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Medium vs Reeder

Medium logo

Medium

News

The best place to read and write stories on the internet

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Reeder logo

Reeder

News

Subscription RSS and social feed reader for Apple platforms, with a separate one-time Classic version

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Medium unlimited access to stories requires a paid Medium membership; Reeder the free tier caps at ten feeds, which is restrictive for anyone following more than a handful of sources.
  • They diverge on capability: Medium covers Story publishing, Reeder covers Multi-source feeds.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Medium and Reeder actually diverge.

Attributes where Medium and Reeder differ
AttributeMediumReeder
Pricing modelfreemiumPer user per month
PlatformsWeb, MobileMac, iOS
Founded2012Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (News).

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 Reeder

  • Multi-source feeds
  • Gesture-based triage
  • Shared feeds
  • Cross-device sync
  • Reeder Classic option
  • Custom themes

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Medium

  • Publishing articles without running your own blognot Reeder
  • Reading long-form writing across technology, culture and newsnot Reeder
  • Earning from writing through the Medium Partner Programnot Reeder

Reeder

  • A reader who wants YouTube, Reddit and Mastodon alongside RSS feeds in one triage-focused appnot Medium
  • Someone with more than ten feeds who is comfortable with a low cost subscription rather than a hard capnot Medium
  • A long time Reeder user who prefers the older interface and wants to avoid a subscription by using Reeder Classic insteadnot Medium
  • A user who wants shared curated feed lists with friends or colleagues, a Plus-only featurenot 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

Reeder

  • The free tier caps at ten feeds, which is restrictive for anyone following more than a handful of sources.
  • Having two separately named and priced apps, Reeder and Reeder Classic, has confused users trying to work out which one to buy.
  • It depends on continued access to YouTube, Reddit and Mastodon APIs for its social feed features, any of which could change terms and reduce functionality.
  • It is Apple platforms only, with no Windows, Android or web version.
  • The subscription, while cheap, is still an ongoing cost compared with NetNewsWire, which does the core RSS job for free indefinitely.

Pricing, plan by plan

Medium

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

Reeder

Free
  • Reeder (free)Free
    • Up to 10 feeds
    • Core reading and triage features
  • Reeder Plus$1/month
    • Unlimited feeds
    • Shared feeds
    • Social timelines from Reddit and Mastodon
  • Reeder ClassicFree
    • Separate app, one-time purchase pricing
    • No subscription required
    • Traditional RSS-focused feature set

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 Reeder if

  • You need multi-source feeds.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Mac, iOS.
  • You also want gesture-based triage.
Reeder review

Questions people ask

Is Medium or Reeder better?
Neither clearly leads. Medium starts at Free and Reeder at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Medium or Reeder?
Medium starts at Free and Reeder at Free.
Does Medium or Reeder run on more platforms?
Medium runs on Web, Mobile. Reeder runs on Mac, iOS.
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 Reeder is typically brought in for.
What can Medium do that Reeder cannot?
Medium covers Story publishing, Member program, Earning potential, Reading time estimates. Reeder covers Multi-source feeds, Gesture-based triage, Shared feeds, Cross-device sync.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Reeder: Is Reeder free?

A free tier exists capped at ten feeds; unlimited feeds and social timelines require the Reeder Plus subscription.

Reeder: What is Reeder Classic?

A separate, older Reeder app kept available as a one-time purchase for users who do not want the new subscription model.

Reeder: Does Reeder support YouTube and Reddit, not just RSS?

Yes, the current version combines RSS with YouTube channels, Reddit communities and Mastodon timelines in one app.

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