I should clarify. Tipping links on Medium are only prohibited on stories behind the paywall. I still have a tipping link on my Archive Index page which is not behind the paywall. But rarely does anyone click on my Archive Page.

Well I just now came back from Vocal myself. I had to check it out. I opened an account, connected it to Stripe, and submitted my first article. In 24 hours I'll find out if it was approved.

There are things to like and things to not like about Vocal. There is no paywall, which I like, although upgrading apparently increases earning potential. And there are contests (challenges) that have the potential of earning big bucks. They also have word limits which is both good and bad.

But site information is at first hard to find and their editor is not as good as Medium's. And there is also the 24-hour wait time before your article gets published. That can suck if you're writing about something timely. But I do like that essentially every submission is curated.

Every submission must be submitted into a certain category. What really, really, really pissed me off is that there is no category for fiction. Apparently, Vocal hates fiction almost as much as Medium does.

Well, the piece I submitted was a fiction short story so it may never get published. Oh well, I do also write non-fiction so perhaps I can still augment my Medium pennies and broaden my exposure. I guess we'll see.

Another thing I don't like is that they have a payment threshold. You can't "withdraw" money unless you have earned at least $35. I guess I'll see how long that takes.

Vocal seems to cater more to visual artists and sound/music artists than literary artists. (Just like every other site on the internet.) But I have not yet done much reading there so I'm not sure how true that is.

Anyhoo, thanks for the suggestion. After spending a couple of hours there I am now even further behind on my Medium reading (and writing). I guess I'll just explore any option for paying my bills. Thanks. For all the frustrated Medium writers out there if may be worthwhile checking out Vocal, even if only to supplement Medium pennies.