# Medium vs daily.dev

The clearest difference is rating: Medium at 4.8 against daily.dev's 4.3. Medium also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (157K vs 40). daily.dev's advantage is iOS requirement (16.6 vs 18.0). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Medium sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and daily.dev sells 14 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Medium holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Medium has 157K ratings behind it against 40, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 63% of Medium's written reviews are positive against 68% of daily.dev's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Medium ships an update weekly, daily.dev every 10 days. Both last shipped on September 25, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Medium | daily.dev |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (157K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/medium-read-and-write-stories/id828256236/reviews)** | [4.3 (40 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dailydev/id6740634400/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **157K** | 40 |
| Positive reviews | 62.5% of reviews | **68.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 10 days |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#18** | — |
| Size | 241 MB | 20 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **16.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [A Medium Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/828256239) | [Daily Dev Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1790892594) |

## What reviewers say

### Medium

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

**Currently charting:** #18 Top Grossing · News, #48 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


### daily.dev

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/dailydev/id6740634400)

Get a personalized feed of developer news, articles, and discussions tailored to your interests. Discover new tools and insights across AI, React, DevOps, and more from thousands of sources.

**Highlights:** Personalized developer feed, AI-powered content curation, Community discussions (Squads), Bookmarks and reading streaks, Developer profile

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

**In-app purchases (14)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly | $14.99 | per month |
| Annual Special | $59.99 | per year |
| Annual | $89.99 | per year |
| 100 Cores | $1.49 | one-time |
| 300 Cores | $4.49 | one-time |
| 600 Cores | $8.99 | one-time |
| 1,200 Cores | $17.99 | one-time |
| 2,400 Cores | $34.99 | one-time |
| 5,000 Cores | $72.99 | one-time |
| 8,000 Cores | $114.99 | one-time |
| 12,000 Cores | $174.99 | one-time |
| 25,000 Cores | $364.99 | one-time |
| 50,000 Cores | $549.00 | one-time |
| 100,000 Cores | $999.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Best dev platform
- 👍 Awesome App
- 👍 Fantastic collection of great articles
- 👍 Highly Recommended
- 👍 Must have for software developers

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bit Buggy
- 🐛 Passkey flow not working
- 🔒 Suspicious sign-up process

**Reported bugs**

- Buttons not working
- Unable to sign up

**Requested features**

- Web app option


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Medium free?

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

### Is daily.dev free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Medium or daily.dev?

Medium is rated higher. Medium averages 4.8 out of 5 from 157K ratings, while daily.dev averages 4.3 from 40 ratings.

### Do Medium or daily.dev have ads?

daily.dev shows ads; Medium does not.

### Which is updated more often, Medium or daily.dev?

Medium ships an update weekly, and daily.dev every 10 days. Most recently, Medium was updated on September 25, 2026 and daily.dev on September 25, 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.*