How to read Medium for free

How the Medium paywall works

Paywall type: Medium story

Medium lets writers mark stories as member-only. Non-members get a few member-only stories a month, then see a prompt to join. Many publications that look like their own sites, such as Towards Data Science and Better Programming, also run on Medium.

Because Medium is a platform rather than a newspaper, the best route is a reader built for it.

What works best for Medium

The options most likely to work for medium.com links, best first:

1. Freedium. A reader made for Medium’s member-only stories. Break Paywall puts it first for Medium links.
2. Archive.today. A good fallback when Freedium is down or a story will not load.
3. Wayback Machine. Useful for older posts and stories that have since been deleted.

Results change as publishers and archives change. For a closer look at each option, see every method compared.

Legitimate free access to Medium

• Friend links. Writers can share a friend link that lets anyone read a member-only story. Many writers post these on social media or their own sites.
• Ask the writer. Most Medium writers are happy to send a friend link if you ask.
• Free monthly stories. Non-members still get a few member-only stories each month.

If you read Medium most days, a subscription is the most dependable option and supports the reporting.

Questions about reading Medium

Guides for other sites

• The Wall Street Journal
• The New York Times
• Bloomberg
• The Financial Times
• The Economist
• The Atlantic