10 Best Free News Apps (2024 Updated)

During the coronavirus pandemic, news apps recorded an increase of 41% in screen time of their apps. The Internet has altered our perception of news. Instead of letting a TV producer or a newspaper editor decide what is essential to us and then buying into their product, we are now free to surf the waves of the Internet to locate the news that is most relevant to us.

Numerous news websites are available, and keeping track of them all might take time and effort, leading to decreased demand for newspapers. The revenue of the paid news apps was projected to grow by around 14.26 million USD in 2024.

This post will discuss the best news apps like CNN News, BBC News, and Google News to help you keep organized, in the loop, and find the news you’re looking for. It has a challenging aspect to it. Some news outlets have a political bias and have misreported news to that goal. Here is my other guide on the best sports apps to follow.

Hence this article does not intend to recommend any best free news app. Instead, it aims to spread awareness and inspire brilliant entrepreneurial minds in this line of work. If you want to launch your own app then hire top app developers in USA for custom mobile app development.

What Are News Apps?

A news app is an extensive interactive database that recounts the tale of a breaking news event. Consider it like any other piece of journalism. It simply substitutes software for words and images.

A news app can help readers understand a story in a significant way by providing them with data that is specific to them. The press covers news, and the news app updates its users via notifications. It can assist a reader in recognizing their connection to an influential national phenomenon, as well as help them in attaching what they know to what they don’t know, encouraging a profound knowledge of abstract notions.

A news app should tell a story, and like any good news story, it should include a title, byline, lead, and nut graph. Some of these notions can be difficult to spot in interactive software, but they’re present if you look closely. An app for breaking news should also be generative, which means it should generate more stories and reports.

10 Best Free News Apps

Everyone with a hectic schedule may now easily download free news apps on their iOS and Android smartphones. However, with so many news applications on the market, choosing one that piques your interest and meets your reading demands is critical.

Here is a list of the best apps for news available on iOS and Android to help you choose your favorite.

Top 10 Apps for News [Android and iPhone]

The brief knowledge and features of the most popular app for breaking news around the globe are:

1. BBC News: Best App for News

With over 10M+ downloads, this is the best app for news carrying a strong network of journalists and reporters around the world. The application offers a customized and personalization feature where the user can read the news and updates from a particular category. At the same time, the top stories feature of BBC News brings insights into the latest happenings and mishappenings worldwide making it the best news app. One can add the different categories and topics of news to only get information on relevant industries.

Features on BBC News

• Top stories feature to get information at a glance.
• Stories and articles on selected topics are shown in the newsfeed.
• Search functions to instantly find a particular article or news about a specific topic.
• Article suggestion feature according to the location of users to provide better insights into surroundings.

2. Flipboard: Best News App

Flipboard is considered the best app for world news as it brings news and insights from reliable publishers like Associate Press, The Washington Post, ESPN, National Geographic, NPR, TIME, The Atlantic, BBC, CBS, NBC, and more. Moreover, the user can follow topics like business, health, tech, sports, travel, cooking, and much more that keeps the user updated about their relevant field.

Features –

• Curated stories on the relevant industries, topics, and personalities.
• Follow the journalists and people who frequently talk on the topic of your interests.
• Local news and stories are on the top for better accessibility.

3. Google News

Google News is the best breaking news app that brings information from all corners of the world to a single dashboard and presents it in various easily accessible categories. Local news, full coverage, your briefing, easy accessibility, stories, and there are many more core competencies that come along with this one of the free news apps.

Also, Google News is one of the best platforms to get instant updates on a variety of topics. This app is designed to cater to the needs of people coming from different industries with different interests. Here you can find the list of best ride share apps.

Features of Google News

• The full covered story is provided by diving deeper into the accidents from various perspectives.
• Local news feature to get insights into the nearby cities and areas in the first place
• For your section to access the articles written on the relevant topics of interest.

4. The New York Times

The New York Times app is part of a big news chain where users can access original articles and stories from around the world. Being counted among the best news apps, users can not only read but watch and listen to the real reporting from 1,700 journalists, distributed in over 160 countries. The New York Times covers a vast range of topics and news styles including live updates, breaking news, investigation, cultural commentary, etc.

At the same time, new words, number games, and visuals are uploaded to the game keep the user engaged and interested. There is an archive of more than 10,000 crossword puzzles inside the app. All these competencies bring it to the list of best news apps for Android users.

Features –

• Push notifications whenever any new update is available on the topic of interest.
• Inbuilt gaming and fun activities to keep the user engaged.
• Subscriber exclusives to share the top stories even to the nonsubscribers.
• Read, watch as well as listen to the original stories.

5. CNN News: Top News Feed App

CNN, for better or worse, pioneered the 24-hour cable news phenomenon!

CNN’s official mobile app accounts for 40% of all internet traffic, and users find it fascinating and straightforward. CNN provides a diverse range of content, and while the primary audience is in the United States, the app will personalize news to your location. It is renowned as one of the best news sources application in its segment.

Features of CNN News

• Swipe up and down to navigate
• Configurable alert settings
• News videos and photo galleries
• Get access to CNN’s original series, TV shows, and movies.
• Gives breaking news alerts.

6. NewsBreak

NewsBreak provides knowledge of global issues is always helpful, but knowing what’s happening in your neighborhood bonds you with the local community. Newsbreak takes the cake when it comes to location-based news, which makes it one of the best app for news.

Newsbreak is a website and app aggregating purely local news depending on location. NewsBreak offers a clean, primary interface that allows you to focus on what matters.

Local news is readily available, allowing you to roam about your favorite places without raising a leg. What’s more, it’s free. Local contributors can provide a grassroots perspective on current events, allowing for unbiased conversations and information exchange. This app offers the best news and is available for offline reading too.

Features –

• Simple and quick access to local news
• Card-view for a more engaging, less overpowering experience
• Readers can participate in the debate by using thumbs-ups and comments
• Gives breaking news notifications
• Facilitates offline reading
• You can save stories

7. AP News

The AP free news app, a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by American newspapers and broadcast members, provides real-time news updates. This story’s information is sourced from reliable international and local sources. AP news also provides both audio stories and video news.

This app is available in both English and Spanish. It is one of the best newspaper app on the market.

Features of AP News

• News notifications and a personalized news feed
• Hubs of curated content
• Award-winning articles and images from all across the world
• Read both foreign and local news at the same time.

8. Apple News: App for NewsPaper

Apple News isn’t the most popular app on this list, but a paradise for a news reader. It gets half a point for its convenience to Apple product users, the app comes pre-installed on devices, and you can ask Siri to recommend stories based on the apps you’ve been using and the websites you’ve been reading in Safari. It is only available on iOS devices, which makes it an apple watch app too.

Features –

• Magazines in their entirety.
• All layouts have been optimized for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
• Apple News editors choose and serve stories.
• Apple News improves based on your preferences and employs “on-device intelligence” to recommend stories.
• Apple News only has specific permission to access your information and does not allow marketers or publishers to track you.

9. Feedly

Feedly is a top RSS feed news app. The app aggregates all relevant news from numerous sources, allowing users to access stories from the most reliable sources. It is famous for its breaking story in this segment. Feedly was one of the first apps to utilize RSS feeds, and it quickly developed a loyal following, propelling them to prominence in the news and information sector. It is available on both android and iOS devices.

Features –

• Integration with Facebook, IFTTT, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Evernote, OneNote, and other services is simple.
• Simple UX that makes customizing a breeze.
• The Bookmarking tool allows you to personalize your reading time and experience.
• Machine learning that assists in the delivery of tailored content to users.

10. Digg

Like Google News, Flipboard, and other news aggregator apps on this list, Digg aggregates material from news sites worldwide. This app has both audio and video options.

Digg has built a devoted following by leveraging the power of computer algorithms and some old-fashioned human curation to help users figure out “what the internet is talking about right now.” That is their slogan.

Features Digg

• Digg provides valuable summaries of news stories, assisting busy professionals in staying informed.
• Digg’s editors’ careful curation allows users to “dig” more profoundly than the headlines to find helpful content worth reading.
• Effortless storing and sharing capabilities
• Numerous choices for customizing the User Experience (UX)

How to Build a Popular News App?

Various ways developing an app for daily news may be generally beneficial, whether you are developing a news aggregator or a free news apps for a particular publisher. You might be interested to know how to create an app from scratch.

Here are four critical advantages of creating a popular news app.

1. You have Control over Content Distribution

When users find your content via search engines or social media, you have less influence over how it is distributed. You must also go through hoops, such as SEO, to ensure that your material is noticed. You recover the capacity to connect readers with the most relevant stories if they value your company and install your app. It is a win-win situation: you can share the most meaningful stories, which interested individuals will notice. In summary, having a news app ensures that your material will not be buried by algorithms over which you have no influence.

2. Create a Superior User Experience

A popular newspaper app helps you present your readers with the finest possible user experience. You may utilize your data to customize what your users see, enable notifications (in-app messaging, email, and push notifications) for topics of interest, and provide newsletters that keep people coming back for more. You can also use in-app data to understand your audience better and guide your content strategy. These advantages boost user engagement and give a more gratifying user experience.

3. Push Notifications

One essential feature that has enabled mobile apps to transform how customers consume daily news is pushing notifications. Once a person has opted in to get push notifications, they can immediately receive updates on app for breaking news and important stories, acting as a 24-hour news service sent to their device.

Push notifications can also be tailored so that users are only notified of stories relevant to their interests. It adds to the more significant service news apps can provide their audiences to increase engagement. According to eMarketer, 43 percent of US smartphone users click on news notifications all the time, 45 percent click on them occasionally, and only 11 percent claim to rarely click on new alerts.

4. App Store Optimization (ASO)

Another significant advantage of having a news feed app is the ability to be found in the App Store and Google Play store. You may utilize ASO to ensure that your app is exposed to a relevant audience, allowing you to acquire organic users cheaply.

Cost to Build Apps for News

The usual MVP of a popular news app development estimate varies between $15,000 and $20,000 for a basic app. The range may differ if you want to add complex functionality to your app. A high-end news app that allows more user interaction costs between $35,000 and $50,000.

The news app development cost India range is heavily influenced by various aspects such as app development features, app development platform, tech stack, outsourced news app development team, etc. Let’s have a look at these elements to get a better idea.

Conclusion on Best Free News Apps

The app stores are brimming with the best apps for news that appear attractive initially but fall short of meeting your expectations. Fortunately, you now know which news applications to improve your experience and gain access to additional features.

These news applications have reimagined how we read the news by providing a more tailored user experience based on our needs and interests. There is no turning back now. Moreover, it is a compelling, profitable, and unique field of work with intense competition.

For someone wondering where to start, how to manage, sustain the competition, and ensure that you have a tremendous lightweight news app. The NineHertz is a mobile application firm that can help launch your news source. Contact The NineHertz to excel in the field of news applications.

FAQs on Best News Apps

1. What is the Most Reliable News App?

Google News is the best breaking news app. It is a Google-customized news aggregator that highlights essential news from around the world and organizes it so that you can discover additional stories on topics that interest you.

2. What is the Number 1 News App?

There are a plethora of free news apps but to name an app that is number 1, NewsBreak is the most popular news app in the world.

3. What is the Best Free News App?

With several news feed app available, Feedly is the best free news feed provider compared to other news apps.

4. Is There Anything Better than Google News?

Microsoft News is an alternative to Google News. MSN is the default web page in Windows 10’s new Microsoft Edge and displays news highlights from all genres. If you prefer Microsoft Edge to Google Chrome, Microsoft news or MSN is one of the best Google news substitutes.