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Medium VS Total CMS

Compare Medium VS Total CMS and see what are their differences

Medium

Welcome to Medium, a place to read, write, and interact with the stories that matter most to you.

Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Open source
Alternatives Is it good?
Total CMS

A flat-file PHP CMS with a built-in MCP server. No database, any PHP host, and clients edit only the parts you choose, so your design holds.

Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Paid Free trial $195 / One-off (Standard)
Alternatives Is it good?
Botonomous.ai
A social network where all content is created by AI bots. Humans read, react, and discover — bots post, discuss, and moderate. sponsored

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, Medium seems to be more popular. It has been mentioned 3148 times since March 2021.

social mentions
3,148 vs 0
Blogging popularity
100% vs 0%
alternatives listed
240+ vs 15

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

Medium
Total CMS
Website medium.com totalcms.co
Pricing
Open source
Paid Free trial $195 / One-off (Standard) Official pricing
Platforms —
Web PHP
Company Startup from the United States Startup from the United States · 1 - 9 employees · 2015
Listed in
Blogging Blogging Platform CMS Blogging Tools +1
Website Design Website Builder CMS Self-Hosted CMS MCP Servers Blogging AI +4

About Medium and Total CMS

In their own words, as submitted to SaaSHub.

Medium
Total CMS

No description of Medium yet.

Total CMS is a flat-file content management system for web professionals who build sites for other people. Content is stored as plain JSON or Markdown files on your own server, with no database to install, configure, or migrate. Drop it on any PHP 8.2+ host, or install with Composer, and it runs....

Read more about Total CMS

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

Medium 5 features
Total CMS 16 features
  • User-Friendly Interface
    Medium offers an easy-to-use interface that makes it simple for anyone to start writing and publishing content without any technical knowledge.
  • Built-in Audience
    The platform has a large and active user base, so new content has the potential to reach a wide audience quickly.
  • Publishing Tools
    Medium provides versatile publishing tools that support text, images, and various media formats, which helps in creating rich and engaging content.
  • SEO Benefits
    Articles posted on Medium tend to rank well in search engine results, thanks to the platform's high domain authority.
  • Community and Interaction
    Medium encourages reader engagement through comments, claps, and highlights, fostering a sense of community among writers and readers.

Possible disadvantages

  • Monetization
    While Medium has a Partner Program, it may not be as lucrative as other methods of monetization available on independent blogging platforms.
  • Control and Customization
    Medium offers limited customization options compared to dedicated blog platforms like WordPress, restricting how you can brand and personalize your blog.
  • Content Ownership
    By publishing on Medium, you agree to their terms and conditions, which may include giving up some control over how your content is used and distributed.
  • Paywall Issues
    Some articles are placed behind a paywall, which might limit the reach of your content if you want it to be freely accessible to everyone.
  • Dependency on Platform
    Relying solely on Medium means that any changes to the platform's policies or algorithms can directly impact your reach and engagement.
  • No database
    Content is stored as JSON or Markdown files on your own server
  • Any PHP host
    Runs on PHP 8.2+ shared hosting or a VPS; install by upload or Composer
  • Client-safe editing
    Clients edit only the fields you choose, so the design stays as built
  • Custom schemas
    Design your own content types and fields (Pro)
  • Built-in MCP server
    AI tools read the site's real schemas and version-matched docs; Pro adds writes, OAuth and API keys
  • One-line SEO
    Meta tags, Open Graph, canonical URLs and structured data from a single Twig call
  • Content versioning
    Every save keeps the previous version, restorable at any time
  • Access groups
    One permission system governing both people and AI agents
  • REST API
    Same-origin on Standard; external access with API keys on Pro
  • Twig templating
    130+ custom filters and functions
  • Site Builder
    Create pages, routes and templates from the admin
  • Image processing
    Resize, crop, convert and watermark images on the fly
  • Extensions
    Add features with first- and third-party extensions
  • Automations
    Run handlers on schedules, webhooks or content events (Pro)
  • Multilingual
    Per-locale content with fallback; admin available in seven languages
  • One-time license
    Priced per domain with two years of updates; no subscription

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

Medium
Total CMS

Overall verdict

  • Medium can be considered a good platform for those who enjoy a wide array of content and appreciate quality writing on diverse subjects. However, the value of Medium depends on individual preferences and whether the topics and writing styles align with what the reader is looking for.

Why this product is good

  • Medium offers a diverse range of articles from both professional and amateur writers, providing readers with numerous perspectives on various topics. Its clean user interface and ease of use make it an appealing platform for both writers and readers. The platform also supports monetization for writers, allowing them to earn from their content.

Recommended for

    Medium is recommended for avid readers seeking a variety of topics ranging from personal development to technology. It's also ideal for writers looking to publish their work to a broad audience and potentially earn revenue through the platform's Partner Program.

No analysis of Total CMS yet.

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

Medium 5 videos + Add
Total CMS 0 videos + Add

Medium Review - with Tom Vasel

More videos

  • - Starting a blog on Medium.com? Watch this FIRST.
  • - The Medium Review
  • - The Medium - Before You Buy
  • - I recommend: The Medium (Review)

No Total CMS videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
Medium
Total CMS
100% 100%
Blogging
0% 0%
0% 0%
Website Design
100% 100%
100% 100%
Blogging Platform
0% 0%
99% 99%
CMS
1% 1%

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing Medium and Total CMS.

What makes your product unique?

Total CMS's answer:

It combines things that usually come separately: flat-file storage with no database, an admin built for handing sites to clients, and an MCP server built into every install. Because the MCP server runs inside the app, AI tools read the documentation for the exact version installed, not whatever was current when they were trained.

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

Total CMS's answer:

If you build sites for clients, Total CMS is designed around the handoff: you decide exactly what clients can edit, and the design stays as built. It runs on any PHP host without a database, it's a one-time license rather than a subscription, and support comes directly from the developer who builds it. If you need something free and open source, other flat-file CMSs will suit you better.

How would you describe the primary audience of your product?

Total CMS's answer:

Web professionals who build sites for other people: freelancers, independent designers and small agencies. Also technical business owners who built their own site and need staff to update it safely, and developers who work with coding agents like Claude Code.

What's the story behind your product?

Total CMS's answer:

Total CMS started in 2015 as a way for web designers to make their sites editable by clients without a database. It grew to more than 4,500 licenses. In December 2025 it was rebuilt from scratch as Total CMS 3, a standalone PHP CMS that works with any front end. Version 3.5 added a built-in MCP server, Site Builder and extensions; 3.6 added one-line SEO and content versioning. It's built by Joe Workman under Aspect Services, LLC, founded in 2008.

Which are the primary technologies used for building your product?

Total CMS's answer:

PHP 8.2+, Slim 4, Twig 3, Symfony Console for the CLI, flat-file JSON and Markdown storage, Composer, HTMX, CodeMirror, and the Model Context Protocol with OAuth 2.1.

User comments

Share your experience with using Medium and Total CMS. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

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Reviews and articles

External articles and on-site reviews we used to compare the two products.

Medium no reviews yet
Total CMS no reviews yet

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We have no reviews of Total CMS yet. Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

Medium 3148 mentions
Total CMS 0 mentions
  • 3rd Yandex Cloud Data Center Was Hit
    It's also been instrumental in supplying Ukraine to the point they had to schedule Russian and Ukrainian delegations around each other in their factories when they were visiting at the same times. [0] China is the only true winner of... - Source: Hacker News / 1 day ago
  • The Early History of Smalltalk
    Yeah...wouldn't we all like to find a Tek 4404 :-)? You might like to live vicariously through this guy: https://medium.com/@adambillyard/restoring-an-ai-workstation-from-40-year-ago-125abb5c89b4. - Source: Hacker News / 6 days ago
  • How I built a chatbot that remembers you between sessions (Walrus Memory + Qwen on Groq)
    Originally published on Medium: https://medium.com/@quanghuyaz909/how-i-built-a-chatbot-that-remembers-you-between-sessions-walrus-memory-qwen-on-groq-c12d140845e9. - Source: dev.to / 7 days ago

View more

Tracking Total CMS since Oct 2026.

Alternatives to Medium and Total CMS

When comparing Medium and Total CMS, you can also consider the following products.

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