# Medium vs CS 365

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: CS 365 at none against Medium's 6. CS 365 also leads on iOS requirement (11.0 vs 18.0). Medium's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs monthly) and chart position (#19 vs unranked). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Medium sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. CS 365 asks for nothing beyond the download.

Medium ships an update weekly, CS 365 monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Medium | CS 365 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (157K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/medium-read-and-write-stories/id828256236/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **157K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 62.4% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Best chart rank | **#19** | — |
| Size | 242 MB | 116 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [A Medium Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/828256239) | [MIT iOS APP](https://appshunter.io/developer/1167867475) |

## What reviewers say

### Medium

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

**Currently charting:** #19 Top Grossing · News, #46 Top Free · News (US App Store)

Access a vast collection of human stories, expert advice, and inspiring insights. Discover new topics, follow your interests, and connect with a global community of readers and writers. Publish your own work and reach a wide audience.

**Highlights:** Distraction-free reading, Curated content on tech, culture, news, Unlimited story access with membership, Personalized reading library, Community engagement (claps, comments), Publishing platform for writers, Audio versions of stories (Member feature)

**In-app purchases (5)**

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


### CS 365

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cs-365/id6474714150)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Medium free?

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

### Is CS 365 free?

CS 365 is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Medium or CS 365 have ads?

Neither Medium nor CS 365 shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Medium or CS 365?

Medium ships an update weekly, and CS 365 monthly. Most recently, Medium was updated on October 18, 2026 and CS 365 on September 17, 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.*