Software · head to head
Medium vs Chartbeat
Medium
Software
The best place to read and write stories on the internet
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Medium has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Medium unlimited access to stories requires a paid Medium membership; Chartbeat pricing is customized by website and native app pageviews across four tiers, Essentials, Plus, Premium and Enterprise, and the pricing page publishes no figures, directing visitors to Talk to Sales or Get a Demo
- They diverge on capability: Medium covers Story publishing, Chartbeat covers Real-time analytics.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Medium and Chartbeat actually diverge.
Identical on both: 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 Chartbeat
- Real-time analytics
- Audience insights
- Content metrics
- Traffic tracking
- Google Analytics
- GDPR
- Cloud deployment
- English language support
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 Chartbeat
- Reading long-form writing across technology, culture and newsnot Chartbeat
- Earning from writing through the Medium Partner Programnot Chartbeat
Chartbeat
- Publisher analyticsnot 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
Chartbeat
- Pricing is customized by website and native app pageviews across four tiers, Essentials, Plus, Premium and Enterprise, and the pricing page publishes no figures, directing visitors to Talk to Sales or Get a Demo
Pricing, plan by plan
Medium
Free- FreeFree
- Unlimited reading
- Publishing platform
- Story drafts
- Medium Membership$5/month
- Unlimited access
- Exclusive stories
- Member earnings
Chartbeat
$1000/month- Professional$1000/month
- Real-time analytics
- Audience insights
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.
Questions people ask
- Is Medium or Chartbeat better?
- Neither clearly leads. Medium starts at Free and Chartbeat at $1000/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Medium or Chartbeat?
- Medium has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Medium and $1000/month for Chartbeat.
- Does Medium or Chartbeat run on more platforms?
- Medium runs on Web, Mobile. Chartbeat runs on Web.
- Can I use Medium for free?
- Yes. Medium has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Chartbeat starts at $1000/month.
- 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 Chartbeat is typically brought in for.
- What can Medium do that Chartbeat cannot?
- Medium covers Story publishing, Member program, Earning potential, Reading time estimates. Chartbeat covers Real-time analytics, Audience insights, Content metrics, Traffic tracking. Both handle Web support.