Softwr

Podcasting · head to head

Glow.fm vs Medium

Glow.fm logo

Glow.fm

Podcasting

Premium podcast subscriptions made simple

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Medium logo

Medium

News

The best place to read and write stories on the internet

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Glow.fm the Internet Archive's capture of Glow's pricing page on 6 December 2021 listed Basic starting at $0/month plus $0.55 per listener per month or $2 per one-time purchase, and Professional starting at $300/month for unlimited listeners with podcast hosting capped at 150,000 downloads per month; card processing adds $0.30 plus 2.9% per transaction on both tiers.; Medium unlimited access to stories requires a paid Medium membership
  • They diverge on capability: Glow.fm covers Private RSS feeds, Medium covers Story publishing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Glow.fm and Medium actually diverge.

Attributes where Glow.fm and Medium differ
AttributeGlow.fmMedium
Pricing modeltransactionfreemium
PlatformsWebWeb, Mobile
CategoryPodcastingNews
Founded20192012

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

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 Glow.fm

  • Private RSS feeds
  • Any app support
  • Tiered subscriptions
  • Subscriber management
  • Payment processing
  • Analytics
  • All podcast apps
  • Stripe

Only in Medium

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

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

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

Glow.fm

  • Premium podcastsnot Medium
  • Subscriber contentnot Medium
  • Membership tiersnot Medium
  • Direct monetizationnot Medium

Medium

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

Where each one falls short

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

Glow.fm

  • The Internet Archive's capture of Glow's pricing page on 6 December 2021 listed Basic starting at $0/month plus $0.55 per listener per month or $2 per one-time purchase, and Professional starting at $300/month for unlimited listeners with podcast hosting capped at 150,000 downloads per month; card processing adds $0.30 plus 2.9% per transaction on both tiers.

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

Glow.fm

Free
  • StandardFree
    • Private RSS feeds
    • Any podcast app support
    • Subscription management

Medium

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

Which should you pick?

Choose Glow.fm if

  • You need private rss feeds.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want any app support.
Glow.fm 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 Glow.fm or Medium better?
Neither clearly leads. Glow.fm 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, Glow.fm or Medium?
Glow.fm starts at Free and Medium at Free.
Does Glow.fm or Medium run on more platforms?
Glow.fm runs on Web. Medium runs on Web, Mobile.
Can I use Glow.fm for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Glow.fm best used for?
Glow.fm is most often used for premium podcasts, subscriber content, membership tiers, direct monetization. Of those, premium podcasts and subscriber content are not what Medium is typically brought in for.
What can Glow.fm do that Medium cannot?
Glow.fm covers Private RSS feeds, Any app support, Tiered subscriptions, Subscriber management. Medium covers Story publishing, Member program, Earning potential, Reading time estimates. Both handle Web support.
Share

Related pages

More on Glow.fm

More on Medium

Keep looking

Other head to heads