Quick Links
We live in a time when news flows from multiple sources, including traditional news outlets, blogs, and social media platforms, to name a few. That’s why, over the last few years, I’ve moved away from getting my daily dose of current events and updates from a single news outlet to using news aggregators.
But while aggregators do a great job of curating breaking news from different sources, not all are created equal. So, what are the best news aggregators?
1.Ground News
Ground News is one of the most unique news aggregators I’ve come across. If you follow current events closely, you know news outlets can take wildly different stances on the same issue based on the perspectives and biases of their editorial teams. Ground News addresses this by populating news stories from multiple outlets and noting the bias distribution of these outlets. It also gives a factuality rating to sources, giving you a better idea of how reliable the information is before diving in.
For every news topic on the platform, you’ll see a list of sources covering the event. You can either read the story’s highlights on Ground News or click individual links to explore the complete story. While I primarily use Ground News' website, you can also download theGround News extensionto quickly compare the coverage between outlets. If you’re looking for asource that covers independent world news, Ground News is your best bet.
Feedly curates a list of trending news stories, which you can read immediately, save to a board for easy access, or mark “Read Later” to come back to when you have the time. The highlight of this platform is that you get to follow different news outlets and create a feed that only includes stories from sources you trust.
Unlike other news aggregators on this list, stories from Feedly don’t open as external links automatically. Instead, you can read them directly on Feedly. If you spot a story of interest but don’t have the time to dive into it, you can even use the platform’s AI feature to get an executive summary of the article. That said, I should note that while I appreciated being able to customize my feed on Feedly, I didn’t find the platform especially easy to navigate. It took me a few visits to acquaint myself with all the features and tools it offers.
3.Flipboard
I used the Flipboard website, but I found the mobile app easier to navigate and more engaging.
4.SmartNews
Covering everything from global news to local events and weather forecasts, the SmartNews app is a one-stop solution. If you find a story of interest, clicking the title lets you read it within the app. You can follow the topic to view more of the same type of story.
What I like the most about SmartNews is its clean interface and user-friendly features that make it easy for me to navigate the app and read the stories I’m interested in. You can also turn on notifications to stay up-to-date on breaking news and topics of interest.
5.Google News
Because of just how ubiquitous and well-integrated Google’s services are, chances are you’ve used Google News in the past, whether intentionally or not. If you have an Android device, your phone likely came pre-installed with the app, making it easy to get started with the platform.
Google News curates top stories from various online sources and customizes your news feed based on your interests. However, to furthercustomize your Google News feed, I recommend following topics, locations, and sources that align with your preferences. One of the things I like most about the platform is that it allows me to hide stories from select news outlets or opt to see more or fewer articles on specific topics.
While I’ve moved away from using Google News as my go-to news aggregator platform, I keep coming back to it simply because it’s user-friendly and familiar.
Pocket is a pretty nifty platform that does a fairly good job of populating interesting stories from the web. It’s not my go-to source for breaking news, but I’ve spent a good amount of time on the platform and have come to enjoy the curated feed.
If you come across articles that interest you, click the “Save” button to add them to your personal reading list. This lets you go back to your reading list when you’re ready and explore all the content you saved earlier.
Fark populates news links that are submitted by the members of its community. Interestingly, members who submit news links are required to write custom headlines for the story, so you’ll always have a mix of writing styles that keep things fresh on the platform. The stories are a blend of trending news, humorous posts, and oddball events from across the world.
One thing to note is that Fark is more than just a news aggregator; it brings together somewhat of a community of readers who enjoy reading off-beat stories and contributing to the platform’s discussions and contests. Like Pocket, Fark is not my first choice when I’m looking to get an in-depth analysis of a certain current event or read breaking news, but it’s something I found myself casually browsing toward the end of the day.
Which News Aggregator I Prefer And Why
Over the last few days, I have found myself using SmartNews and Google News most often. I gravitate towards these platforms because they populate the most relevant news stories and have fairly user-friendly platforms that I find easy to navigate. Also, although it’s not something I see myself using regularly, I enjoyed exploring Ground News. Knowing just how factual and balanced the reporting is from different news outlets gave me a greater sense of confidence in the news I was consuming.
