# Medium vs BrightSide Community

The clearest difference is review sentiment: BrightSide Community at 100% against Medium's 62%. BrightSide Community also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8). Medium's advantage is ratings volume (157K vs 3) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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 and BrightSide Community sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

BrightSide Community 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 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 62% of Medium's written reviews are positive against 100% of BrightSide Community's.

Medium ships an update weekly, BrightSide Community every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Medium | BrightSide Community |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (157K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/medium-read-and-write-stories/id828256236/reviews) | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brightside-community/id6774789399/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **157K** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | 62.1% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Freemium | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | **#18** | — |
| Size | 119 MB | 22 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [A Medium Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/828256239) | [DAVID HANONO](https://appshunter.io/developer/6774789401) |

## What reviewers say

### Medium

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

**Currently charting:** #18 Top Grossing · News, #47 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


### BrightSide Community

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brightside-community/id6774789399)

Discover uplifting news, daily wellness ceremonies, and a supportive community. Share your own positive stories and contribute to causes you care about. Enjoy AI-curated content free from negativity.

**Highlights:** AI-curated positive news, Daily inspirational quotes, True North wellness ceremonies, Community story sharing, Effortless giving to causes, Leaderboard for top stories

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| BrightSide Plus | $1.99 | per month |
| BrightSide Plus Yearly | $14.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Medium free?

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

### Is BrightSide Community free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Medium or BrightSide Community?

BrightSide Community is rated higher. Medium averages 4.8 out of 5 from 157K ratings, while BrightSide Community averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.

### Do Medium or BrightSide Community have ads?

Neither Medium nor BrightSide Community shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Medium or BrightSide Community?

Medium ships an update weekly, and BrightSide Community every 3 weeks. Most recently, Medium was updated on October 19, 2026 and BrightSide Community on October 7, 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.*