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Medium vs Artifact

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Medium

Software

The best place to read and write stories on the internet

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
A

Artifact

Software

AI-powered personalized news discovery

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Medium unlimited access to stories requires a paid Medium membership; Artifact wound down in early April 2024. Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger closed it, saying the market opportunity was not large enough to keep investing
  • They diverge on capability: Medium covers Story publishing, Artifact covers AI recommendations.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Medium and Artifact actually diverge.

Attributes where Medium and Artifact differ
AttributeMediumArtifact
Pricing modelfreemiumfree
PlatformsWeb, MobileIos, Android
Founded20122022

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

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 Medium

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

Only in Artifact

  • AI recommendations
  • Article summaries
  • Clickbait detection
  • Social sharing
  • Topic following
  • Social sharing
  • Ios support
  • Android support

What people use each for

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

Medium

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

Artifact

  • News consumptionnot Medium
  • Content discoverynot Medium
  • Staying informednot Medium

Where each one falls short

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

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

Artifact

  • Wound down in early April 2024. Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger closed it, saying the market opportunity was not large enough to keep investing
  • Yahoo acquired the personalisation technology and folded it into Yahoo News, so the app itself is not coming back
  • The founders stayed only in an advisory capacity through the transition

Pricing, plan by plan

Medium

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

Artifact

Free
  • FreeFree
    • AI-powered recommendations
    • Article summaries
    • Social features

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Artifact if

  • You need ai recommendations.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Ios, Android.
  • You also want article summaries.
Artifact review

Questions people ask

Is Medium or Artifact better?
Neither clearly leads. Medium starts at Free and Artifact at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Medium or Artifact?
Medium starts at Free and Artifact at Free.
Does Medium or Artifact run on more platforms?
Medium runs on Web, Mobile. Artifact runs on Ios, Android.
Can I use Medium for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Medium best used for?
Medium is most often used for publishing articles without running your own blog, reading long-form writing across technology, culture and news, earning from writing through the medium partner program. Of those, publishing articles without running your own blog and reading long-form writing across technology, culture and news are not what Artifact is typically brought in for.
What can Medium do that Artifact cannot?
Medium covers Story publishing, Member program, Earning potential, Reading time estimates. Artifact covers AI recommendations, Article summaries, Clickbait detection, Social sharing.
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