As developers, we read a lot.
Whether it's tutorials, architecture discussions, AI research, or engineering blogs, Medium is home to a huge amount of valuable content. Unfortunately, many articles eventually run into the member-only prompt, interrupting the reading experience.
I wanted a simpler workflow.
Instead of manually copying a Medium URL, opening Freedium, and pasting the link every time, I built a Chrome extension that automates the process.
Introducing Freedium – Read Medium Articles Free
This extension detects the current Medium article and lets you open it in Freedium with a single click.
No copying URLs.
No switching tabs.
Just click and continue reading.
Why I Built It
My normal workflow looked like this:
- Open a Medium article.
- Hit the member-only prompt.
- Open Freedium.
- Paste the article URL.
- Wait for the page to load.
It only takes a minute, but repeating it multiple times a day gets annoying.
This extension removes those repetitive steps.
Features
- 🚀 One-click access to Freedium
- ⚡ Lightweight Chrome extension
- 🧩 No account required
- 🔗 Automatically detects the current Medium article
- 🎯 Simple and minimal interface
- 💻 Open source
How It Works
The extension simply:
- Detects when you're viewing a Medium article.
- Retrieves the current page URL.
- Opens the corresponding Freedium page in a new tab.
That's it.
No tracking.
No complex background services.
Just a small utility that saves a few clicks every day.
Installation
Install it directly from the Chrome Web Store:
Chrome Extension
https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/freedium-read-medium-arti/fmjhglncijcinacolmmaepghmgcloljf
Source Code
The project is completely open source.
GitHub Repository:
https://github.com/therohanparmar/medium-to-freedium
Feel free to:
- ⭐ Star the repository
- 🐛 Report issues
- 💡 Suggest improvements
- 🔀 Submit pull requests
Tech Stack
The extension is built using:
- JavaScript
- HTML
- CSS
- Chrome Extensions API (Manifest V3)
Keeping the codebase simple makes it easy for anyone to contribute or customize.
Future Ideas
Some enhancements I'm considering include:
- Support for Firefox and Edge
- Keyboard shortcuts
- Context menu integration
- Automatic redirection (optional)
- Better UI and user preferences
If you have other ideas, I'd love to hear them.
Disclaimer
This extension does not modify Medium or bypass authentication. It simply streamlines the process of opening the current Medium article in Freedium. Whether an article is accessible depends on Freedium's service and Medium's policies.
Final Thoughts
Sometimes the best developer tools aren't large frameworks or AI assistants—they're tiny utilities that remove repetitive friction from your daily workflow.
If you're someone who frequently reads Medium articles, I hope this extension saves you a few clicks and makes your reading experience a little smoother.
If you find it useful, consider giving the project a ⭐ on GitHub or contributing to the repository.
Happy reading! 📚
Top comments (2)
Neat idea! Such a simple extension, but it removes a surprisingly common friction point. Nice work turning a daily annoyance into a one-click solution. 👏
Love seeing developers build tools that remove friction instead of adding features. Simple, useful, and something I'd actually install. 👌