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News & Media · head to head

Google News vs NewsBlur

Google News logo

Google News

News & Media

Comprehensive news coverage powered by Google

From
Free
Rated
-
NewsBlur logo

NewsBlur

News & Media

A personal news reader bringing people together

From
Free
Rated
-

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Google News google News is free with no paid tier at all; there is no subscription to compare, and Google monetises it through advertising and Showcase partnerships rather than a user fee; NewsBlur the free account is limited to 64 sites
  • They diverge on capability: Google News covers AI-powered curation, NewsBlur covers Intelligence training.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Google News and NewsBlur actually diverge.

Attributes where Google News and NewsBlur differ
AttributeGoogle NewsNewsBlur
Pricing modelfreefreemium
Founded19982010

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web, Ios, Android), 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 Google News

  • AI-powered curation
  • Full coverage
  • Local news
  • Topic following
  • Newsstand
  • Google account
  • Google Assistant
  • Chrome

Only in NewsBlur

  • Intelligence training
  • Story sharing
  • Original site view
  • Text view
  • Blurblogs
  • Pocket
  • Instapaper
  • Evernote

Both cover

  • Web support
  • Ios support
  • Android support

What people use each for

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

Google News

  • News consumptionnot NewsBlur
  • Topic trackingnot NewsBlur
  • Local newsnot NewsBlur
  • Researchnot NewsBlur

NewsBlur

  • Reading RSS feeds with training that filters by author, tag or titlenot Google News
  • Archiving full article content from followed sitesnot Google News
  • Following a large number of feeds with fast refreshnot Google News

Where each one falls short

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

Google News

  • Google News is free with no paid tier at all; there is no subscription to compare, and Google monetises it through advertising and Showcase partnerships rather than a user fee

NewsBlur

  • The free account is limited to 64 sites
  • Search and text view extraction require Premium at $36 per year
  • Premium is capped at 1,024 sites and Premium Archive at 4,096 sites
  • Full content archiving and the Daily Briefing require Premium Archive at $99 per year
  • The fastest 5 to 15 minute feed refresh and regex training require Premium Pro at $29 per month
  • Site following is capped at 10,000 even on the top tier

Pricing, plan by plan

Google News

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Personalized news feed
    • Full coverage feature
    • Local news

NewsBlur

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 64 sites
    • Basic training
    • Web and mobile
  • Premium$36/year
    • Unlimited sites
    • Full training
    • Priority updates

Which should you pick?

Choose Google News if

  • You need ai-powered curation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want full coverage.

Choose NewsBlur if

  • You need intelligence training.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want story sharing.

Questions people ask

Is Google News or NewsBlur better?
Neither clearly leads. Google News starts at Free and NewsBlur at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Google News or NewsBlur?
Google News starts at Free and NewsBlur at Free.
Does Google News or NewsBlur run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, Ios, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Google News for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Google News best used for?
Google News is most often used for news consumption, topic tracking, local news, research. Of those, news consumption and topic tracking are not what NewsBlur is typically brought in for.
What can Google News do that NewsBlur cannot?
Google News covers AI-powered curation, Full coverage, Local news, Topic following. NewsBlur covers Intelligence training, Story sharing, Original site view, Text view. Both handle Web support, Ios support, Android support.

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