Two very different games. Upwork offers client relationships that reward reliability, customer journey, product-market fit, pricing. For clients, you’re first and foremost a service provider — they want you to write their vision of the article, not what you think is good. Medium rewards content that people want to read. Experimentation, deep research and courage will go a long way on Medium. Both platforms offer decent earning potential — all about figuring out what your strengths are, as well as the game mechanics.