Hatena Blog
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Buy it if you write in Japanese and want a free, low-fuss blog . it's the default choice for Japan-focused writers.
Comparison
Hatena Blog vs Medium
Hatena Blog and Medium both land on Depends.
Medium
Depends
Confidence: Medium
Buy it as a reader or hobbyist writer who wants zero-setup publishing and a built-in audience.
| Compare | Hatena Blog | Medium |
|---|---|---|
| Verdict | Depends | Depends |
| Best for | Japanese-language personal bloggers | Casual writers wanting zero setup |
| Who it's not for | Global or English-first brands chasing mass reach | Businesses needing an owned, SEO-friendly blog |
| Privacy | One takeover-risk finding flagged by researchers; no public security page; no known CVEs.⁵ | No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed. |
| Support quality | No support evidence in sources | Complaint sites flag hard-to-reach support |
| Public sentiment | Users and analysts treat Hatena Blog as the reliable free default for Japanese writing, but niche rather than mass-market.³ | Users like the reading catalog and easy publishing, but many question whether the membership and Partner Program earnings are worth it.13 |
| Biggest gotcha | Hatena Group was shut down entirely in 2020 . platform sunset risk is real⁶ | Paywall model means you never fully own your content's reach or SEO value. |
Pick Hatena Blog when
- Japanese-language personal bloggers
- Dev/engineering team blogs
- Hobby and niche reviewers
- Japan-market brand content on a budget
When Hatena Blog is not a fit
- Global or English-first brands chasing mass reach
- Teams needing full CMS control or headless flexibility
- Businesses needing vendor longevity guarantees or SLAs
- Design-heavy marketing sites
Pick Medium when
- Casual writers wanting zero setup
- Avid readers of long-form essays
- Hobbyists testing ideas with a built-in audience
When Medium is not a fit
- Businesses needing an owned, SEO-friendly blog
- Writers trying to live on Partner Program earnings
- Anyone wanting full design control or easy content export
Sources
- Hatena Blog official sitehatena.blogofficial
review
review
review
- Hatenablog takeover detection (Beagle Security)beaglesecurity.comsecurity
news
- Hatena Co., Ltd. (3930.T) profilefinance.yahoo.comofficial
official
- Hatena Blog vs note comparisonnote.comreview
- Medium review 2025 | TechRadartechradar.comreview
- Medium Reviews - 38 Customers Rate 2.5/5 | SmartCustomersmartcustomer.comreview
- 6 Years On Medium . Honest Reviewmedium.comreview
- Why I quit my Medium membership | HackerNoonhackernoon.comreview
- Medium Retention Offers | LowerMySubslowermysubs.comreview