How to Lower Your Medium Costs
2026 Cost Reduction Guide
Current Pricing
Medium costs $15.00 per month as of February 2026.
Medium does not offer retention discounts. Manage your membership from your account settings.
You can downgrade plans or cancel entirely through your account settings. No negotiation available.
What Happens When You Cancel Medium
How to cancel
Settings → Membership → Manage subscription → Cancel
Steps (3 screens)
- 1Log in at Medium.com
- 2Click profile picture (top right) → Settings
- 3Scroll to Membership section
- 4Click 'Manage subscription'
- 5Click 'Cancel membership'
- 6Confirm cancellation on the next screen
What they'll try to keep you
In-flow discount offer?
❌ No
Win-back email after?
❌ No
Access after cancel
Full access continues until end of current billing period. No mid-cycle refunds.
Your data
Your profile, publications, stories, and reading history are preserved indefinitely after cancellation.
Straightforward cancellation with no retention tactics. If you subscribed via iOS or Android app, you must cancel through Apple/Google subscription settings instead — canceling in the Medium app alone won't stop billing.
Medium's $5/month membership has been the same price since 2017 — making it one of the most stable subscriptions in tech. Before optimizing, check if you're on the right tier: the $15/month Friend of Medium plan has identical reading features to the $5 Member plan (the extra $10 just contributes more to writers). If you read fewer than 5 paywalled articles per month, the free tier's 3-article limit may be enough. Students save 25% via UNiDAYS verification, and the annual plan ($50/yr = $4.17/mo) saves 17% over monthly billing.
Quick Wins
Medium Subscription
Digital publishing platform with member stories.
Medium Price History
Tracking: Medium Member (monthly)
| Date | Price |
|---|---|
| 2017-03 | $5.00 |
| 2020-01 | $5.00 |
| 2023-01 | $5.00 |
| 2023-11 | $5.00 |
| 2026-01 | $5.00 |
Price forecast
Medium has held $5/month for 9 years — one of the most stable subscription prices in tech. The Friend of Medium tier ($15/mo) was added in 2023 as an optional premium, not a replacement. No increase expected near-term.
Best time to subscribe
Annual plan ($50/year = $4.17/mo) saves 17% vs monthly. Students get 25% off through UNiDAYS verification.
How to Pay Less for Medium
Save up to $15.00/month with these proven strategies
Hidden Discounts (2)
Students get 25% off one year of Medium membership through UNiDAYS verification. Must redeem on desktop or mobile web (not app store).
College/university students age 16+ in US, Canada, UK, Australia, NZ, Ireland
Apply nowAnnual plan at $50/year ($4.17/mo) saves 17% compared to monthly billing at $5/mo ($60/yr).
All subscribers
Apply nowPlan Downgrade Opportunity
The $5/mo Member plan has identical reading features to the $15/mo Friend tier. Friend of Medium only increases how much writers earn from your reads. Unless you specifically want to support writers 4x more, downgrade to Member and save $10/mo ($120/yr).
- 3 free member-only articles per month
- Unlimited access to free (non-paywalled) content
- Can publish unlimited stories for free
- Unlimited access to all stories
- Audio versions of articles
- Support writers you read (earnings based on read time)
Free Alternatives (3)
Substack (free newsletters)
Most Substack newsletters are free to read. If you follow specific writers, check if they publish on Substack — you may not need Medium's broad platform access at all.
Medium Free Tier (3 articles/month)
Non-members can read up to 3 member-only articles per month for free. If you read fewer than 3 articles monthly, the free tier is sufficient.
Library Digital Access (PressReader, Libby)
Many public libraries offer free access to newspapers, magazines, and digital publications through PressReader and Libby. Different content than Medium but covers general reading needs.
Best Strategy:
At $5/month, Medium is cheap — but the real question is whether you read enough to justify it. Check your reading stats (Profile → Stats): if you read fewer than 5 articles/month, the free tier covers you. If you're on Friend of Medium ($15/mo), downgrade to Member ($5/mo) for identical reading features and save $120/year.
Do I actually need this news subscription?
Use this framework to evaluate whether Medium is worth keeping.
Reading 10+ articles per week from this source
Keep it — you're an active reader getting real value. But never pay full price — cancel and wait for a retention offer or win-back email.
Reading 2–5 articles per week
Check if your local library offers free digital access (many partner with NYT, WSJ, etc). Apple News+ ($12.99) bundles hundreds of publications.
Mostly reading headlines or sharing links
You don't need a subscription for that. Most headlines are free, and incognito/private browsing often bypasses soft paywalls.
Subscribed to 3+ news publications
Pick your top one and cancel the rest. Consider Apple News+ as a bundle alternative. Rotate subscriptions quarterly to different publications.
Medium vs Alternatives — Feature Comparison
Writing & Reading Platforms
| Feature | medium | substack | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly Cost | $5/mo ($4.17 annual) | Free to read most content | Free (Premium $4.99/mo) |
| Content Model | Platform-curated articles from 100M+ writers | Subscribe to individual writers/newsletters | Save & read articles from any source |
| Free Article Access | Limited (3 free articles/mo for non-members) | Most content free; some writers paywall | Unlimited saving; reading always free |
| Student Discount | 25% off via UNiDAYS | No | No |
| Writer Earnings | Paid per member read time | Direct subscriber payments (90% to writer) | N/A — reading tool only |
| Best For | Diverse topic browsing, discovery | Following specific writers/experts | Saving articles for later reading |
Verdict: Medium ($5/mo) is worth it only if you read broadly across many topics and writers. If you follow specific writers, check if they publish on Substack (free). For casual reading, Pocket Free + library access to publications covers most needs at $0.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Medium worth $5/month in 2026?
At $5/month (unchanged since 2017), Medium is one of the cheapest content subscriptions available. It's worth it if you read 5+ paywalled articles per month and enjoy discovering diverse topics from 100M+ writers. If you read fewer than 3 articles monthly, the free tier (3 member-only articles/month) is sufficient. Check your reading stats at Profile → Stats to see your actual usage before deciding. The $15/month Friend of Medium tier has identical reading features — the extra $10 only increases how much writers earn from your reads.
Medium Member ($5/mo) vs Friend of Medium ($15/mo) — what's the difference?
The reading experience is identical. Both tiers get unlimited access to all stories, audio versions, offline reading, and the ability to highlight and respond. The only difference: Friend of Medium contributes 4x more to writers you read and adds a profile badge. Unless you specifically want to support writers financially, the $5/mo Member plan gives you everything you need. Downgrading from Friend to Member saves $120/year with zero loss of features.
Does Medium offer a student discount?
Yes. College and university students (age 16+) in the US, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland get 25% off one year of membership through UNiDAYS. Create a free UNiDAYS account, verify with your school email, then visit Medium's UNiDAYS page to apply the discount. Important: must be redeemed on desktop or mobile web — not through the app store. The annual plan with student discount drops to about $37.50/year ($3.13/mo).
What are the best free alternatives to Medium?
For following specific writers: Substack (most newsletters are free to read — only some writers paywall content). For broad reading: Medium's own free tier allows 3 member-only articles/month. For news and journalism: library digital access via PressReader or Libby provides free access to newspapers and magazines with a library card. For technical content: dev.to and Hashnode are free developer-focused alternatives. The key question is what you use Medium for — if you follow specific writers, check if they also publish on free platforms.
How do I cancel Medium membership?
On web: Settings → Membership → Manage subscription → Cancel membership → Confirm. Takes 3-4 clicks. Medium does NOT offer retention discounts — it's a straightforward cancellation with no guilt screens or negotiation. Your access continues until the end of your billing period, and your profile, stories, and reading history are preserved indefinitely. If you subscribed through the iOS or Android app, you must cancel through Apple/Google subscription settings — the Medium website can't cancel app store subscriptions.
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About Medium: Digital publishing platform with member stories.