# Medium vs Cronkite+

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Cronkite+ at none against Medium's 6. Cronkite+ also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8) and device support (4 vs 2). Medium's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 10 months) and ratings volume (157K vs 1). On price and ads there is nothing between them.

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

Cronkite+ holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Medium has 157K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Medium ships an update weekly, Cronkite+ every 10 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Medium | Cronkite+ |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (157K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/medium-read-and-write-stories/id828256236/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cronkite-plus/id6748354097/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **157K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 62.5% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 10 months |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#18** | — |
| Size | 242 MB | 45 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **16.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [A Medium Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/828256239) | [Cronkite News](https://appshunter.io/developer/943072359) |

## What reviewers say

### Medium

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

**Currently charting:** #18 Top Grossing · News, #52 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


### Cronkite+

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cronkite-plus/id6748354097)

Explore student-produced journalism covering global, national, and local news, including sports, business, and community issues. Features in-depth investigative projects and bilingual reporting from a top-ranked journalism school.

**Highlights:** Student journalism coverage, Global, national, local news, Sports, weather, entertainment, Investigative journalism projects, Bilingual reporting, Multimedia reporting

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Medium free?

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

### Is Cronkite+ free?

Cronkite+ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Medium or Cronkite+?

Cronkite+ is rated higher. Medium averages 4.8 out of 5 from 157K ratings, while Cronkite+ averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Medium or Cronkite+ have ads?

Neither Medium nor Cronkite+ shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Medium or Cronkite+?

Medium ships an update weekly, and Cronkite+ every 10 months. Most recently, Medium was updated on October 16, 2026 and Cronkite+ on October 1, 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.*