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NetNewsWire vs Google News

NetNewsWire scores 27 out of 30 and Google News scores 15. NetNewsWire is ahead on footprint, lock-in, self-direction, power and longevity.

NetNewsWire

The small tool

27/30 · Convivial

A fast, free RSS reader that brings the sites you choose to you.

Google News

The giant

15/30 · Mixed

A news page that picks and orders stories for you, from a company that earns its money from ads.

Footprint

Lock-in

Self-direction

Power

Longevity

Delivery

Price

Free

Source

Open source

Closed source

Runs on

Mac, iPhone, iPad

Web, Android, iOS

Maker

S · Small

XL · Extra large

What you give up by switching

A feed reader shows what you subscribe to and nothing else, so there is no personalised front page and you build the list of sources yourself. NetNewsWire runs on Apple devices only.

How to move

Export your favourite sites' feeds, or paste their addresses into the app. FreshRSS is the pick if you want a reader that runs in any browser.

Scores are our opinion on six questions from Ivan Illich, based on public sources and dated October 2026. Read the full reviews of NetNewsWire and Google News, or see how we score.

Visit NetNewsWire More tools for “read the news i chose”