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News & Media · head to head

Apple News vs SmartNews

Apple News logo

Apple News

News & Media

All the news you want. From sources you trust.

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
SmartNews logo

SmartNews

News & Media

Local news and breaking news from top sources

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Apple News apple News+ costs $12.99 per month in USD after the first month, or is included only via the $39.95 per month USD Apple One Premier bundle; SmartNews the core app is free, but a premium tier called SmartNews+ exists for business news and coupon aggregation, with no price published on the homepage
  • They diverge on capability: Apple News covers Curated news feed, SmartNews covers Machine learning curation.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Apple News and SmartNews actually diverge.

Attributes where Apple News and SmartNews differ
AttributeApple NewsSmartNews
Pricing modelfreemiumfree
PlatformsIos, MacosIos, Android
Founded19762012

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (News & Media).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Apple News

  • Curated news feed
  • Premium magazines
  • Audio stories
  • Personalization
  • iCloud
  • Apple One bundle
  • Siri
  • Spotlight

Only in SmartNews

  • Machine learning curation
  • Smart Mode
  • Local news
  • Breaking alerts
  • Social sharing
  • News publishers
  • Android support

Both cover

  • Offline reading
  • Ios support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Apple News

  • Daily news readingnot SmartNews
  • Magazine subscriptionnot SmartNews
  • News discoverynot SmartNews
  • Staying informednot SmartNews

SmartNews

  • Daily newsnot Apple News
  • Local newsnot Apple News
  • Breaking newsnot Apple News
  • Quick readingnot Apple News

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Apple News

  • Apple News+ costs $12.99 per month in USD after the first month, or is included only via the $39.95 per month USD Apple One Premier bundle

SmartNews

  • The core app is free, but a premium tier called SmartNews+ exists for business news and coupon aggregation, with no price published on the homepage

Pricing, plan by plan

Apple News

Free
  • Apple NewsFree
    • Free news articles
    • Personalized feed
    • Topic following
  • Apple News+$12.99/month
    • Premium magazines
    • Major newspapers
    • Audio stories

SmartNews

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Trending news
    • Local news
    • Smart Mode reading

Which should you pick?

Choose Apple News if

  • You need curated news feed.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Ios, Macos.
  • You also want premium magazines.
Apple News review

Choose SmartNews if

  • You need machine learning curation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Ios, Android.
  • You also want smart mode.
SmartNews review

Questions people ask

Is Apple News or SmartNews better?
Neither clearly leads. Apple News starts at Free and SmartNews at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Apple News or SmartNews?
Apple News starts at Free and SmartNews at Free.
Does Apple News or SmartNews run on more platforms?
Apple News runs on Ios, Macos. SmartNews runs on Ios, Android.
Can I use Apple News for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Apple News best used for?
Apple News is most often used for daily news reading, magazine subscription, news discovery, staying informed. Of those, daily news reading and magazine subscription are not what SmartNews is typically brought in for.
What can Apple News do that SmartNews cannot?
Apple News covers Curated news feed, Premium magazines, Audio stories, Personalization. SmartNews covers Machine learning curation, Smart Mode, Local news, Breaking alerts. Both handle Offline reading, Ios support.
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