Medium
Medium: A flexible publishing home for writers who want built-in reach and audience tools. Ranked #6 of 125 in Blogging Platforms by our editors (8.6/10); pricing: Free plan; best for writers seeking publishing and audience reach.
At a glance
- Editor score8.6 / 10
- PricingFree plan
- Best forWriters seeking publishing and audience reach
- Free planYes
- Custom domainYes
- Facts checked22 Sep 2026
Where it wins
- Scheduled publishing, rich formatting, embeds, images, and automatic saving
- Publications support owner, editor, and writer roles with flexible layouts
- Analytics, custom domains, paywalling, and Partner Program earnings
Where it doesn't
- Custom-domain support requires an active membership
- Paid plan pricing is not clearly established here
- The platform is centered on written stories rather than broader content formats
Our verdict on Medium
Medium is an online publishing platform for individuals and organizations creating, publishing, and sharing written stories. Its editor supports automatically saved drafts, rich text formatting, images, Unsplash image search, and URL-based embeds for services including GitHub and YouTube. Writers can schedule publication, readers can follow authors and publications, and eligible stories can be placed behind a membership paywall. Medium is suited to writers who want a publishing workflow combined with an existing reading and audience environment.
Its publication tools make it more capable than a basic personal blog editor. Publications can assign owner, editor, and writer roles, organize content with sections, grids, streams, lists, promos, and images, and use accent colors. Custom domains are available for profiles and publications with an active membership. Story, audience, and Partner Program analytics add visibility into publishing performance, while newsletters and publication statistics support ongoing audience development. Choose Medium when collaborative publishing, editorial organization, and built-in discovery matter alongside writing.
Medium’s membership options are Medium Member and Friend of Medium. Medium Member includes unlimited access to member-only stories, ad-free reading, audio narrations, offline reading in the mobile app, custom-domain support, and publication creation. Friend of Medium includes those benefits plus four-times writer support, Friend Links, and TK writing app access. The service covers web, Windows, macOS, iOS, and Android, giving it broad platform reach. It is a strong fit for writers and organizations seeking audience reach with structured publication features; those wanting a narrowly controlled, fully independent site experience may prefer a different blogging platform.
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Medium pricing
All 2 Medium plans and prices →
Medium fact sheet
| Free plan | Yes |
|---|---|
| Paid from | Not verified |
| Custom domain | Yes |
| Author limit | Not verified |
| Theme customization | Basic |
| Post scheduling | Yes |
| Built-in memberships | Yes |
| Blog analytics | Yes |
| Deployment | Cloud, Mobile |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android |
| Support | Email, Tickets, Docs |
| Built for | Solo, Small business, Mid-market (editorial estimate) |
| Pricing | Free plan (source) |
| Website | medium.com |
| Facts checked | 22 Sep 2026 |
Alternatives to Medium
- WordPress.comAn all-in-one hosted platform with free publishing and scalable paid plans.9.4
- WordPressA highly configurable publishing system for teams that can manage self-hosted infrastructure.9.3
- GhostA flexible publishing platform for newsletters, memberships, gated content, and paid subscriptions.9.0
Medium vs the competition
- Medium vs WordPress.com
- Medium vs WordPress
- Medium vs Writizzy
- Medium vs Hyvor Blogs
- Medium vs Tistory
- Medium vs Write.as
Compare Medium with any tool side by side →
Also Ranked In
Medium is ranked in 4 of our directories.
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Featured on iTechGuides
Medium is listed in our Blogging Platforms directory. Add the badge to your site — it links back to this page.
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
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