Softwr

News · head to head

NewsBlur vs Parse.ly

NewsBlur logo

NewsBlur

News

A personal news reader bringing people together

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Parse.ly logo

Parse.ly

News

Analytics platform for publishers

From
$500/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only NewsBlur has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: NewsBlur the free account is limited to 64 sites; Parse.ly no published pricing rates or specific plan costs
  • They diverge on capability: NewsBlur covers Intelligence training, Parse.ly covers Content analytics.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which NewsBlur and Parse.ly actually diverge.

Attributes where NewsBlur and Parse.ly differ
AttributeNewsBlurParse.ly
Starting priceFree$500/month
Pricing modelfreemiumquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb
Founded20102011

Identical on both: 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 NewsBlur

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

Only in Parse.ly

  • Content analytics
  • Audience tracking
  • Real-time metrics
  • Recommendations
  • Google Analytics
  • GDPR
  • Cloud deployment
  • English language support

Both cover

  • Web support

What people use each for

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

NewsBlur

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

Parse.ly

  • Real time analytics on article and page performance for publishersnot NewsBlur
  • Attributing conversions and subscriptions to contentnot NewsBlur
  • Comparing audience engagement across authors, sections and channelsnot NewsBlur

Where each one falls short

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

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

Parse.ly

  • No published pricing rates or specific plan costs
  • All pricing tiers direct users to contact sales for details
  • Custom/enterprise pricing model requires demo or direct contact

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Parse.ly

$500/month
  • Standard$500/month
    • Content analytics
    • Audience insights

Which should you pick?

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

Choose Parse.ly if

  • You need content analytics.
  • You also want audience tracking.
Parse.ly review

Questions people ask

Is NewsBlur or Parse.ly better?
Neither clearly leads. NewsBlur starts at Free and Parse.ly at $500/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, NewsBlur or Parse.ly?
NewsBlur has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for NewsBlur and $500/month for Parse.ly.
Does NewsBlur or Parse.ly run on more platforms?
NewsBlur runs on Web, Ios, Android. Parse.ly runs on Web.
Can I use NewsBlur for free?
Yes. NewsBlur has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Parse.ly starts at $500/month.
What is NewsBlur best used for?
NewsBlur is most often used for reading rss feeds with training that filters by author, tag or title, archiving full article content from followed sites, following a large number of feeds with fast refresh. Of those, reading rss feeds with training that filters by author, tag or title and archiving full article content from followed sites are not what Parse.ly is typically brought in for.
What can NewsBlur do that Parse.ly cannot?
NewsBlur covers Intelligence training, Story sharing, Original site view, Text view. Parse.ly covers Content analytics, Audience tracking, Real-time metrics, Recommendations. Both handle Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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
Parse.ly: How much does Parse.ly cost?

Parse.ly does not publish specific pricing amounts. The company offers three tiers (Content Performance, Content Value, and Content Advocacy) but requires customers to request quotes or schedule a demo with a content analytics expert.

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
Parse.ly: What are the differences between Parse.ly pricing tiers?

The Content Performance tier offers basic analytics and 1 site tracking. Content Value adds conversions and attribution analytics for 2 sites. Content Advocacy adds geographic segmentation, video tracking, and SSO for 3 sites.

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
Parse.ly: How can I get a custom pricing quote from Parse.ly?

Customers can book a demo with a Parse.ly content analytics expert through their pricing page, or request more details using the provided contact options.

Source
Share

Related pages

More on NewsBlur

More on Parse.ly

Keep looking

Other head to heads