I do have to disagree with you about HubPages. I have been publishing on that site practically since its inception. There is no favoritism there that I can see. The "hoops" you mention can be circumvented if you tell the editors that you are an expert in your subject matter and they will publish you as is. I definitely earn more on Medium than I do on HubPages, but for someone who is just looking for a side hustle or part-time income, HubPages is a good bet.