Software · head to head
Medium vs Feedbin
Medium
Software
The best place to read and write stories on the internet
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Feedbin
Software
A fast, simple RSS reader focused on readability
- 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; Feedbin there is no free tier: after a 30 day trial the service costs $7 a month or $70 a year
- They diverge on capability: Medium covers Story publishing, Feedbin covers RSS feeds.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Medium and Feedbin 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 Feedbin
- RSS feeds
- Email newsletters
- Twitter integration
- YouTube subscriptions
- Full-text search
- Instapaper
- Pinboard
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 Feedbin
- Reading long-form writing across technology, culture and newsnot Feedbin
- Earning from writing through the Medium Partner Programnot Feedbin
Feedbin
- Reading and syncing RSS feeds across devicesnot Medium
- Subscribing to email newsletters at a dedicated addressnot Medium
- Following YouTube channels and podcasts in a readernot 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
Feedbin
- There is no free tier: after a 30 day trial the service costs $7 a month or $70 a year
- The service is a paid hosted account only, with no free reader mode
Pricing, plan by plan
Medium
Free- FreeFree
- Unlimited reading
- Publishing platform
- Story drafts
- Medium Membership$5/month
- Unlimited access
- Exclusive stories
- Member earnings
Feedbin
On request- Monthly$5/month
- Unlimited feeds
- Email newsletters
- Twitter feeds
- Yearly$50/year
- All monthly features
- 2 months free
- Priority support
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 Feedbin if
- You need rss feeds.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want email newsletters.
Questions people ask
- Is Medium or Feedbin better?
- Neither clearly leads. Medium starts at Free and Feedbin at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Medium or Feedbin?
- Medium has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Medium and On request for Feedbin.
- Does Medium or Feedbin run on more platforms?
- Medium runs on Web, Mobile. Feedbin runs on Web, Ios, Android.
- Can I use Medium for free?
- Yes. Medium has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Feedbin 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 Feedbin is typically brought in for.
- What can Medium do that Feedbin cannot?
- Medium covers Story publishing, Member program, Earning potential, Reading time estimates. Feedbin covers RSS feeds, Email newsletters, Twitter integration, YouTube subscriptions. Both handle Web support.