Medium vs HYPE by Hypebeast
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Medium
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.
- 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)
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Welcome to Medium, your home for human stories, useful advice, and inspiring insights. Immerse yourself in a world of wisdom with writing from renowned figures, passionate experts, and fresh voices. Make reading and writing a daily ritual by following your fascinations, discovering new rabbit holes, and reaching readers of your own. Medium is simple social publishing for everyone. + Find your focus with distraction-free reading about everything from taking better pictures to what it’s like to scale a startup. + Stay current with stories about emerging technology, culture, and firsthand accounts of front-page news. + Become a member for unlimited access to millions of stories from our global community of the curious. + Assemble your own personal library by highlighting passages, bookmarking stories, and following writers who share your passions. + Join a community of readers, writers, and thinkers who clap for what they love, respond with insightful comments on thought-provoking stories, and collaborate to create popular publications. + Reach a wider audience by publishing your stories on a platform that serves more than 100M idea-loving people. + Establish a professional presence on a trusted platform, alongside academics, leaders, and experts. + Join the Medium Partner Program to earn money from your writing. + Enjoy a continuous reading experience across your iPhone, iPad, and desktop. + Listen to audio versions of any story on Medium (Member feature). __ Medium Terms of Service: https://policy.medium.com/medium-terms-of-service-9db0094a1e0f Privacy Policy: https://policy.medium.com/medium-privacy-policy-f03bf92035c9 Support: https://help.medium.com
HYPE by Hypebeast
Access curated global trends, breaking fashion news, and unique lifestyle finds. Discover the latest in fashion, culture, and lifestyle from Hypebeast and its related platforms. Stay informed with real-time updates and personalized notifications.
- Global trend curation
- Breaking fashion news
- Exclusive stories
- Niche community discovery
- Personalized notifications
- Shopping platform integration
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HYPE curates global trends, breaking news, and unique finds, placing them right at your fingertips. Stay ahead of the curve and never miss out on what's fresh, exciting, and essential. Discover the best in fashion, culture, and lifestyle with the HYPE app—the definitive platform bringing you the latest from Hypebeast, Hypebae, Hypeart, Hypedrive, Hypegolf, and more. App Highlights: - Real-time updates and exclusive stories across fashion, culture, and lifestyle - Discover tab to explore and engage with niche communities and emerging trends - Personalized inbox and push notifications tailored to your interests - Seamless integration with our website and HBX shopping platform - Enhanced commenting system to connect and share insights with fellow enthusiasts Turn on notifications to be the first to access exclusive drops, official events, and the hottest global happenings. Your world, curated by HYPE.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: HYPE by Hypebeast at none against Medium's 6. HYPE by Hypebeast also leads on review sentiment (83% vs 62%) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.0). Medium's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). On price, rating and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Medium sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. HYPE by Hypebeast asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Medium against 4.9 for HYPE by Hypebeast. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Medium has 157K ratings behind it against 8.6K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 62% of Medium's written reviews are positive against 83% of HYPE by Hypebeast's.
Medium ships an update weekly, HYPE by Hypebeast every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 30, 2026.
| Parameter | Medium | HYPE by Hypebeast |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (157K ratings) | 4.9 (8.6K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 62.3% of reviews | 83.4% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 157K — better | 8.6K |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium | Ad-supported — better |
| Best chart rank | #19 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 127 MB | 68 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | A Medium Corporation | Hypebeast Hong Kong Limited |
Customer experience
Medium
HYPE by Hypebeast
User reviews
Medium
From 157K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 📚 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
Room to improve
- 🔒 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
HYPE by Hypebeast
From 8.6K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 📰 Up-to-date fashion and trend news
- 🔍 Comprehensive coverage of various topics
- 🗓️ Timely information on upcoming releases
- 🔖 Ability to bookmark articles for later
- 🎨 Visually appealing and well-designed app
Room to improve
- 🔍 Intrusive ads that disrupt reading experience
- 🔗 Frequent redirects to external websites
- 🐛 Crashes and stability issues
- 🔌 High battery consumption
- 📋 Lack of customization options
Bugs and requests
Medium
Reported bugs
5 issues- 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
5 requests- 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
HYPE by Hypebeast
Reported bugs
4 issues- App crashes on launch for some users
- Notification prompts repeatedly appearing
- Inconsistent article loading and display issues
- Inability to share content from within the app
Requested features
5 requests- Ability to disable ads or pay for ad-free version
- Improved in-app browsing experience without external links
- Enhanced stability and performance optimizations
- More personalization options for content curation
- Integrated shopping/purchasing functionality
In-app purchases
Medium
- Medium Membership2 variants$4.991 Month
- Friend Membership$14.991 Month
- Medium Membership$49.991 Year
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- Medium Membership1 Year trial$49.991 Year
- Friend Membership1 Year trial$149.991 Year
HYPE by Hypebeast
No in-app purchases
