The Best News Apps for Android and iOS

Staying current is key in our fast-paced world. Most people wouldn’t even consider getting a physical morning newspaper anymore, so we depend on digital sources for our news. Finding an app that helps you get the news you want in a timely manner is essential.

We’ve evaluated the best news apps, whether you use Android or iOS. Choose your topics and tags to stay up to date on with this selection of free and paid news apps.

Apple News

Apple News comes preloaded on every iOS device, and like most of Apple’s apps, it remains unavailable on Android platforms. The News app places a big focus on images and quick-loading videos, and publications such as The New York Times and National Geographic have partnered with the company to make their content readily available. You can also follow trends or individual topics, ranging from politics to niche topics.

iOS

Google News

Google News is the replacement for Google Play Newsstand, and it’s every bit as polished and smooth as you might expect. Google pulls news sources from all across the world, so it’s likely you’ll be able to find your favorite sites and publications. The app can set up a daily briefing to give you the most important stories of the day, or you can tap Full Coverage to get everything without Google’s curation. You can also save a story or download specific publications to read later. With an inbuilt recommendation system, Google claims that Google News will get better and more in tune with your interests the more you use it.

iOS Android

Microsoft News

Formerly known as MSN News, Microsoft News offers a lightweight and easy-to-use way to quickly get the news you need. Upon opening it for the first time, it will ask you to select the topics you’re interested in, and you can change those topics quickly at any time. The main windows show news the app thinks is relevant to you, but you can scroll between topics at the top of the screen as well as switching to purely local news from near you. There’s a choice of light and dark themes, breaking news alerts, and you can sign in to sync your preferences across devices. It’s a great lightweight news app that just works.

iOS Android

AP Mobile

Associated Press covers news from all around the world, with a huge team of dedicated reporters that focus on all manners of topics and trends. The service’s companion app comes free of the usual glitz and glam that other news services offer, but for people who enjoy getting the facts and little else, it’s a useful resource.

iOS Android

The New York Times

Easily one of the world’s most popular news sources, the New York Times’ app contains everything you expect from a news app — breaking news alerts, offline reading, and social media sharing — but it’s also got a few features you won’t find on other apps. There are audio and video options, but one of the most forward-thinking additions is augmented reality, allowing you to gaze into David Bowie’s wardrobe, or meet world-class Olympic athletes face-to-face. Unfortunately, getting full access isn’t free, and it’ll cost you $15 a month, or $130 for a full year, for basic access to all articles. If you want access to the NYT Crossword, Cooking, and a bonus publication too, you’ll need to pay $25 a month instead.

iOS Android

Financial Times

One of the oldest publications around, the Financial Times is the place to go if you’re looking for the latest news on the biggest events. Where the FT stands apart from other news sources is a certain emphasis on business and the financial markets, making it perfect if you’re always keeping an eye on the latest developments in the business world. You can follow topics of particular interest, and get breaking news notifications.

iOS Android

BBC News

The BBC is a universally respected worldwide news organization dedicated to keeping you up to date on the latest topics and news stories. Unlike some other news sources, the BBC News app isn’t afraid to offer a bit more fun with its articles, and it also comes with a live-streaming news channel that’s baked directly into the app. If you opt-in, you’ll be alerted any time the app deems breaking news to be urgent enough to warrant your attention, making it a fantastic way to keep up-to-date.

iOS Android

CNN News

CNN was the first 24-hour cable news channel and its official app functions as a condensed version of the site. It offers a wide variety of articles, and though it has a focus on U.S. audiences, you’ll also find a bunch of original CNN content that you can’t watch anywhere else. Video also plays a large part of the coverage on CNN, so fans of video news should find a lot to love here.

iOS Android

Papr

Why download loads of news app when one will do? Papr gives access to a number of newspapers and magazines, all from the one handy app. You can switch between publications at the top of the app, and it includes everything from The New York Times, to GQ, to Lonely Planet. A great news app if you love to swap between different sources.

iOS Android

SmartNews

The name is a little grandiose, but SmartNews has the brawn to back it up. The app analyzes trending stories and categorizes them, ensuring that you’re always able to look at the news you want. It aims to give you the news in one minute, and it does that well, with a clutter-free and easy to browse interface and an algorithm that’s good at digging up fresh content you’ll actually want to read.

iOS Android

Flipboard

Flipboard created a new type of reading experience on mobile and is focused on engaging the reader with the most exciting stories of the day using a magazine-style aesthetic that begs you to just keep flipping. Hundreds of publications are available on the news reader, and Flipboard offers a generous number of topics. So, whether you’re broadly into technology, or want to know the latest Star Wars news, Flipboard has you covered.

iOS Android

Reddit

It might not be the most usual way to keep up with news, but it’s rare that a major global event goes unnoticed on Reddit. Reddit only launched an official app in 2016, but it quickly became one of the best ways to experience Reddit on Android and iOS. Reddit is a great way to keep up with the latest news through various subreddits — Android news is submitted to /r/Android, for instance — and users upvote popular content and comment on it.

iOS Android

Reuters

One of the most well-known news apps around and home to 2,500 reporters in 200 locations, Reuters covers absolutely everything you could think to quantify as news, so you’re unlikely to miss a thing while using this app. It provides a personalized experience, breaking news alerts, and can even help you to keep an eye on the stock market. The Editorial Highlights feature means you catch up on events quickly, and you can choose to save an article for reading later with offline mode and a night mode.

iOS Android

Inkl

Inkl is on a mission to rid you of clickbait articles and aims to curate and bring you a stream of trustworthy news. You can filter newsrooms that are most important to you so that your feed is always bringing you the articles you want to read, from the writers you care about. It’s fast and it has a very modern layout that is easy to use and it’s completely ad-free. You do have to pay a monthly subscription fee of $10 to access the service after your seven-day free trial — but an Inkl subscription means you have access to a range of publications, and is a lot cheaper than supporting each separately, especially if you like to sample a lot of different news services.

iOS Android

Al Jazeera English

Al Jazeera was the first 24-hour news channel to cover the Middle East, and has become one of the most popular and established publications in the region. It has since grown and developed, reporting on news from around the globe. The app has access to 24-hour live video coverage, clips of the biggest stories, and reams of news stories, features pieces, and opinions from around the world.

iOS Android

theScore

If you’re into sports — whether it’s the NFL, NBA, or Premier League Soccer — it’s in this app. It offers a huge amount of information, including detailed stats that you won’t find on many similar apps. It offers real-time scores alongside comprehensive information about your teams and players, all crammed into a good-looking interface. If you’re looking for an app that specializes in sports, then you’ve found your choice. If you’re an iOS user, there’s an Apple Watch app as well.

iOS Android

News360

News360 is one of the most well-known news aggregation apps for a reason. The app looks great, it’s very straightforward, and offers rich content. The way it allows you to search for your favorite topics or specific news sites makes it similar to Flipboard, and it works just as well. Not only does it offer integration with iMessage, but it also has an Apple Watch app for iOS users. You can connect the app to your Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus to share the news, and it supports Pocket, Instapaper, and Evernote integration. It also allows you to save stories, so you can read them later.

iOS Android

News Break

News Break is a news app that has grown at an astonishing rate; the service has more than 20 million users who regularly check in to grab their news. News Break is an aggregation service, so it pulls its articles from more abundant news sources, including CBS News, the AP, CNN, ABC, and NBC — although a few smaller publications are also included. If you want to see more content from Fox or NPR, you can do so in only a few clicks and customize your experience. We also appreciate News Break includes a local feed for pulling headlines more relevant to you — a great way to stay up to date on the world and your neighborhood.

NPR

Most individuals are familiar with the National Public Radio (NPR) organization. A non-profit media outlet, NPR offers its news app to keep you updated. What we love most is the multimedia content, which allows you to tune into your local NPR radio station or begin listening to official NPR podcasts from within the app. You can browse the news by your favorite categories, or select an audio option for your next car ride. Operating for nearly five decades, NPR helps to keep the the U.S. informed.

Feedly

Not technically a news application, but rather an excellent way to obtain news, Feedly is a smart RSS reader that allows you to select your favorite sources and see them compiled in one location. Able to utilize RSS feeds, it can pull news from the largest organizations and smallest niche blogs. Feedly’s built-in A.I.-driven discovery engine also makes it a breeze to find new content and read with ease.

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