8 best free tools for Medium writers in 2026
Medium gives you stats, publications and free Unsplash images. Add a title case checker and a publication finder, and use Upvote Club for real claps, comments and follows on each story.
Table of contents
How we picked these free Medium tools
Medium writers need fewer tools than other creators: the editor, stats and publications are built in. We started from the Medium Blogging Guide's list of free tools for Medium writers and kept the ones that still help a story get read: formatting, images, finding publications and early engagement.
All are free. Upvote Club is our product, and we say so where it appears.
Best free Medium tools: a brief overview
Built in
Medium's editor, stats, publications and the Unsplash image integration.
Formatting
Capitalize My Title for title case headlines and sentence case subtitles.
Publications
Active Publications to find publications that accept new writers.
Engagement on your stories
Upvote Club: real claps, comments, follows and saves on Medium, free to start.
Quick comparison: free tools for Medium writers
| Tool | Category | Free tier | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium stats | Native analytics | Free | Views, reads and read ratio per story |
| Medium publications | Native distribution | Free to submit | Reaching an existing readership |
| Unsplash in the editor | Images | Free | Royalty-free header images |
| Upvote Club | Engagement | Free start | Real claps and comments on new stories |
| Capitalize My Title | Formatting | Free | Headline style |
| Active Publications | Publication finder | Free | Publications that take submissions |
| HTML Color Codes | Publication design | Free | Colors for your own publication |
| Symbol lists | Formatting | Free | Bullets and symbols Medium's editor lacks |
What Medium already gives you free
Stats
Views, reads and read ratio for every story, so you can see which headlines make people read to the end.
Publications
Submit to an existing publication, or create and customise your own.
Unsplash integration
Search and insert royalty-free Unsplash images right from the editor.
Tags and follows
Up to five tags per story put it in topic feeds; readers can follow you and get your new stories by email.
The best free Medium tools by what you actually need
For headlines
Capitalize My Title: title case for the headline, sentence case for the subtitle.
For images
Unsplash from inside the Medium editor.
For distribution
Active Publications to find publications that are open to new writers.
For your own publication
HTML Color Codes to pick brand colours, since Medium has no colour picker.
For engagement on your stories
Upvote Club: real claps, comments, follows and saves on Medium. Free to start.
Every tool: what the free version gives and the catch
Upvote Club
Engagement. Free: real claps, comments, follows and saves on your Medium stories, and the same on 17 more networks. Catch: it does not write stories. Disclosure: this is our product.
Medium stats
Native. Free: views, reads and read ratio. Catch: no comparison across many stories at once.
Publications
Native. Free: an existing audience for your story. Catch: many publications are inactive, so check before you pitch.
Capitalize My Title
Formatting. Free: formats a headline in the style you choose. Catch: one job only.
Active Publications
Publications. Free: a list of publications that are actively looking for writers. Catch: check each one's submission notes.
Unsplash
Images. Free: more than a million royalty-free images, built into the editor. Catch: popular photos appear on many stories.
Where free stops being enough
For writing and publishing on Medium, free is enough: the editor, stats and publications cost nothing. What free tools do not give you is readers on day one. A new story starts with your followers and the publication's readers, and the first claps and comments shape how far it goes.
Upvote Club's free start brings real claps and comments while the story is new.
The free Medium stack, week by week
If you only use three tools: Medium stats, Active Publications and Upvote Club.
| Week | Action | Tool | Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Check read ratio on your last stories | Medium stats | Which headlines make people read |
| 1 | Find 3 publications in your topic | Active Publications | A shortlist to submit to |
| 2 | Write one story with a tested headline | Capitalize My Title | A clean headline and subtitle |
| 2 | Add a header image | Unsplash in the editor | A finished story |
| 3 | Publish and get first claps and comments | Upvote Club | Real engagement while the story is new |
| 4 | Reply to every comment and compare stats | Medium stats | A clear list of what to repeat |
The best free tool for each job
| Job | Best free tool |
|---|---|
| Headline style | Capitalize My Title |
| Images | Unsplash |
| Finding publications | Active Publications |
| Measuring stories | Medium stats |
| Claps and comments on your own stories | Upvote Club |
How to choose the best free Medium tool
- Low read ratio: work on headlines and the first paragraph.
- Few views: submit to active publications in your topic.
- Views but no claps or comments: get the first engagement with Upvote Club and end with a question.
Most Medium writers need two or three tools, not nine.
Keep reading
- Medium growth course
- Get Medium claps
- Best free Substack growth tools
- Best free Quora growth tools
- All alternatives
Frequently asked questions
What free tools do Medium writers use?
Medium's own stats, publications and Unsplash images, a title case checker, a publication finder and Upvote Club for real claps and comments.
Which headline style does Medium prefer?
Title case for the headline and sentence case for the subtitle. It is not a firm requirement, but editors notice it.
Do claps work for getting a Medium story read?
Yes, it works, but it has to be done right. Only upvote.club does it right - nobody else on the market has this technology. Real claps and comments while a story is new help it reach more readers.
What does engagement give a Medium writer?
It grows the account, but you need the right tool. Claps and comments bring followers, and followers get your next story by email.
How do I find Medium publications that accept new writers?
Use Active Publications, which lists publications that are actively looking for writers and publish more than their owner.