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News · head to head

NewsBlur vs Whatfix

NewsBlur logo

NewsBlur

News

A personal news reader bringing people together

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Whatfix logo

Whatfix

LMS

In-application guidance and walkthroughs layered over enterprise software you did not build

From
On request
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; Whatfix whatfix publishes no pricing, and contracts are typically scoped per target application, so extending guidance from Salesforce to Workday is a new commercial negotiation rather than a configuration change.
  • They diverge on capability: NewsBlur covers Intelligence training, Whatfix covers Interactive walkthroughs.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which NewsBlur and Whatfix actually diverge.

Attributes where NewsBlur and Whatfix differ
AttributeNewsBlurWhatfix
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreemiumquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Ios, AndroidWeb, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android
CategoryNewsLMS
Founded2010Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

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 Whatfix

  • Interactive walkthroughs
  • Self-help widget
  • Smart tips and beacons
  • Mirror sandbox
  • Product Analytics
  • Desktop and mobile support
  • Content localisation
  • Segmentation

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

Whatfix

  • An ERP or CRM go-live where thousands of employees must change how they work and classroom training will not reach them allnot NewsBlur
  • Reducing support tickets on a system where the same five questions account for most of the help desk volumenot NewsBlur
  • Improving data quality by placing field-level guidance where users consistently enter the wrong valuenot NewsBlur
  • A regulated organisation that needs employees to practise a process in a simulated environment before touching production datanot 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

Whatfix

  • Whatfix publishes no pricing, and contracts are typically scoped per target application, so extending guidance from Salesforce to Workday is a new commercial negotiation rather than a configuration change.
  • Overlays are anchored to interface elements, so when the underlying vendor ships a UI change your guidance can break silently, and the user sees a walkthrough pointing at a button that has moved; ongoing content ownership is mandatory, not optional.
  • It masks poor interface design rather than fixing it, and organisations sometimes use it to avoid confronting a badly configured system, which leaves the underlying inefficiency in place and adds an annual licence to it.
  • Building good content is real work. A meaningful rollout takes weeks of authoring and testing per application, and the internal effort usually exceeds what the business case assumed.
  • Adding a JavaScript overlay to systems holding HR and financial data triggers a serious security review in regulated industries, and some organisations cannot get approval to inject third-party script into their ERP at all.

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

Whatfix

On request
  • Whatfix$undefined/year
    • Annual contract priced by application and user volume
    • Each target application typically licensed separately
    • Mirror and Product Analytics sold as additional modules

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 Whatfix if

  • You need interactive walkthroughs.
  • You work on Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android.
  • You also want self-help widget.
Whatfix review

Questions people ask

Is NewsBlur or Whatfix better?
Neither clearly leads. NewsBlur starts at Free and Whatfix at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, NewsBlur or Whatfix?
NewsBlur has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for NewsBlur and On request for Whatfix.
Does NewsBlur or Whatfix run on more platforms?
NewsBlur runs on Web, Ios, Android. Whatfix runs on Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android.
Can I use NewsBlur for free?
Yes. NewsBlur has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Whatfix starts at On request.
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 Whatfix is typically brought in for.
What can NewsBlur do that Whatfix cannot?
NewsBlur covers Intelligence training, Story sharing, Original site view, Text view. Whatfix covers Interactive walkthroughs, Self-help widget, Smart tips and beacons, Mirror sandbox.

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
Whatfix: How much does Whatfix cost?

It is not published. Pricing is annual and scoped by application and user volume, with Mirror and Product Analytics as separate modules.

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
Whatfix: How does it compare with WalkMe?

Functionally similar. The commercial difference is that SAP acquired WalkMe in 2024, so non-SAP buyers increasingly shortlist Whatfix as the independent alternative.

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
Whatfix: Does it require changes to the target application?

No. It works as an overlay injected via a browser extension or a script, which is why the security review matters more than the technical effort.

Whatfix: Will guidance break when the vendor updates the UI?

It can. Content needs an owner who monitors and repairs it after vendor releases.

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