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NewsBlur vs Steno

NewsBlur logo

NewsBlur

News

A personal news reader bringing people together

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Steno logo

Steno

News

AI transcription and analysis for news and media

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; Steno no free tier available; entry point at $500/month
  • They diverge on capability: NewsBlur covers Intelligence training, Steno covers AI transcription.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which NewsBlur and Steno actually diverge.

Attributes where NewsBlur and Steno differ
AttributeNewsBlurSteno
Starting priceFree$500/month
Pricing modelfreemiumsubscription
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb
Founded20102020

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 Steno

  • AI transcription
  • Broadcast search
  • Real-time monitoring
  • Clip creation
  • Media analysis
  • Slack
  • Email
  • API

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 Steno
  • Archiving full article content from followed sitesnot Steno
  • Following a large number of feeds with fast refreshnot Steno

Steno

  • AI-powered content creation platformnot NewsBlur
  • Voice and text content generationnot NewsBlur
  • Multi-channel content distributionnot NewsBlur
  • Programmatic content syndicationnot 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

Steno

  • No free tier available; entry point at $500/month
  • Enterprise plan pricing not published; requires custom quote
  • Premium add-ons (iOS/Android app, Pro Voice) pricing not disclosed

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

Steno

$500/month
  • Starter$500/month
    • 16,500 credits per month
    • 1 Twin
    • Web app deployment
  • Growth$1000/month
    • 40,000 credits per month
    • 2 Twins
    • Web app deployment
  • Scale$2000/month
    • 100,000 credits per month
    • 3 Twins
    • Web app deployment
  • Enterprise$null/month
    • 200,000+ credits per month
    • 5 Twins
    • Web app deployment

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 Steno if

  • You need ai transcription.
  • You also want broadcast search.
Steno review

Questions people ask

Is NewsBlur or Steno better?
Neither clearly leads. NewsBlur starts at Free and Steno at $500/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, NewsBlur or Steno?
NewsBlur has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for NewsBlur and $500/month for Steno.
Does NewsBlur or Steno run on more platforms?
NewsBlur runs on Web, Ios, Android. Steno runs on Web.
Can I use NewsBlur for free?
Yes. NewsBlur has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Steno 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 Steno is typically brought in for.
What can NewsBlur do that Steno cannot?
NewsBlur covers Intelligence training, Story sharing, Original site view, Text view. Steno covers AI transcription, Broadcast search, Real-time monitoring, Clip creation. 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
Steno: What is the minimum cost to start using Steno?

The Starter plan is $500/month with 16,500 monthly credits. Steno does not offer a free tier, and monthly billing options include annual subscriptions with 10-15% savings.

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
Steno: What are Steno credits and how many do I get?

Credits are the universal currency used for content processing, training, and user interactions across text, voice, and video. Starter includes 16,500/month, Growth 40,000/month, Scale 100,000/month, and Enterprise 200,000+/month.

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
Steno: What is a Twin in Steno's pricing?

Twins are included in Steno plans at different quantities: Starter includes 1 Twin, Growth 2, Scale 3, and Enterprise 5. Specific features of Twins are not detailed on the pricing page.

Source
Steno: What are Steno's platform fees?

Steno charges monetization platform fees that decrease with plan tier: Starter at 9%, Growth at 8%, Scale at 7%, and Enterprise at 6%.

Source
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