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Software · head to head

Medium vs Google News

Medium logo

Medium

Software

The best place to read and write stories on the internet

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Google News logo

Google News

Software

Comprehensive news coverage powered by Google

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Medium unlimited access to stories requires a paid Medium membership; Google News google News is free with no paid tier at all; there is no subscription to compare, and Google monetises it through advertising and Showcase partnerships rather than a user fee
  • They diverge on capability: Medium covers Story publishing, Google News covers AI-powered curation.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Medium and Google News actually diverge.

Attributes where Medium and Google News differ
AttributeMediumGoogle News
Pricing modelfreemiumfree
PlatformsWeb, MobileWeb, Ios, Android
Founded20121998

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Google News

  • AI-powered curation
  • Full coverage
  • Local news
  • Topic following
  • Newsstand
  • Google account
  • Google Assistant
  • Chrome

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 Google News
  • Reading long-form writing across technology, culture and newsnot Google News
  • Earning from writing through the Medium Partner Programnot Google News

Google News

  • News consumptionnot Medium
  • Topic trackingnot Medium
  • Local newsnot Medium
  • Researchnot 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

Google News

  • Google News is free with no paid tier at all; there is no subscription to compare, and Google monetises it through advertising and Showcase partnerships rather than a user fee

Pricing, plan by plan

Medium

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Unlimited reading
    • Publishing platform
    • Story drafts
  • Medium Membership$5/month
    • Unlimited access
    • Exclusive stories
    • Member earnings

Google News

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Personalized news feed
    • Full coverage feature
    • Local news

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.
Medium review

Choose Google News if

  • You need ai-powered curation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want full coverage.
Google News review

Questions people ask

Is Medium or Google News better?
Neither clearly leads. Medium starts at Free and Google News at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Medium or Google News?
Medium starts at Free and Google News at Free.
Does Medium or Google News run on more platforms?
Medium runs on Web, Mobile. Google News runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use Medium for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
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 Google News is typically brought in for.
What can Medium do that Google News cannot?
Medium covers Story publishing, Member program, Earning potential, Reading time estimates. Google News covers AI-powered curation, Full coverage, Local news, Topic following. Both handle Web support.
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