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News & Media · head to head

Flipboard vs Medium

Flipboard logo

Flipboard

News & Media

Your personal magazine for news and stories

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Medium logo

Medium

News & Media

The best place to read and write stories on the internet

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Flipboard flipboard is free to use with no paid tier; the product carries no subscription, so there is no plan limit to compare against rivals that charge; Medium unlimited access to stories requires a paid Medium membership
  • They diverge on capability: Flipboard covers Magazine-style layout, Medium covers Story publishing.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Flipboard and Medium actually diverge.

Attributes where Flipboard and Medium differ
AttributeFlipboardMedium
Pricing modelfreefreemium
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb, Mobile
Founded20102012

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (News & Media).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Flipboard

  • Magazine-style layout
  • Content curation
  • Topic discovery
  • Smart magazines
  • Social sharing
  • Google
  • Ios support
  • Android support

Only in Medium

  • Story publishing
  • Member program
  • Earning potential
  • Reading time estimates
  • Clap reactions
  • Highlighting & annotations
  • Story recommendations
  • Following system

Both cover

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Web support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Flipboard

  • News consumptionnot Medium
  • Content discoverynot Medium
  • Magazine creationnot Medium
  • Social readingnot Medium

Medium

  • Publishing articles without running your own blognot Flipboard
  • Reading long-form writing across technology, culture and newsnot Flipboard
  • Earning from writing through the Medium Partner Programnot Flipboard

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Flipboard

  • Flipboard is free to use with no paid tier; the product carries no subscription, so there is no plan limit to compare against rivals that charge

Medium

  • Unlimited access to stories requires a paid Medium membership
  • Audio versions of stories are a member-only feature
  • Earning money from writing requires joining the Medium Partner Program rather than being automatic
  • The iOS app requires iOS 17.0 or later

Pricing, plan by plan

Flipboard

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited reading
    • Personalized feeds
    • Magazine creation

Medium

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited reading
    • Publishing platform
    • Story drafts
  • Medium Membership$5/month
    • Unlimited access
    • Exclusive stories
    • Member earnings

Which should you pick?

Choose Flipboard if

  • You need magazine-style layout.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want content curation.
Flipboard review

Choose Medium if

  • You need story publishing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Mobile.
  • You also want member program.
Medium review

Questions people ask

Is Flipboard or Medium better?
Neither clearly leads. Flipboard starts at Free and Medium at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Flipboard or Medium?
Flipboard starts at Free and Medium at Free.
Does Flipboard or Medium run on more platforms?
Flipboard runs on Web, Ios, Android. Medium runs on Web, Mobile.
Can I use Flipboard for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Flipboard best used for?
Flipboard is most often used for news consumption, content discovery, magazine creation, social reading. Of those, news consumption and content discovery are not what Medium is typically brought in for.
What can Flipboard do that Medium cannot?
Flipboard covers Magazine-style layout, Content curation, Topic discovery, Smart magazines. Medium covers Story publishing, Member program, Earning potential, Reading time estimates. Both handle Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Web support.
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