# Medium vs Hacker Pulse

The clearest difference is chart position: Medium at #19 against Hacker Pulse's unranked. 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 Hacker Pulse sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

## The numbers

| Metric | Medium | Hacker Pulse |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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 | 62.5% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Weekly | — |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Best chart rank | **#19** | — |
| Size | 242 MB | 8 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [A Medium Corporation](https://appshunter.io/developer/828256239) | [S. Smart Rabbit LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1515248944) |

## What reviewers say

### Medium

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

**Currently charting:** #19 Top Grossing · News, #55 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


### Hacker Pulse

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hacker-pulse-hn-reader/id6802339610)

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Small Tip | $1.99 | one-time |
| Hacker Pulse Premium | $4.99 | one-time |
| Tip | $4.99 | one-time |
| Generous Tip | $9.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Medium free?

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

### Is Hacker Pulse free?

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

### Do Medium or Hacker Pulse have ads?

Neither Medium nor Hacker Pulse shows ads.

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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.*