# Medium vs We, the Compton

The clearest difference is update cadence: Medium at weekly against We, the Compton's every 3 weeks. Medium also leads on chart position (#18 vs unranked). We, the Compton's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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 and We, the Compton sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Medium ships an update weekly, We, the Compton every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Medium | We, the Compton |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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 | 62.3% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Best chart rank | **#18** | — |
| Size | 127 MB | 45 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [A Medium Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/828256239) | [Olivia Miles](https://appshunter.io/developer/1894971765) |

## What reviewers say

### Medium

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

**Currently charting:** #18 Top Grossing · News, #59 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


### We, the Compton

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/we-the-compton/id6762702574)

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Active Civic Monthly | $19.99 | per month |
| Power User Monthly | $44.99 | per month |
| Active Civic Annual | $199.99 | per year |
| Power User Annual | $444.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Medium free?

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

### Is We, the Compton free?

We, the Compton is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Medium or We, the Compton have ads?

Neither Medium nor We, the Compton shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Medium or We, the Compton?

Medium ships an update weekly, and We, the Compton every 3 weeks. Most recently, Medium was updated on November 3, 2026 and We, the Compton on October 31, 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.*