15 Best News and Reading Apps

Published on May 1, 2021 at 6:10 am by Jose Karlo Mari Tottoc in Lists, News

These days there seems to be a breaking news story every day, and if you want to stay up to date on world events, you’ll want one of these apps on your phone. With a news app, you want to stay informed, with the best ones going beyond the headlines to filter out all the filler and give you only the most important information. And especially when it comes to investing and stock trading, getting the relevant news at the right time can be the difference between success and failure.

In this article we take a look at some of the best news and reading apps. You can skip our detailed discussion on the news media industry and go to 5 Best News and Reading Apps.

Major companies like Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL), Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOGL), Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), Facebook, Inc. Common Stock (NASDAQ: FB) have launched various news aggregators and reading apps to capture a slice of this growing market. But there are many other players in the industry, which gives ample options for average readers to choose from.

Amid an explosive growth in the internet industry, there are literally thousands of options when it comes to the best news and reading apps. Major news websites and media outlets are seeing huge growth in their unique visitors and more and more people come online and show interest in different kinds of news. According to data from ComScore, The Washington Post, which is owned by Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN)’s former CEO Jeff Bezos, saw a whopping 87.9 million total digital unique visitors in March. Bezos acquired the Post in 2013 by paying $250 million to the Graham family.

Several major companies have forayed in the news and reading apps space. Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOGL), being one of the pioneers in the industry given its dominance in online ads, web search and SEO industry, has launched several news and reading apps over the last several years. Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOGL) News App for Android and iOS remains the primary source of news for millions of readers around the globe.

Last year, Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL) said it plans to invest $1 billion in news “Showcase” project. The project would aggregate the best content from publishers to give readers more insights and also help them easily find the best content.

Facebook, Inc. Common Stock (NASDAQ: FB) has also tried to take a slice of the pie. In 2014, the company announced Facebook Paper, an app that was supposed to be a smartphone-based equivalent of news and magazines. The app promised features like content discovery, real-time news updates, magazine-like interface, customized design, news curation and much more. However, Facebook, Inc. Common Stock (FB) app failed to get traction and was ultimately closed in 2016.

But Facebook has an advantage in the industry with close to $3 billion monthly active users. Data shows that average Americans now take their news from social media platforms like Facebook, Inc. Common Stock (FB) and Twitter Inc (TWTR).

Talking about Twitter Inc (NYSE: TWTR), with over 350 million users, the company’s platform has become a news aggregator in itself, with thousands of top journalists and politicians using it for updates, debates and sharing articles.

Similarly, Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN) has also been making inroads in the online publishing and news reading apps industry. The company in 2019 launched a news aggregation app for Fire TV in the U.S. The app had partnerships with major news outlets like Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ)’s Yahoo Finance, Reuters, HuffPost, CBS, AOL, Yahoo Sports and many others.

Technology giant Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) also jumped in the industry with its subscription-based news reading app called Apple News+. The service is part of the company’s efforts to increases its subscription revenue in a bid to diversify its income stream to cut reliance on iPhone revenue. The news service costs about $10 per month and gives access to major news outlets and magazines. Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) said in its fiscal Q4 2020 results that the news app, along with other services like ‌Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) TV+‌, Apple Arcade, Card, Fitness+ are boosting its services and subscription revenue.

Photo by Obi Onyeador on Unsplash

The best apps offer more than just news, whether it’s coverage from a wide range of sources or layouts designed with your screen in mind.

Let’s start our the list of best news and reading apps.

Best News and Reading Apps

15. Barron’s App

Owned by: Dow Jones & Company

Barron’s app is a premier financial literacy app that helps users navigate global markets with the world’s best investing publication. Users can get trusted insights and comprehensive financial analysis, daily commentary, and investment strategies from Wall Street’s best minds, the Barron’s app gives users access to critical news about moving global markets. The subscription costs 119.99$/month. Users get features such as reports on financial markets, the economy, and global indexes—including U.S., Asia, Europe, and emerging markets. Users get access to real-time stock quotes within articles—plus interactive charts and key metrics to help them identify the next investment opportunity for the portfolio. The subscription comes with full access to Barron’s U.S. and Asia Editions as well. The app also contains a specialized feed curated by The Barron’s editors that contains all the most important stories. Most importantly, instead of just bombarding users with data, the Barron’s app also helps them understand what is being reported and the effect it has on their investments.

14. SeekingAlpha Portfolio App

Owned by: SeekingAlpha Ltd.

Most articles on Seeking Alpha are free but getting a subscription for 29.99$/month (or 19.99$/month with the annual subscription) provides full access to the site with unlimited conference call transcripts, articles, and investment tools.

SeekingAlpha is the best app for self-directed investors who like to do in-depth research. The app provides fundamental research and exceptional perspectives on specific companies. The news stories and analytical articles provide an in-depth and complete view of a variety of topics. Additionally, the user commentary on the app is highly useful and a good place to learn. Premium membership also gives users access to invaluable features such as a concisely constructed news feed created for rapid reading, price quotes and charts for the stocks and indices of choice, and most importantly, earnings reports, transcripts, and filings all in one place. If users want to be told exactly what stocks to buy by expert analysts, SeekingAlpha is the place to go.

13. The Wall Street Journal App

Owned by: Dow Jones & Company

One of the pricier subscriptions at $40/month, The Wall Street Journal app comes with the guarantee that users will be receiving information from one of the most trusted sources of financial analysis and know-how since 1889. Articles available on the app cover a range of topics, including Politics, Opinion, World News, Lifestyle, U.S. News, Technology, and the Economy. Users can follow the news that moves stock markets and impacts business—from the Trump administration to Brexit and more. With a subscription, users get access to articles available on WSJ.com and WSJ. Magazine, along with global editions of the magazine from Asia, Europe, and the U.S. Users will get to curate a customized feed with real-time quotes and information on global markets and the latest on mergers and acquisitions. All this, along with The Wall Street Journal’s in-depth analysis and informed commentary. WSJ app ranks 13th in the list of best news and reading apps.

12. Fox Business App

Owned by: Fox Corporation (NASDAQ: FOXA)

Users can track stocks and the relevant markets and get relevant notifications. Users can also search for stocks by ticker symbol and create personalized watchlists in the app.

Additionally, users can access the latest news and market data through live Fox business broadcasts and watch their favorite Fox Business Network shows for key insights and analysis from experts. They can also share articles and videos from the app to social media outlets.

11. Bloomberg: Business News App

Owned by: Bloomberg

The Bloomberg: Business News app shows users global business and financial news, up-to-date market data, and proprietary portfolio tools. Bloomberg differentiates its App by providing articles written by the award-winning business and financial experts at Bloomberg. The news articles are curated and trending stories on a variety of topics such as Markets, Industries, Technology, Politics, Luxury, Personal Finance, Opinion, and more. Bloomberg app ranks 11th in the list of best news and reading apps.

The app allows users to see the latest market data and can be filtered by specific regions or sectors. It can also be customized based on users’ own curated portfolios and includes Equity Indexes, Futures, Bonds, Commodities & Currencies. The app’s watchlist lets users track their investments, and the company’s audio and video services allow users to receive relevant financial information from their favorite channels. Users can also watch Bloomberg Television Live without any cable subscription. This in addition to listening to podcasts, interviews, and analysis from around the world by the smartest names in Global Finance, Business, Economics & Investment.

10. TheStreet App

Owned by: TheMaven, Inc. (OTC: MVEN)

The Street is unique in that it provides information about financial news, analysis, and stock-picking insights directly from the experts working on Wall Street, hence the name.

Users can always find the latest market news, editorials, and technical analyses. Most importantly, the app provides users with actionable data. The app also has its own unique rating system called TheStreet Ratings which provides detailed quotes and analysis of stocks. The App is mainly a financial literacy app that collects information to provide a multimedia financial experience that is comprehensive and based on reliable data and insights.

9. CNBC Breaking Business News App

Owned by: Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA)

The CNBC Breaking Business News app gives users access to actionable business news and market data. It keeps users up to date with breaking news alerts that are pushed through even when the app is closed. Users can create custom watchlists to track important topics and headline and their favorite company stocks in real-time. They can also get real-time stock, interactive charts, and customizable time frames that will help them make good investment decisions. They can also monitor Cryptocurrencies 24/7. As an added bonus, they can even watch full episodes of CNBC shows such as “Mad Money” and “American Greed.” It ranks 9th in the list of best news and reading apps.

8. Pocket

Owned by: Mozilla Corporation

Ever seen something interesting but didn’t have the time to read it? That’s where Pocket comes in; Pocket allows users to save interesting articles, links, news stories, and other content to read later in a simple, clean, reader-friendly format. Pocket syncs across applications, so users can save content from anywhere, apps, email, or browsers. Content can even be synched across devices; users can change the reader’s view according to their preference. Pocket even had an audio feature that reads articles out loud to you. Buying a subscription removes ads, allows users to save content to a Permanent Library, and includes advanced search and organization tools to find new stories and sort through users’ existing libraries. If you are an excessive reader and visit hundreds of websites during your research on Alphabet Inc Class A (GOOGL)’s Google, Pocket is for you. It ranks 8th in the list of best news and reading apps.

7. Flipboard

Owned by: Flipboard

Ranking 7th in the list of best news and reading apps is Flipboard. An app that puts the priority on presentation and makes plain web articles look like something from the cover of a glossy magazine. Users pick their favorite websites and topics, and the app makes them their own customized magazine, delivering a variety of articles from sources all across the web that has been customized to the user’s taste. Users can follow business, health, tech, sports teams, cooking, travel, and more. The homepage of the app shows users a list of their subscribed content. For the user-on-the-go who is short on time, the app has a “Cover Stories” section containing only the most recent, important items from the subscriptions. The app provides a mix of quick, easy-to-digest content and insightful longer reads. Users can also filter by location to see just their local news.

With 140 million active users and growing, Flipboard easily beats news apps of Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL), Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOGL), Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), Twitter Inc (NYSE: TWTR) and Facebook, Inc. Common Stock (NASDAQ: FB) in several areas.

6. Inoreader

Owned by: Innologica

Inoreader offers users something that’s a news app plus more. Users can subscribe to RSS Feeds, blogs, podcasts, and social media searches. They can curate a personalized news feed and dashboard and save things they like directly to their cloud-based drives. They can even save them to scheduling apps like Buffer. The annual subscription is much lower than its competitors at $50, and you get access to unlimited premium content. The app also has exciting features such as rules-based automation and feed filtering that are sure to improve and completely customize the user experience. The app ranks 6the in the list of best news and reading apps.

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