News & Media · head to head
Google News vs Substack
Google News
News & Media
Comprehensive news coverage powered by Google
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Substack
News & Media
The newsletter platform for writers and publishers
- 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; Substack substack takes a 10% cut of subscription revenue (writers keep 90%), plus separate credit card processing fees
- They diverge on capability: Google News covers AI-powered curation, Substack covers Newsletter publishing.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Google News and Substack actually diverge.
| Attribute | Google News | Substack |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | free | freemium |
| Platforms | Web, Ios, Android | Web, Mobile |
| Founded | 1998 | 2017 |
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 Google News
- AI-powered curation
- Full coverage
- Local news
- Topic following
- Newsstand
- Google account
- Google Assistant
- Chrome
Only in Substack
- Newsletter publishing
- Subscriber management
- Paid subscriptions
- Email analytics
- Post scheduling
- Archive creation
- Free/paid tier split
- Comments & discussion
Both cover
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Google News
- News consumptionnot Substack
- Topic trackingnot Substack
- Local newsnot Substack
- Researchnot Substack
Substack
- Newsletter distributionnot Google News
- Reader monetizationnot Google News
- Community buildingnot Google News
- Subscriber managementnot 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
Substack
- Substack takes a 10% cut of subscription revenue (writers keep 90%), plus separate credit card processing fees
Pricing, plan by plan
Google News
Free- FreeFree
- Personalized news feed
- Full coverage feature
- Local news
Substack
Free- FreeFree
- Unlimited newsletters
- Basic design
- Archive access
- Pro$12/month
- Custom domain
- Advanced analytics
- Member chat
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 Substack if
- You need newsletter publishing.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Mobile.
- You also want subscriber management.
Questions people ask
- Is Google News or Substack better?
- Neither clearly leads. Google News starts at Free and Substack at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Google News or Substack?
- Google News starts at Free and Substack at Free.
- Does Google News or Substack run on more platforms?
- Google News runs on Web, Ios, Android. Substack runs on Web, Mobile.
- 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 Substack is typically brought in for.
- What can Google News do that Substack cannot?
- Google News covers AI-powered curation, Full coverage, Local news, Topic following. Substack covers Newsletter publishing, Subscriber management, Paid subscriptions, Email analytics. Both handle Web support.