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Artifact vs Microsoft Start

A

Artifact

News

AI-powered personalized news discovery

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Microsoft Start logo

Microsoft Start

News

Your personalized news feed powered by Microsoft

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Artifact wound down in early April 2024. Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger closed it, saying the market opportunity was not large enough to keep investing; Microsoft Start no pricing information available
  • They diverge on capability: Artifact covers AI recommendations, Microsoft Start covers Personalized news.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Artifact and Microsoft Start actually diverge.

Attributes where Artifact and Microsoft Start differ
AttributeArtifactMicrosoft Start
PlatformsIos, AndroidWeb, Ios, Android, Windows
Founded20221975

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

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 Artifact

  • AI recommendations
  • Article summaries
  • Clickbait detection
  • Social sharing
  • Social sharing

Only in Microsoft Start

  • Personalized news
  • Weather updates
  • Sports scores
  • Finance news
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Windows 11
  • Microsoft Account
  • Outlook

Both cover

  • Topic following
  • Ios support
  • Android support

What people use each for

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

Artifact

  • News consumptionnot Microsoft Start
  • Content discoverynot Microsoft Start
  • Staying informednot Microsoft Start

Microsoft Start

  • Daily newsnot Artifact
  • Topic trackingnot Artifact
  • Weather updatesnot Artifact
  • Quick informationnot Artifact

Where each one falls short

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

Artifact

  • Wound down in early April 2024. Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger closed it, saying the market opportunity was not large enough to keep investing
  • Yahoo acquired the personalisation technology and folded it into Yahoo News, so the app itself is not coming back
  • The founders stayed only in an advisory capacity through the transition

Microsoft Start

  • No pricing information available
  • Service appears to be consumer-facing rather than commercial product
  • No pricing model published

Pricing, plan by plan

Artifact

Free
  • FreeFree
    • AI-powered recommendations
    • Article summaries
    • Social features

Microsoft Start

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Personalized news feed
    • Topic following
    • Cross-device sync

Which should you pick?

Choose Artifact if

  • You need ai recommendations.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Ios, Android.
  • You also want article summaries.
Artifact review

Choose Microsoft Start if

  • You need personalized news.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Windows.
  • You also want weather updates.
Microsoft Start review

Questions people ask

Is Artifact or Microsoft Start better?
Neither clearly leads. Artifact starts at Free and Microsoft Start at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Artifact or Microsoft Start?
Artifact starts at Free and Microsoft Start at Free.
Does Artifact or Microsoft Start run on more platforms?
Artifact runs on Ios, Android. Microsoft Start runs on Web, Ios, Android, Windows.
Can I use Artifact for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Artifact best used for?
Artifact is most often used for news consumption, content discovery, staying informed. Of those, news consumption and content discovery are not what Microsoft Start is typically brought in for.
What can Artifact do that Microsoft Start cannot?
Artifact covers AI recommendations, Article summaries, Clickbait detection, Social sharing. Microsoft Start covers Personalized news, Weather updates, Sports scores, Finance news. Both handle Topic following, Ios support, Android support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Microsoft Start: How much does Microsoft Start (MSN) cost?

Microsoft Start (formerly MSN.com) is a free service with no subscription required. The platform provides news, weather, and personalized content at no cost to users.

Source
Microsoft Start: Does Microsoft Start offer any paid services or premium features?

Microsoft Start does not publish any paid tiers or premium features. The service is entirely free to access and use without any payment or subscription.

Source
Microsoft Start: Are there ads on Microsoft Start?

Microsoft Start provides personalized news and content free of charge. Any advertising present on the service helps support the free platform offering.

Source
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Related pages

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