News & Media · head to head
Medium vs Business Wire
Medium
News & Media
The best place to read and write stories on the internet
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Business Wire
News & Media
Global news distribution and regulatory disclosure
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Medium has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- They diverge on capability: Medium covers Story publishing, Business Wire covers News distribution.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Medium and Business Wire actually diverge.
| Attribute | Medium | Business Wire |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | On request |
| Pricing model | freemium | usage-based |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Web, Mobile | Web |
| Founded | 2012 | 1961 |
Identical on both: 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 Medium
- Story publishing
- Member program
- Earning potential
- Reading time estimates
- Clap reactions
- Highlighting & annotations
- Story recommendations
- Following system
Only in Business Wire
- News distribution
- SEC/SEDAR filing
- Multimedia support
- Tradeshownews
- News analytics
- Bloomberg Terminal
- Thomson Reuters
- Google Finance
Both cover
- Web 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 Business Wire
- Reading long-form writing across technology, culture and newsnot Business Wire
- Earning from writing through the Medium Partner Programnot Business Wire
Business Wire
- Earnings releasesnot Medium
- SEC filingsnot Medium
- Corporate announcementsnot Medium
- Product launchesnot Medium
- M&A newsnot 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
Business Wire
Nothing recorded yet. See the Business Wire review.
Pricing, plan by plan
Medium
Free- FreeFree
- Unlimited reading
- Publishing platform
- Story drafts
- Medium Membership$5/month
- Unlimited access
- Exclusive stories
- Member earnings
Business Wire
On request- US Local$525/one-time
- Local distribution
- Online posting
- Basic analytics
- US Regional$875/one-time
- Regional distribution
- Wire services
- Enhanced analytics
- US National$1525/one-time
- National distribution
- Full wire coverage
- Premium analytics
- GlobalFree
- International reach
- Translation services
- Custom circuits
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.
Choose Business Wire if
- You need news distribution.
- You also want sec/sedar filing.
Questions people ask
- Is Medium or Business Wire better?
- Neither clearly leads. Medium starts at Free and Business Wire at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Medium or Business Wire?
- Medium has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Medium and On request for Business Wire.
- Does Medium or Business Wire run on more platforms?
- Medium runs on Web, Mobile. Business Wire runs on Web.
- Can I use Medium for free?
- Yes. Medium has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Business Wire starts at On request.
- 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 Business Wire is typically brought in for.
- What can Medium do that Business Wire cannot?
- Medium covers Story publishing, Member program, Earning potential, Reading time estimates. Business Wire covers News distribution, SEC/SEDAR filing, Multimedia support, Tradeshownews. Both handle Web support.