Softwr

News · head to head

Google News vs NewsBlur

Google News logo

Google News

News

Comprehensive news coverage powered by Google

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
NewsBlur logo

NewsBlur

News

A personal news reader bringing people together

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Google News free model only with no paid alternatives; NewsBlur the free account is limited to 64 sites
  • They diverge on capability: Google News covers AI-powered curation, NewsBlur covers Intelligence training.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

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).

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

  • Free model only with no paid alternatives
  • Revenue generated through advertising rather than subscriptions

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
  • Free TierFree
    • Follow up to 64 sites
    • Real-time RSS updates
    • Train stories by author, tag, title
  • Premium$36/year
    • Follow up to 1024 sites
    • 5x more frequent updates
    • River of News, search, saved stories with tags
  • Premium Archive$99/year
    • Follow up to 4096 sites
    • Web feeds from any website
    • Story clustering, daily briefing, full archive and search
  • Premium Pro$29/month
    • All Archive features plus up to 10000 sites
    • Feeds fetched every 5 to 15 minutes
    • Regex training, priority support

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.
Google News review

Choose NewsBlur if

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

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.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Google News: Is Google News free?

Yes, Google News is a free news aggregation service available to all users. No subscription or payment is required to access personalized news feeds and search functionality.

Source
NewsBlur: Is NewsBlur free?

NewsBlur offers a free tier allowing users to follow up to 64 RSS feeds with real-time updates, story training, and public sharing.

Source
Google News: How does Google News make money if it's free?

Google News generates revenue through advertising displayed within the news aggregation service rather than charging users for access.

Source
NewsBlur: What does Premium plan include?

Premium plan costs 36 dollars per year and includes following up to 1024 sites with 5x more frequent updates, River of News feature, search functionality, and saved stories with tags.

Source
NewsBlur: Is there a free trial?

Every new NewsBlur account starts with a free 30-day premium trial. No credit card is required to start.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on Google News

More on NewsBlur

Keep looking

Other head to heads