SmartNews
Free news app that mixes editor picks and algorithms, with local news and a political-balance slider.
Updated · AppBreakup editorial · iOS, Android
Is SmartNews free?
Yes, free to use
Switch from SmartNews to
All 5
Google NewsFree
Ground NewsFree plan + paid
FlipboardFree
- Verified facts
- 4 of 4
- Alternatives ranked
- 5
- Approved reviews
- 0
- Visits sent from here
- 0
About SmartNews
SmartNews is a free news aggregator app, started in Japan in 2012 and now widely used in the US. Instead of writing its own stories, it pulls articles from thousands of publishers and arranges them into topic tabs such as top stories, local, politics, sports and entertainment, combining human editors with ranking algorithms. You can follow specific topics and outlets to shape the feed. A local section adds weather, crime alerts and breaking news for your area, and a slider on political coverage lets you shift between left- and right-leaning sources to see how different outlets cover the same story. Articles open in a fast reader view. The app is supported by advertising rather than subscriptions, so there's no paywall of its own, though some publisher articles still have theirs. It runs on iPhone and Android; the website is mostly a landing page rather than a full reading experience.
Best for: Phone readers who want a free mix of national, local and opposing-viewpoint news in one feed.
Pros and cons
What works
- Free, with thousands of publishers in one app
- Slider shows coverage from across the political spectrum
- Local tab with weather, crime alerts and breaking news
- Follow topics and publishers to tailor the feed
Why people leave
- Ad-supported, so the feed carries ads
- No real web version; reading happens in the mobile app
- No RSS or custom sources, only the publishers it partners with
SmartNews vs Google News, Ground News and Flipboard
From each app's listing and the prices verified on its own site. A dash means we haven't verified it yet.
| Attribute | SmartNews | Google News | Ground News | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free | Free plan + paid | Free |
| Verified price | — | — | — | — |
| Free plan | Free app | Free app | Yes | Free app |
| Open source | No | No | No | No |
| Self-hostable | No | No | No | No |
| Platforms | iOS, Android | Web, iOS, Android | Web, iOS, Android, Browser extension | Web, iOS, Android |
Top SmartNews alternatives
See all 5- 1Google News83.8
Free personalised headlines with Full Coverage, also available on the web, not just phones.
- 2Ground News76.7
Goes further on media bias, rating each source and flagging stories one side ignores.
- 3Flipboard66.9
Magazine-style feeds you curate by interest, with a stronger social and sharing side.
- 4
Apple News61.8Built into iPhone and Mac, with an optional News+ tier for magazines and paywalled papers.
- 5
NewsBreak57.5Similar free mobile news app that leans even harder into hyperlocal US coverage.
Why people left SmartNews
In reviewers' own words, from reviews of the apps they moved to. These are their opinions, not ours.
No switching stories yet. If you moved away from SmartNews, review the app you switched to and tell us why.
Reviews
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SmartNews: common questions
What is SmartNews?
SmartNews: Free news app that mixes editor picks and algorithms, with local news and a political-balance slider. Best for phone readers who want a free mix of national, local and opposing-viewpoint news in one feed. Available for iOS and Android.
Is SmartNews free?
Yes, SmartNews is free to use.
Is SmartNews open source?
No, SmartNews is not open source.
What platforms does SmartNews run on?
SmartNews is available for iOS and Android.
What are the best alternatives to SmartNews?
The highest-ranked SmartNews alternatives right now are Google News, Ground News and Flipboard. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.
SmartNews vs Google News: what's the difference?
Both SmartNews and Google News are free to use. Only Google News runs on Web.