News · alternatives
Alternatives to Microsoft Start
22 news tools sit alongside Microsoft Start in this directory. Below is what separates each from Microsoft Start on the figures we hold, price, model, tier count and rating, and a direct comparison for every one.
- Alternatives listed
- 22
- With a free tier
- 11
- Cheaper to start
- -
- Microsoft Start starts at
- Free
Why people look past Microsoft Start
Only what the record supports. Each point below is a figure on the Microsoft Start entry measured against the tools listed beside it.
There is only one tier
Microsoft Start publishes a single plan, Free at Free. There is no smaller tier to drop to if the fit is wrong or the budget moves.
What each alternative does differently
Ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry. Differences are drawn from price, pricing model, tier count and rating, the fields the category listing carries. For a feature-level difference, follow the head-to-head link on each card: those pages read both full records.
The all-in-one platform for newsletter creators
- Publishes an entry price of $43/month, where Microsoft Start does not.
- Sold on a freemium model rather than free.
- 4 tiers to Microsoft Start's 1.
Organize, read, and share content you care about
Priced and rated the same as Microsoft Start on the figures we hold. The difference, if there is one, is in the feature records.
The content reader for power users
- Publishes an entry price of $7.5/month, where Microsoft Start does not.
- Sold on a freemium model rather than free.
- 3 tiers to Microsoft Start's 1.
Real-time analytics for publishers
- No free tier, where Microsoft Start has one.
- Publishes an entry price of $1000/month, where Microsoft Start does not.
- Sold on a quote model rather than free.
Free open source RSS reader for Mac and iOS, with no subscription, no ads and no feed limit
- Sold on a Open source, no licence fee model rather than free.
Subscription RSS and social feed reader for Apple platforms, with a separate one-time Classic version
- Publishes an entry price of $10/year, where Microsoft Start does not.
- Sold on a Per user per month model rather than free.
- 3 tiers to Microsoft Start's 1.
Every Microsoft Start alternative at a glance
A dash means the catalogue entry carries no figure, not that the answer is nothing.
| Tool | Entry price | Model | Tiers | Head to head |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Start (this page) | Free | Free | 1 | |
| BeehiivThe all-in-one platform for newsletter creators | Free, then $43/month | Freemium | 4 | vs Microsoft Start |
| FeedlyOrganize, read, and share content you care about | Free | - | - | vs Microsoft Start |
| InoreaderThe content reader for power users | Free, then $7.5/month | Freemium | 3 | vs Microsoft Start |
| ChartbeatReal-time analytics for publishers | $1000/month | Quote | 1 | vs Microsoft Start |
| NetNewsWire | Free | Open source, no licence fee | 1 | vs Microsoft Start |
| Reeder | Free, then $10/year | Per user per month | 3 | vs Microsoft Start |
| ConvertKit | Free, then $33/month | Freemium | 3 | vs Microsoft Start |
| Ghost | Free, then $15/month | - | 4 | vs Microsoft Start |
| Google News | Free | Free | 1 | vs Microsoft Start |
| Free | Free | 1 | vs Microsoft Start | |
| Buttondown | Free, then $9/month | - | 2 | vs Microsoft Start |
| Artifact | Free | Free | 1 | vs Microsoft Start |
| GlobeNewswire | On request | Usage-based | 4 | vs Microsoft Start |
| Apple News | $12.99/month | Subscription | 2 | vs Microsoft Start |
| CrowdTangle | On request | Quote | 1 | vs Microsoft Start |
| Brightspot | On request | Quote | 1 | vs Microsoft Start |
| EIN Presswire | On request | Usage-based | 3 | vs Microsoft Start |
| Feedbin | On request | Subscription | 2 | vs Microsoft Start |
| Cision | On request | Subscription | 2 | vs Microsoft Start |
| Agility PR Solutions | On request | Subscription | 3 | vs Microsoft Start |
| Arc Publishing | On request | Quote | 1 | vs Microsoft Start |
| Ghost CMS | $18/month | Subscription | 4 | vs Microsoft Start |
Ratings are aggregated from third-party sources and imported with each catalogue entry; Softwr hosts no reviews of these products. How each figure is used is set out on the Microsoft Start badges page.
Cheaper ways to solve the same problem
Free to start (11)
These publish a tier that costs nothing, so they can be evaluated before any money changes hands.
- Beehiiv , Free, then $43/month
- Feedly , Free
- Inoreader , Free, then $7.5/month
- NetNewsWire , Free
- Reeder , Free, then $10/year
- ConvertKit , Free, then $33/month
- Ghost , Free, then $15/month
- Google News , Free
What you would be giving up
Microsoft Start is most often brought in for daily news, topic tracking, weather updates, quick information. Anything replacing it has to cover the ones you actually depend on, and a cheaper tool that misses one of them is not cheaper.
Two things this page cannot settle. It compares on price, model, tier count and rating, because those are the fields the category listing carries, feature-level differences need both full records, which is what the head-to-head pages load. And the ratings are third-party aggregates imported with each entry rather than reviews written here, so a 0.2 difference between two tools is noise rather than a finding.
If Microsoft Start is broadly right and the question is cost, the Microsoft Start pricing breakdown covers every tier and what each one adds. If you want the whole field rather than a shortlist, the News category lists everything the directory holds, and best news tools ranks them.
Microsoft Start runs on web, ios, android, windows. Platform coverage is not carried on the category listing for the alternatives, so it is one more thing to check on each head-to-head page rather than here.
Questions about Microsoft Start alternatives
- What are the main alternatives to Microsoft Start?
- 22 other news tools are listed in this directory, led by Beehiiv, Feedly, Inoreader, Chartbeat. They are ordered by the aggregated rating on each catalogue entry, not by any Softwr ranking.
- What is the best free alternative to Microsoft Start?
- 11 of the alternatives listed here can be used without paying: Beehiiv, Feedly, Inoreader, NetNewsWire, Reeder.
- Why do people look for an alternative to Microsoft Start?
- On the figures on record, one thing stands out: there is only one tier. Each is set out with the numbers behind it above.
- What would I give up by switching from Microsoft Start?
- Microsoft Start is most often brought in for daily news, topic tracking, weather updates, quick information. Anything you replace it with has to cover the ones you actually rely on, the side-by-side comparisons linked from each alternative below put the two feature records against each other.
- Is there an open-source alternative to Microsoft Start?
- None of the news tools listed here are recorded as open source. That is what the licence field on each entry says, and the field is not always filled in, so it is worth checking directly for any tool you are serious about.
- How were these Microsoft Start alternatives chosen?
- They are the tools filed in the same category, News, ordered by the aggregated rating on each entry. There is no editorial shortlist, and nothing on this page is paid: no sponsored placement runs on alternatives pages and the order cannot be bought. Softwr has not used these products.
- Where can I compare Microsoft Start against one of these directly?
- Every alternative below has a side-by-side page against Microsoft Start covering price, platforms, features and what each one is used for. Those pages read the full record for both products rather than the summary shown here.
- Does this list cover every news tool?
- No. It covers what this directory holds in the News category, 22 tools beside Microsoft Start. The category page lists the rest of the catalogue as it grows.