Software · head to head
Medium vs ConvertKit
Medium
Software
The best place to read and write stories on the internet
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
ConvertKit
Software
The creator platform for digital professionals
- From
- On request
- 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; ConvertKit the free Newsletter plan allows only one basic visual automation, so sequences beyond a single flow require paying
- They diverge on capability: Medium covers Story publishing, ConvertKit covers Email marketing.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Medium and ConvertKit actually diverge.
| Attribute | Medium | ConvertKit |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | On request |
| Pricing model | freemium | subscription |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Web, Mobile | Web |
| Founded | 2012 | 2013 |
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 ConvertKit
- Email marketing
- Landing pages
- Subscriber tagging
- Automation workflows
- Digital product sales
- Broadcast emails
- Subscriber segments
- Email templates
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 ConvertKit
- Reading long-form writing across technology, culture and newsnot ConvertKit
- Earning from writing through the Medium Partner Programnot ConvertKit
ConvertKit
- Sending newsletters and email sequences to an audiencenot Medium
- Selling paid subscriptions and digital products to a mailing listnot 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
ConvertKit
- The free Newsletter plan allows only one basic visual automation, so sequences beyond a single flow require paying
- The free plan is a single user, and the Creator plan at $33 a month allows two
- Subscriber signals, engagement analytics and paid recommendations are Pro only, at $66 a month
- A/B testing is capped at 2 subject lines below Pro, which allows 5
- Paid pricing is banded by subscriber count, so the published figures apply only at the smallest band
Pricing, plan by plan
Medium
Free- FreeFree
- Unlimited reading
- Publishing platform
- Story drafts
- Medium Membership$5/month
- Unlimited access
- Exclusive stories
- Member earnings
ConvertKit
On request- Creator$29/month
- Up to 10K subscribers
- Email campaigns
- Landing pages
- Creator Pro$79/month
- Unlimited subscribers
- Advanced automation
- Digital products
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 ConvertKit better?
- Neither clearly leads. Medium starts at Free and ConvertKit at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Medium or ConvertKit?
- Medium has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Medium and On request for ConvertKit.
- Does Medium or ConvertKit run on more platforms?
- Medium runs on Web, Mobile. ConvertKit runs on Web.
- Can I use Medium for free?
- Yes. Medium has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. ConvertKit 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 ConvertKit is typically brought in for.
- What can Medium do that ConvertKit cannot?
- Medium covers Story publishing, Member program, Earning potential, Reading time estimates. ConvertKit covers Email marketing, Landing pages, Subscriber tagging, Automation workflows. Both handle Web support.