Software · head to head
Medium vs CrowdTangle
Medium
Software
The best place to read and write stories on the internet
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
C
CrowdTangle
Software
Social media insights and content monitoring platform
- 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; CrowdTangle crowdTangle was retired by Meta on 14 August 2024, per Meta's own transparency page (Internet Archive capture, 12 December 2024), with Meta Content Library and Content Library API offered as replacements
- They diverge on capability: Medium covers Story publishing, CrowdTangle covers Social listening.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Medium and CrowdTangle actually diverge.
| Attribute | Medium | CrowdTangle |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | On request |
| Pricing model | freemium | quote |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Web, Mobile | Web |
| Founded | 2012 | 2011 |
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 CrowdTangle
- Social listening
- Viral content tracking
- Competitor monitoring
- Brand mention tracking
- Trending alerts
- Custom dashboards
- Team collaboration
- Report generation
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 CrowdTangle
- Reading long-form writing across technology, culture and newsnot CrowdTangle
- Earning from writing through the Medium Partner Programnot CrowdTangle
CrowdTangle
- Viral content trackingnot Medium
- Social listeningnot Medium
- Competitor analysisnot Medium
- Trend identificationnot 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
CrowdTangle
- CrowdTangle was retired by Meta on 14 August 2024, per Meta's own transparency page (Internet Archive capture, 12 December 2024), with Meta Content Library and Content Library API offered as replacements
Pricing, plan by plan
Medium
Free- FreeFree
- Unlimited reading
- Publishing platform
- Story drafts
- Medium Membership$5/month
- Unlimited access
- Exclusive stories
- Member earnings
CrowdTangle
On request- Custom Plan$undefined/custom
- Social monitoring
- Competitor analysis
- Trending content tracking
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 CrowdTangle if
- You need social listening.
- You also want viral content tracking.
Questions people ask
- Is Medium or CrowdTangle better?
- Neither clearly leads. Medium starts at Free and CrowdTangle at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Medium or CrowdTangle?
- Medium has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Medium and On request for CrowdTangle.
- Does Medium or CrowdTangle run on more platforms?
- Medium runs on Web, Mobile. CrowdTangle runs on Web.
- Can I use Medium for free?
- Yes. Medium has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. CrowdTangle 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 CrowdTangle is typically brought in for.
- What can Medium do that CrowdTangle cannot?
- Medium covers Story publishing, Member program, Earning potential, Reading time estimates. CrowdTangle covers Social listening, Viral content tracking, Competitor monitoring, Brand mention tracking. Both handle Twitter, Facebook, Web support.