as numbered superscript links to a list of notes at the end of the post, on every screen size. Block quotes, tables and code blocks sit in the same menu, so the draft never loses its rhythm while you hunt for formatting buttons.
Reading progress bar and estimated time
Every post shows a thin progress bar along the top of the page that fills as the reader scrolls. The Serif layout also shows a reading-time estimate calculated from the word count (200 words a minute by default), so readers know how long the piece is before they commit to it.
Paywall paid essays, skip the platform fee
Set a post to members-only or paid in its settings. Readers who are not signed in see the title, the excerpt (up to 300 characters) and a branded card with your tier and a checkout button. Checkout runs through your own Stripe account, subscriptions renew automatically, and VeloCMS takes a 0% platform fee on subscription revenue; Stripe's own processing fee still applies. Substack keeps a share.
No algorithmic suppression, no noise floor
On Medium, a four-thousand-word essay competes for visibility inside a feed the platform controls. On your own domain, a single URL reaches every reader on your list, every RSS subscriber, and every crawler. You decide what is featured on your site.
Full export the day you start
Run a full export from Admin → Settings → Data Export. You get a ZIP with one Markdown file per post (YAML front-matter), your members as a CSV, every other collection as JSON Lines, and a media list whose download links stay valid for seven days. The archive is portable the first time you press the button. This is the difference between an owned website and a rented pen.
VeloCMS vs Medium vs WordPress
| Feature | VeloCMS | Medium | WordPress |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serif typography included out of the box | Yes | Limited | Plugin |
| Footnotes in the editor | Yes | No | Plugin |
| Reading progress bar | Yes | No | Plugin |
| Paywall revenue share to platform | 0% | Set by Medium | N/A |
| Algorithmic distribution control | You own it | Platform decides | You own it |
| Custom domain included in every plan | Yes | Paid plan | Yes |
| Markdown export with YAML front-matter | Yes | HTML only | Plugin |
Frequently asked questions
What's the best CMS for writers and essayists?
VeloCMS pairs a distraction-light TipTap editor with the Serif theme: serif body text at 18px, a 1.75 line height, a 720px reading column, and footnotes at the end of the post. Medium buries your essays in a feed; VeloCMS gives them a permanent URL on your own domain.
Does it have a distraction-free writing mode?
Yes, in the sense that the editor opens to a full-width canvas with no sidebars competing for attention. Formatting blocks such as footnotes, block quotes, tables and code come from a slash-command menu, so your hands never leave the keyboard mid-thought. There is no separate Focus Mode that hides the toolbar.
Can I use footnotes in my essays?
Yes. The editor has a footnote command in the slash menu. Footnotes render as numbered superscript links to a list of notes at the end of the post, on desktop and on mobile alike. VeloCMS does not set notes in the margin. Block quotes are in the same menu.
Does it import from Substack?
Yes. Export your Substack archive as a ZIP and import it at Admin → Import → Substack. Posts keep their slugs and publication dates and arrive tagged "imported" and "substack", and the subscribers in the export arrive as members marked free or paid. Substack billing does not transfer, so paying readers subscribe again through your Stripe checkout. A subscriber CSV from another service imports at Admin → Members → Import.
Can I run a paid newsletter or paywall essays?
Yes. Set any post to members-only or paid, and readers who are not signed in see the excerpt and a branded paywall card. Readers check out through your own Stripe account, and VeloCMS takes a 0% platform fee. Medium's Partner Program pays you a share that Medium sets. Substack keeps a share. You keep everything after Stripe's payment processing fee.
Does it support multi-author publications?
Yes. Invite co-authors at Admin → Team and give them the Editor or Writer role; writers submit posts for review and editors publish. Each post is credited to its author's display name. The Business plan includes five team members, and the Agency plan unlimited team members. There is no separate no-login link for guest contributors, so invite a guest as a Writer team member.
What about Markdown export?
Yes. The export is a ZIP with one Markdown file per post (YAML front-matter), a members CSV, and JSON Lines files for the rest of your data. The archive is portable on day one, with no "export only available on the top tier" gate. Run the export from Admin → Settings → Data Export.
Can readers leave comments?
Yes. Posts have a built-in comment section where readers leave a name, an email and a comment, and replies nest one level deep. In Admin → Comments you choose how comments are moderated: hold every comment for approval, filter spam automatically, or publish first and review afterwards. A blocked-word list and a spam filter run before a comment appears. No third-party plugin is needed.
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The essay. The reader. The revenue.
Typography that holds the eye, a paywall with no platform fee, and an export that never locks you in. 14-day trial, cancel anytime.