I’ve been reading Medium articles for years, so I’ve come up against the paywall blocking me from free content many times. Thankfully, I learned how to read Medium articles completely for free.
Here’s how to read Medium articles for free:
You can read Medium for free by using an incognito browser, legally logging into a paid member’s account, or creating multiple Medium accounts. You can also use the Telegram instant viewing feature, download the Read Medium Articles free Chrome extension, or pay for a Medium account by blogging.
In this article, you’ll learn everything you need to know about how to read Medium articles for free.
Can You Read Medium Articles for Free?
Yes, you can read Medium articles for free.
In fact, you can read 2-3 Medium articles each month for free without paying a dime. If that’s all you want to do, then you don’t need to do anything. You can carry on reading free Medium articles for the rest of your life.
But, to read all the Medium articles you want for free, you’re going to need to use one of the following methods.
How To Read Medium Articles for Free
You can read Medium articles for free by using a few sneaky strategies.
Each of these methods grants you unlimited access to the hundreds of thousands of articles published on Medium (and more every single day).
Use the Incognito Browser
You can unlock, access, and read Medium articles for free by using the incognito mode on your Chrome browser.
When you browse in incognito mode, your Chrome browser doesn’t save your browsing history, cookies, or other data. This means that Medium can’t track your activity and charge you for access to articles.
To use incognito mode, just open a new incognito window in Chrome.
You can do this by clicking the three dots in the top-right corner of the browser and selecting “New Incognito Window.” Then, when you visit Medium, you’ll be able to read articles for free.
Keep in mind that you might need to sign up for a free account to save articles for later.
But if you’re just looking to read a few articles right now, incognito mode is a great way to do it.
Use Multiple Medium Accounts
You can unlock Medium articles by using multiple accounts.
By creating multiple free accounts, you can then switch between them whenever you encounter a paywall. It’s a bit of a hassle to set up, and you won’t be able to use the same account all the time, but it’s a great way to read Medium articles for free.
To get started, create a new account on Medium.
Once you’ve done that, find an article that you want to read but that is behind a paywall. When you try to access the article, you’ll be prompted to start a free trial or sign up for a paid subscription.
At this point, you can switch to your other account and continue reading the article.
You can repeat this process as many times as you need to, switching between accounts whenever you encounter a paywall.
Use a Paid Member’s Account
You can read Medium articles for free by using the account of a paid member.
Paid members can read an unlimited number of free articles, so all you need to do is ask for permission to access someone’s account. Chances are one of your friends or family members is a paid member, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to find someone who will let you use their account.
If you only want to read Medium articles for free temporarily, then could be a good option for you.
Use the Telegram Instant View Feature
If you’ve ever tried to share an article from Medium on Telegram, you may have noticed the little “Instant view” button that appears.
When you click this button, you’ll be taken to a page where you can read the article right in Telegram’s interface without exiting the app. If you want to save time or prevent distractions, this is a great feature for you.
However, it can only be accessed when using Telegram on your cell phone.
Use the Read Medium for Free Chrome Extension
If you’re a fan of reading Medium articles but don’t want to pay for a monthly subscription, you may be interested in the Read Medium for Free Chrome Extension.
This extension is designed to allow you to read Medium articles without paying.
All you need to do is download and activate the extension on your computer. Some people report that the extension works perfectly, while others have experienced issues with it.
However, it is definitely worth trying if you read a lot of Medium articles.
Pay for Your Account With No-Brainer Blogging
You can read premium Medium articles for “free” by becoming a contributor to the platform.
If you make $5 per month from posting a few blog articles, then you effectively read Medium articles for free. If you make more than $5, you are then getting paid to read articles.
You can actually make a lot of money from Medium.
Here is a good video about how to read Medium articles for free:
How To Read Medium Articles For Free on Your Mobile Phone
The easiest way to read Medium articles for free on your Mobile phone is to open up an incognito browser.
It’s simple, fast, and only takes a few seconds.
I currently pay for Medium but this is the method I would use if I didn’t have a subscription.
If that doesn’t work, you can also use the Telegram app and Instant View feature.
What’s the Easiest Way to Read Medium Articles for Free?
The easiest way to read Medium articles for free is to copy and paste the article URL.
Specifically, you would:
- Copy the URL
- Press CTRL + SHIFT + N
- Then paste the URL into an Incognito Chrome Browser
That should work like a charm.
Final Thoughts: How To Read Medium Articles for Free
Of course, you could always just subscribe for yourself.
Is Medium worth it? Yes, for sure.
A monthly subscription only costs $5, which is less than the cost of a large coffee at Starbucks. And if you really don’t want to pay for more than a month, you can always cancel after a month.
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