News & Media · head to head
Readwise Reader vs Google News
Readwise Reader
News & Media
The read-it-later app for power readers
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
Google News
News & Media
Comprehensive news coverage powered by Google
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Google News has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Readwise Reader there is no free tier, only a 30 day trial; Google News google News is free with no paid tier at all; there is no subscription to compare, and Google monetises it through advertising and Showcase partnerships rather than a user fee
- They diverge on capability: Readwise Reader covers Read-it-later, Google News covers AI-powered curation.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Readwise Reader and Google News actually diverge.
| Attribute | Readwise Reader | Google News |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | On request | Free |
| Pricing model | subscription | free |
| Free tier | No | Yes |
| Platforms | Ios, Android, Web | Web, Ios, Android |
| Founded | 2017 | 1998 |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (News & Media).
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 Readwise Reader
- Read-it-later
- RSS aggregation
- Newsletter inbox
- PDF support
- Highlighting
- Notion
- Obsidian
- Roam Research
Only in Google News
- AI-powered curation
- Full coverage
- Local news
- Topic following
- Newsstand
- Google account
- Google Assistant
- Chrome
Both cover
- Ios support
- Android support
- Web support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Readwise Reader
- Saving and reading articles, PDFs and newsletters in one placenot Google News
- Reviewing highlights from books and articles over timenot Google News
Google News
- News consumptionnot Readwise Reader
- Topic trackingnot Readwise Reader
- Local newsnot Readwise Reader
- Researchnot Readwise Reader
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Readwise Reader
- There is no free tier, only a 30 day trial
- Reader is bundled into the full plan rather than sold separately, so it cannot be had at the cheaper Lite price
- The Lite plan at $5.59 a month billed annually is daily email review only, without the web app or tagging
- Paying monthly rather than annually raises the full plan from $9.99 to $12.99
Google News
- Google News is free with no paid tier at all; there is no subscription to compare, and Google monetises it through advertising and Showcase partnerships rather than a user fee
Pricing, plan by plan
Readwise Reader
On request- Reader Lite$8.99/month
- Unlimited articles
- Highlighting
- RSS feeds
- Full$12.99/month
- Everything in Lite
- Readwise integration
- Spaced repetition
Google News
Free- FreeFree
- Personalized news feed
- Full coverage feature
- Local news
Which should you pick?
Choose Readwise Reader if
- You need read-it-later.
- You work on Ios, Android, Web.
- You also want rss aggregation.
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.
Questions people ask
- Is Readwise Reader or Google News better?
- Neither clearly leads. Readwise Reader starts at On request and Google News at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Readwise Reader or Google News?
- Google News has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Readwise Reader and Free for Google News.
- Does Readwise Reader or Google News run on more platforms?
- Readwise Reader runs on Ios, Android, Web. Google News runs on Web, Ios, Android.
- Can I use Google News for free?
- Yes. Google News has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Readwise Reader starts at On request.
- What is Readwise Reader best used for?
- Readwise Reader is most often used for saving and reading articles, pdfs and newsletters in one place, reviewing highlights from books and articles over time. Of those, saving and reading articles, pdfs and newsletters in one place and reviewing highlights from books and articles over time are not what Google News is typically brought in for.
- What can Readwise Reader do that Google News cannot?
- Readwise Reader covers Read-it-later, RSS aggregation, Newsletter inbox, PDF support. Google News covers AI-powered curation, Full coverage, Local news, Topic following. Both handle Ios support, Android support, Web support.