2.5/5
User rating
38 customer reviews on SmartCustomer
Report
Should I Use Medium?
On Medium, anyone can share insightful perspectives, useful knowledge, and life wisdom with the world.
Depends
DependsBuy it as a reader or hobbyist writer who wants zero-setup publishing and a built-in audience.
Fine for casual writers and readers; weak for businesses needing owned traffic, SEO control, or real earnings.
Confidence: Medium
4
Pricing tiers
per TrustRadius and RecurDash, 2026
$31M
Latest funding
most recent raise; multiple prior rounds
Yes
Free tier
free publishing; membership unlocks paywalled reads
Value for money
2
Users cancel over value; quiet price hikes
Ease of use
4
TechRadar praises its content publishing experience
Feature depth
2
Hosted blog only; limited design and export control
Support quality
2
Complaint sites flag hard-to-reach support
Security posture
3
No public vulns found; no published security page
Pros
Cons
Gotchas
- highPaywall model means you never fully own your content's reach or SEO value.10
- mediumRetention offers exist; readers report overpaying $50–60/yr before cancelling.⁶
- mediumPrices vary by region and have quietly risen (India: ₹199→₹389).⁹
- mediumCustomer service reportedly hard to reach when billing issues arise.
Best for
- Casual writers wanting zero setup
- Avid readers of long-form essays
- Hobbyists testing ideas with a built-in audience
Not for
- Businesses needing an owned, SEO-friendly blog
- Writers trying to live on Partner Program earnings
- Anyone wanting full design control or easy content export
Pricing
Free
$0
- Publish posts
- Read limited member-only stories
Membership
≈$5/mo ($50–60/yr)
- Unlimited member-only stories
- Full reading experience
Friends of Medium
Guess: ~$15/mo
- Premium supporter tier
- Extra support for writers
Security
No known public vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.
What users say
Users like the reading catalog and easy publishing, but many question whether the membership and Partner Program earnings are worth it.
“I cannot support myself”
“I keep writing on Medium”
“I continue to use Medium”
Alternatives
Compare Medium with each alternative.
Ghost
Own your content, email list, and design outright.
Substack
Newsletter-first publishing with direct reader payments.
Medium vs SubstackWordPress.com
Full control and plugins for a long-term owned blog.
Medium vs WordPress.comFull analysis
Based on 20+ public sources; many snippets truncated, so a few details (tier prices) are inferred or flagged as guesses.
Sources
- Medium review 2025 | TechRadartechradar.comreview
- Medium Reviews - 38 Customers Rate 2.5/5 | SmartCustomersmartcustomer.comreview
- 6 Years On Medium — Honest Reviewmedium.comreview
review
- Why I quit my Medium membership | HackerNoonhackernoon.comreview
- Medium Retention Offers | LowerMySubslowermysubs.comreview
- Medium Membership (official)medium.comofficial
- Medium Raises Another $31M | Feediummedium.comnews
- Medium's Silent Price Hike: From ₹199 to ₹389adarshksingh.medium.comreview
official
- Medium Security page checkmedium.comsecurity
- Medium Reviews | Trustpilottrustpilot.comreview
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