News & Media · head to head
Google News vs The Old Reader

Google News
News & Media
Comprehensive news coverage powered by Google
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- They diverge on capability: Google News covers AI-powered curation, The Old Reader covers RSS reading.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Google News and The Old Reader actually diverge.
| Attribute | Google News | The Old Reader |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | free | freemium |
| Founded | 1998 | 2012 |
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 The Old Reader
- RSS reading
- Social sharing
- Following friends
- Keyboard shortcuts
- OPML import/export
- Third-party apps
- Browser bookmarklet
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 The Old Reader
- Topic trackingnot The Old Reader
- Local newsnot The Old Reader
- Researchnot The Old Reader
The Old Reader
- RSS readingnot Google News
- News aggregationnot Google News
- Social readingnot 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
The Old Reader
Nothing recorded yet. See the The Old Reader review.
Pricing, plan by plan
Google News
Free- FreeFree
- Personalized news feed
- Full coverage feature
- Local news
The Old Reader
Free- FreeFree
- 100 subscriptions
- Social features
- Web access
- Premium$3/month
- 500 subscriptions
- Search history
- Priority refresh
- Supporter$5/month
- Unlimited subscriptions
- All premium features
- Support development
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 The Old Reader if
- You need rss reading.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want social sharing.
Questions people ask
- Is Google News or The Old Reader better?
- Neither clearly leads. Google News starts at Free and The Old Reader at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Google News or The Old Reader?
- Google News starts at Free and The Old Reader at Free.
- Does Google News or The Old Reader 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 The Old Reader is typically brought in for.
- What can Google News do that The Old Reader cannot?
- Google News covers AI-powered curation, Full coverage, Local news, Topic following. The Old Reader covers RSS reading, Social sharing, Following friends, Keyboard shortcuts. Both handle Web support, Ios support, Android support.
Related pages
More on Google News
More on The Old Reader
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- The Old Reader vs Beehiiv
- The Old Reader vs Feedly
- The Old Reader vs Inoreader
- The Old Reader vs Chartbeat
- The Old Reader vs Cision
- The Old Reader vs ConvertKit
- The Old Reader vs CrowdTangle
- The Old Reader vs Flipboard
- The Old Reader vs Ghost
- The Old Reader vs Ghost CMS
- The Old Reader vs Substack
- The Old Reader vs Agility PR Solutions
- The Old Reader vs Apple News
- The Old Reader vs Arc Publishing
- The Old Reader vs Artifact
- The Old Reader vs Brightspot
- The Old Reader vs Business Wire
- The Old Reader vs Buttondown

