Last updated on November 4th, 2024
Readers want access to the most recent news at all times and from any location. People want to be able to access their news wherever they are, so news apps have to meet all of their expectations.
What makes readers feel welcomed?
Although newspapers may be in trouble, the news and information industry is still alive and well. News is not elusive but rather finds its way to us via our smartphones and tablets.
No matter what the halt may be, a large segment of readers wants to keep up with everything at all times. A robust, feature-rich news application can combine a superior user interface.
This blog by iTechnolabs will discuss the top 15 best news apps that keep customers informed about the latest developments and keep them coming back.
Top 15 Best News Apps For Free In 2024
News App | iOS Rating | Android Rating | Features |
BBC News | 4.6 | 4.4 | Comprehensive global coverage, live news reports, personalized feeds |
4.5 | 4.4 | Curated digital magazine experience, customizable topics, beautiful design | |
Google News | 4.5 | 4.3 | AI-powered recommendations, breaking news alerts, full coverage stories, offline reading |
The New York Times | 4.4 | 4.3 | Award-winning journalism, breaking news alerts, offline reading, audio stories |
CNN News | 4.5 | 4.4 | Live news coverage, international news, personalized alerts, exclusive videos |
Reuters | 4.6 | 4.4 | Global news coverage, financial insights, intuitive design, expert analysis |
AP Mobile | 4.3 | 4.4 | Breaking news alerts, customizable topics trusted journalism from the Associated Press |
Apple News | 4.7 | N/A | Exclusive stories, curated content, personalized recommendations, magazine integration (iOS only) |
Feedly | 4.4 | 4.2 | Content aggregation, personalized feeds, seamless integration with social media, AI-powered recommendations |
SmartNews | 4.6 | 4.3 | Offline news reading, a smart mode for quick summaries, a wide range of sources |
News360 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 360-degree news view, personalized dashboard, premium feature access |
NewsBreak | 4.7 | 4.5 | Local news focus, real-time updates, community engagement features |
Digg | 4.5 | 4.2 | Curated internet content, trending stories, custom Digg Reader, social sharing tools |
Yahoo news | 4.5 | 4.2 | Live news updates, original reporting, and video content. |
inkl | 4.5 | 4.5 | Ad free reading experience, premium news sources, offline access |
1. BBC News: Best News App
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is considered one of the most important & best news sites. It keeps readers informed of the latest news stories, videos, and other information. It is the top world news app on iOS and Android. It offers innovative ways to keep users interested.
Why is BBC news so extraordinary?
- The “My News” option allows users to navigate where they want and visit the sections that they enjoy best: Economy, Top headlines, Breaking News, and so forth.
- The app allows you to stream live news channels, allowing you to recreate the TV news experience on your mobile device.
- Notifications of breaking news to keep users up-to-date on the latest developments.
2. Flipboard: Best News Apps
Flipboard is the combination of the excitement and aesthetics of a Ferris Wheel, but with a news app. Flipboard is the most popular and engaging news app in the world. It is visually stunning and has a brilliant design architecture that creatively presents news stories.
It displays various content types, including videos and slideshows. The interface also connects to social media sites such as Instagram and Twitter.
Why is Flipboard so special?
- The app’s captivating design increases the time spent using it.
- To personalize your experience, click the “For You” tab.
- A live news app that streams live events as they happen
- To let readers add creativity to their reading, you can “Make your own magazine” to make the most out of this news aggregator app
3. Google News: Best News Apps For Android
Google News makes use of its big data to personalize each user’s news feed. As you can see, they are quite skilled at this! If you are looking for local news, Google News can show you that too.
Why is Google News so popular?
- The “Full Coverage” button under each headline allows users to gather coverage from all news sources on the topic. This is something that discerning readers value in this era of extreme partisanship, and concern about biased reporting.
- You can subscribe to certain news sources and access them from the app.
- You can purchase premium subscriptions for news outlets.
- Interconnected updates provide the most recent developments in news updates.
4. The New York Times: Best World News App
The New York Times America’s newspaper of record has been publishing “All the news fit to print” for more than a century. The New York Times is known worldwide for its award-winning journalism and offers an best news app that digital subscribers can access.
Why is The New York Times app so captivating?
- Subscribers who lose internet access in New York (or anywhere else) can still read offline
- Alerts for breaking news and notifications about topics of interest
- An intuitive and clean user interface that readers will understand.
Also, read: What are the Software Development Trends!
5. CNN News: Best News App
CNN was the pioneer of 24-hour cable news, for better or worse. CNN’s official mobile app is 40% of the total internet traffic. Users find it engaging and simple to use. CNN has a large selection of articles. Even though its primary audience is the U.S., the app can tailor news to your location.
What is it that makes CNN’s news app so amazing?
- CNN has exclusive content you won’t find anywhere else.
- A video news channel that provides seamless streaming.
- Video news junkies also love other video-based content, including popular shows.
6. Reuters: Best News Apps
The Reuters news app is respected across all political lines in a world full of contentious debates. Reuters is a trusted source for objective news reporting and fact-checking, with news from all over the globe.
Why is Reuters so authoritative?
- More than 2,000 journalists from 180 countries around the world contributed content
- Users can easily personalize their stories to get more of what they desire
- Editor’s highlights allow users to sample opinions from different sides of a debate
7. AP Mobile: Best News Apps For Android
In 2008, The Association Press released its mobile news app. It is a trusted news site worldwide and is highly regarded for its impartial journalism.
What is the secret to the success of the AP Mobile News App?
- Users can receive regular, effective updates to stay up-to-date on the most recent events.
- Breaking news is presented in a simplified style.
- Because of its simplicity, the app is responsive and quick to use.
8. Apple News: Best World News App
Apple News is a news app that runs on iPhones and iPads. If you have ever used one of these devices you will know how hard they try to grab our attention. You’ll receive a lot of notifications if you don’t turn off the notifications.
It does a great job of understanding your interests so you will see stories that interest you. Apple News+ also offers impressive news aggregator capabilities that aren’t available to other users, provided you’re willing and able to pay.
Apple features content that is behind paywalls at many news outlets, thanks to its low effort to reach wider audiences. You can now read stories from The Wall Street Journal and The Atlantic for $9.99/month. This is a far cheaper price than buying individual subscriptions.
Why is Apple News so practical?
- Strong functionality is possible through native and strong integration with the Apple ecosystem
- Deep understanding of the Apple ecosystem’s user persona
- Apple+ subscriptions are ideal for those who wish to read premium content from different sources.
- Beautiful UX design we have come to expect from Apple
9. Feedly: Best News App
Feedly, which uses RSS feeds, is one of the most popular news apps. Feedly pulls essential news from multiple sources. This allows users to view stories from trusted sources. Feedly was among the first apps to use RSS feeds. It gained a loyal following and is now a major player in the news- and information sector.
Why Feedly is so amazing!
- Integration with Facebook, IFTTT and Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Evernote, and OneNote.
- Straightforward UX makes customization easy
- Bookmarking allows you to tailor your reading experience and time.
- Machine learning allows users to receive personalized content through machine learning
10. SmartNews: Best News Apps
SmartNews is a top news app for iOS and Android. Its intuitive and friendly interface makes it easier to use. And, like other successful aggregators of news, SmartNews can also present content based on past behavior.
Why is SmartNews so successful?
- Great algorithm to deliver the most relevant content to every user
- UX design that is well-thought-out
- You can save articles to read offline
11. News360: Best News Apps For Android
News360, another news aggregator app, presents news from different sources on various topics. The app covers over 1M+ niche topics, making it a great choice for users with narrow interests. News360 is loved by news junkies, despite the exhaustion.
Why is News360 so captivating?
- Stunning, highly-usable design
- Search features are simple
- Powerful customization
12. NewsBreak: Best World News App
While knowledge of the world is invaluable, it’s even more valuable to know the happenings in your local area. Newsbreak is the leader in location-based news.
What is Newsbreak then? Newsbreak is an app and online news app that aggregates local news based on location. NewsBreak’s minimalist interface allows you to focus on what is important.
You can easily access a dedicated tab for local news, so you can walk around your favorite cities and not have to lift a finger. Even better is the fact that local contributors can add a grassroots view of current events to make it easier for you to walk around your favorite cities. Local Contributors can provide a local view of current events. This opens doors to honest conversations and information sharing.
Why is NewsBreak so thrilling?
- Access local news quickly and easily
- Card-view is an engaging and non-overwhelming experience
- Readers can contribute by leaving comments and thumbs-ups
13. Digg: Best News App
Digg displays content from news websites around the world, such as Flipboard and Google News.
Digg is a combination of the power and old-fashioned curation of human curation and computer algorithms. They have a loyal following that helps users find “what the Internet is talking about right now.”
What makes the Digg News app so appealing?
- Digg provides helpful summaries for news stories to help busy professionals stay on top of the latest developments.
- Digg editors carefully curate Digg articles to help users “dig” deeper beyond the headlines and find useful pieces that are worth reading.
- Seamless sharing and saving
- Wide range of options to personalize the User Experience (UX),
14. Yahoo News: Best News Apps
Yahoo News is a well-known news aggregator that offers users access to the latest headlines and in-depth stories from a diverse range of sources, including major news outlets and independent journalism. This platform not only compiles news articles but also provides multimedia content like videos and podcasts to enhance the user experience. Additionally, it offers a highly personalized experience, allowing users to customize their news feeds based on their specific interests, preferences, and location.
Why should you check out Yahoo News?
- Personalized news feed tailored to your interests and location
- Easy navigation and clean interface
- Real-time notifications for breaking news
- Wide variety of categories to choose from, including politics, sports, entertainment, and more.
- Ability to save articles for offline reading or read later
- Integration with social media platforms for easy sharing and discussion with friends about current events.
15. inkl: Best News Apps For Android
inkl is a unique news app that offers a different approach to consuming news. It stands out from other traditional news aggregators by offering users access to premium articles from top publications like The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, and Bloomberg. This app operates on a subscription-based model, allowing users to access high-quality journalism without being bombarded by ads or paywalls. Additionally, inkl offers an ad-free experience and customizable news feeds tailored to the user’s interests.
What sets inkl apart from other news apps?
- Ad-free experience
- Access to premium content from top publications
- Customizable news feed based on user’s interests
- No paywalls or limitations on the number of articles read
A word about personalization
The world has become highly individualistic in terms of media consumption. Cultural critics often argue that this has done more harm than good. People often live in different worlds than their neighbors, who are exposed to news from many sources. News has become isolated.
Personalization at its worst is when you watch YouTube videos by people who believe the earth is flat. This platform determines that you enjoy flat earth content and sends more. You might wonder if NASA is lying to you if you are particularly sensitive to online videos.
You’re probably right! You are smart enough to read iTechnolabs’ blog. So you’re a rational person. Personalization is a dangerous way to ruin civilization.
These apps have been successful because of personalization, despite some drawbacks. They are skilled at delivering content that is relevant to users’ interests.
This begs the question: What should an app designer do? How can we create ethical news apps that still offer personalized content and are competitive?
Keep the Human Touch
We believe that curation is the key to finding the right content. This means having real people make decisions about what content they want to share, rather than relying on algorithms.
Since newspapers have had editors who determine what constitutes objective journalism, aggregators sites should also use the same level of rigor to ensure that their news sources are not biased. A step in the right direction would be fact-checking opinion articles.
Important Article: An Ultimate Guide to Enterprise Digital Transformation
Do you want to build News App For your Business?
iTechnolabs have helped many startups and established businesses bring their apps to market with our apps. We’ve been developing mobile apps since the dawn of mobile technology.
Even if you don’t plan to create a new app, you can learn a lot from studying news apps. Mobile apps get a lot of traffic. Companies use this data to better understand their customers and provide more engaging products.
Take a leaf from the best news apps and create a powerful app that allows for personalization if necessary.
Your first release won’t likely include much personalization. In most cases, you will be focusing on creating a Minimum viable Product (MVP) and improving your app based on user feedback. The ultimate goal is to create a mature product that provides a memorable experience that keeps users coming back year in and year out.
Which news app do you prefer?
- Apple News
- BBC News
- Associated Press
- Reuters
- CNN News
- New York Times
- Other