Backlink Leaderboard · Head-to-Head Comparison
Substack
#6 of 310 · LDS 9.1
VS
Medium
#176 of 310 · LDS 3.3
Comparing Link Dilution Score, AI visibility, Domain Rating and dofollow status. Scores are calculated using the FreeMalta LDS formula — not Domain Rating alone. How we calculate →
Score comparison
Substack vs Medium
Link Dilution Score (LDS)
AI Visibility Score
Domain Rating (DR)
Full breakdown
Every metric, side by side.
Metric
Substack
Medium
LDS Score
9.1
3.3
AI Visibility
8.3
8.5
AI Stars
★★★
★★★
Domain Rating
91
94
Link Type
Dofollow
Nofollow
Pricing
Free
Free
Category
Publishing
Publishing
Traffic
50M
150M
AI Cited
✓ AI cited
✓ AI cited
Verdict
What the scores actually mean.
Substack wins on Link Dilution Score.
Substack scores 9.1 vs Medium's 3.3. The higher LDS means less link dilution — your backlink carries more weight here. If you can only get listed on one, prioritise Substack.
Both platforms are AI-cited — they appear in AI-generated answers. Either choice gives you AEO and GEO visibility.
Both platforms are AI-cited — they appear in AI-generated answers. Either choice gives you AEO and GEO visibility.
Platform detail
What each platform actually is.
Substack (dofollow, DR91) passes real link juice — unlike Medium which is nofollow. Newsletter posts linking to your site build authority over time. Growing AI citation presence makes it increasingly valuable for GEO.
Rank#6 / 310
LDS9.1
AI Score8.3 ★★★
DR91
Link typeDofollow
PricingFree
Medium (nofollow, DR94) passes no link juice despite its massive authority — all outbound links are nofollow. Still worth publishing on for referral traffic and brand visibility, but Substack is the better choice for SEO.
Rank#176 / 310
LDS3.3
AI Score8.5 ★★★
DR94
Link typeNofollow
PricingFree
Scores are calculated using the FreeMalta Link Dilution Score (LDS) formula. Domain Rating data sourced from Ahrefs. AI citation status based on verified testing across ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude and Google AI Overviews. Data updated periodically — always verify with current tools before making link building decisions.