# Medium vs Integral Life

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Integral Life at none against Medium's 6. Integral Life also leads on iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.0). Medium's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 15 months) and ratings volume (158K vs 207). On price, rating, ads and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Medium sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Integral Life asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Medium against 4.9 for Integral Life. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Medium has 158K ratings behind it against 207, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 62% of Medium's written reviews are positive against 50% of Integral Life's.

Medium ships an update weekly, Integral Life every 15 months. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Medium | Integral Life |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (158K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/medium-read-and-write-stories/id828256236/reviews) | **[4.9 (207 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/integral-life/id1596743901/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **158K** | 207 |
| Positive reviews | **62.3% of reviews** | 50.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 15 months |
| Monetization | Freemium | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | **#19** | — |
| Size | 127 MB | 56 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [A Medium Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/828256239) | [Integral Life, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1596743903) |

## What reviewers say

### Medium

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/medium-read-and-write-stories/id828256236)

**Currently charting:** #19 Top Grossing · News, #58 Top Free · News (US App Store)

Access a vast collection of articles, stories, and advice on diverse topics from experts and fresh voices. Engage with content through reading, writing, and community interaction. Offers unlimited access to millions of stories for members.

**Highlights:** Distraction-free reading, Curated content on various topics, Personalized library with highlights and bookmarks, Community engagement with comments and claps, Publish your own stories, Audio versions of stories (Member feature)

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Medium Membership | $4.99 | per month |
| Friend Membership | $14.99 | per month |
| Medium Membership | $49.99 | per year |
| Medium Membership | $49.99 | per year |
| Friend Membership | $149.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 📚 Excellent content and writing quality
- 🌐 Wide variety of topics and perspectives
- 🧠 Thought-provoking and informative articles
- 🤓 Useful for learning and personal growth
- 🎨 Clean and minimalist design

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔒 Paywall limits access to content
- 📥 Difficulty finding and accessing past articles
- 🔍 Lack of effective search and filtering options
- 🤖 Concerns about AI-generated content
- 🖥️ Suboptimal experience on larger screens

**Reported bugs**

- Frequent app crashes and freezes
- Login and authentication issues
- Syncing and data loss problems
- Compatibility problems with newer OS versions
- Unreliable push notifications

**Requested features**

- Offline reading mode
- Better organization and navigation of content
- Improved personalization and recommendation system
- Integration with other platforms and services
- Enhanced writing and publishing tools


### Integral Life

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/integral-life/id1596743901)

Explore integral philosophy and gain new perspectives on life. This app offers exclusive content, live events, and training courses to foster personal growth and integral consciousness. Connect with a community dedicated to understanding the world and thriving in its evolution.

**Highlights:** Members-only content, Live coaching events, Integral Life Practice events, Access to training courses, Notifications for new content

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Medium free?

Medium is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Integral Life free?

Integral Life is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Medium or Integral Life?

Integral Life is rated higher. Medium averages 4.8 out of 5 from 158K ratings, while Integral Life averages 4.9 from 207 ratings.

### Do Medium or Integral Life have ads?

Neither Medium nor Integral Life shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Medium or Integral Life?

Medium ships an update weekly, and Integral Life every 15 months. Most recently, Medium was updated on November 5, 2026 and Integral Life on November 3, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*