# SmartNews Alternatives 2026: Apps Like SmartNews > Apps like SmartNews compared on who picks your stories, ads and price, plus a straight answer to 'is SmartNews safe?' and when to stay. Published by Hushread, 2026-10-17. Canonical: https://hushread.com/blog/smartnews-alternatives *Disclosure: Hushread is our app. We've tried to be fair, and we say where the others are the better choice.* SmartNews is a capable free app for US and local news with no setup, but you can't add your own sources and some users complain about its ads. If you want to choose exactly which outlets you read, Hushread is built around that; if you want another app that picks for you, Yahoo News and Particle are the closest swaps. We also answer "is SmartNews safe?" with what we could actually verify. ## How SmartNews works SmartNews calls its approach a "blend of editor and algorithmic curation," and it offers a political spectrum slider ([SmartNews](https://www.smartnews.com/en)). You pick channels from its catalog. You can't add custom sources, such as your own RSS feeds or a site it doesn't carry ([App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/smartnews-breaking-news/id579581125)). ![SmartNews's home page saying you follow the topics and publishers you care about and can see both sides of the political spectrum with its slider feature](/blog-img/smartnews-alternatives/home-features.webp) *The features row on SmartNews's home page, as shown on 9 October 2026. Source: [smartnews.com](https://www.smartnews.com/en)* It runs on iOS and Android. We couldn't find a web reader. The app is free with ads. There's an ad-free plan, but it's for US users aged 18 and over, and its terms still allow publisher ads and sponsored content ([SmartNews terms](https://www.smartnews.com/terms/us/ad-free)). At the time of writing, the App Store lists in-app purchases at $3.99 and $4.99, though the listing doesn't make clear what period those cover. In the US, SmartNews also launched a rewards points program on March 26, 2026 ([SmartNews](https://about.smartnews.com/en/news/2547.html)). ![SmartNews's ad-free plan terms listing the exceptions: third-party ads added by publishers and sponsored and branded content may still appear](/blog-img/smartnews-alternatives/ad-free-terms.webp) *The "Ads-Free Experience and Exceptions" section of SmartNews's ad-free plan terms, as shown on 9 October 2026. Source: [smartnews.com](https://www.smartnews.com/terms/us/ad-free)* ## Is SmartNews safe? Nothing in our research suggests the SmartNews app itself is unsafe to install. It's a mainstream news app distributed through the App Store and Google Play. The safety worries we found are about the ads it shows. One Google Play reviewer wrote in July 2025: "Now July 2025 they are using phishing ads. Run away, no quality control" ([Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=jp.gocro.smartnews.android)). That's one person's report, and we can't tell how common the problem is. The sensible rule applies to any ad-supported news app: if you tap an ad and land on a page asking for a password, card details or a download, close it. The ad-free plan doesn't settle this either. Publisher ads and sponsored content are still allowed under its terms, and it's only offered in the US. People also ask whether SmartNews is legit. It is a real, mainstream news app, and its US rewards points program is an official feature the company announced itself. ## Why people look for SmartNews alternatives Beyond the ads, here are the other reasons we found, plus one of our own: - **You can't add your own sources.** If your local paper, a niche blog or a subreddit isn't in the catalog, you can't follow it in SmartNews. - **Articles are hard to find again.** A Google Play reviewer wrote on September 1, 2026 that "it will refresh with new articles... it can never, EVER find it," about an article they'd lost track of. - **The ad-free plan is US only.** Its terms limit it to US users aged 18 and over, so elsewhere it isn't an option. - **You want to know why you're seeing something.** With editors and an algorithm both involved, the answer isn't always clear. With your own sources, it is. ## Apps like SmartNews, compared Here's how the closest apps compare (as of September 2026). | App | Who shapes the feed | Price | Good for | |---|---|---|---| | SmartNews | Editors plus algorithm, from its catalog | Free with ads; ad-free plan US only | Zero-setup US and local news | | Hushread | You; your sources, in order | Free up to 5 sources; Pro $1.25/mo billed yearly | Choosing exact outlets | | Yahoo News | Personalized from topics and publishers you pick | Free | Artifact-style personalization (US) | | Particle | Personalized from people, places and publishers you follow | Particle+ $2.99/mo or $29.99/yr | AI summaries across outlets | | Flipboard | Algorithm plus human editors | Free, ad-supported | Visual, magazine-style browsing | ## Hushread: when you want to choose the outlets Hushread is a news reader where you pick every source and nothing is ranked or injected. Everything you follow arrives in order. That's the main difference from SmartNews, and it changes how the app feels day to day: when something is in your feed, you know why. What you can follow goes well past a catalog. RSS and Atom feeds, websites that don't have a feed (Hushread learns to read the page), subreddits, YouTube channels, Facebook pages, and topics you name, like "climate" or "chip exports". If you don't want to hunt for feeds, there are 2,500+ curated sources and one-tap bundles to start from. For people coming from SmartNews, a few things matter most: - **Local news is up to you.** Hushread's Local tab covers news about your country. For your town, add your local outlets yourself: a paper's website works even without a feed, and so does a city subreddit or a local Facebook page. - **You can find things again.** Full search covers everything you've seen, not just this week. Bookmarks and tags keep the articles you know you'll want later. - **One story per event.** When several of your sources cover the same event, their articles are grouped into one story, and syndicated copies and rewrites collapse under the freshest version. **See whole story** opens a day-by-day timeline of every outlet's coverage. You can see it working on our [live stories page](/stories). - **You can see what's surging.** Trending counts how many different publishers are covering a story, hour by hour, and flags the ones picking up fast. - **Rules instead of guesswork.** Mute a keyword you're tired of, mark matching articles as read, or get notified when one appears. - **No ads in the reader view.** Articles open in a clean view with light and dark themes and adjustable type, without ads or popups. The honest limits: the free plan is 5 sources, which is enough to try it properly but not enough for a wide local-plus-national mix; Pro is $1.25 a month billed yearly for unlimited sources. You also have to pick those sources, where SmartNews asks nothing of you. There's no political spectrum slider or bias tool. And Hushread is newer and made by one independent developer. ## Yahoo News: the closest "pick for me" swap If you like being handed a feed and just want a different one, Yahoo News is the nearest match. Yahoo rebuilt its news app on the technology from Artifact, the news app made by Instagram's co-founders, and launched it in the US on June 13, 2024. It's free, you pick topics and publishers, and at launch Yahoo listed AI "Key Takeaways", flagging clickbait and blocking keywords among its features ([Yahoo](https://www.yahooinc.com/press/yahoo-news-app-reimagined-with-next-level-personalization-from-artifact)). Artifact itself had shut down in early 2024, and Yahoo announced the acquisition that April ([Yahoo](https://www.yahooinc.com/press/yahoo-announces-the-acquisition-of-artifact-the-news-discovery-platform-created-by-instagram-cofounders-kevin-systrom-and-mike-krieger)). ## Particle: AI summaries of each story Particle groups coverage of one story from multiple outlets, summarizes it with AI and links out to the publishers ([TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2026/02/23/particles-ai-news-app-listens-to-podcasts-for-interesting-clips-so-you-you-dont-have-to/)). You follow people, places, journalists and publishers, and it can show opposing sides of a story. It's on iOS, Android and the web ([TechCrunch](https://techcrunch.com/2025/05/06/particle-brings-its-ai-powered-news-reader-to-the-web)). You can't add RSS or custom sources, and Particle+ costs $2.99 a month or $29.99 a year on the App Store ([App Store](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/particle-personalized-news/id6683283775)). Our [Particle review](/blog/particle-news-app-alternatives) goes into detail. ## Flipboard: for browsing Flipboard lets you follow topics, publications and user-made magazines, chosen by a mix of algorithm and human editors ([PPC Land](https://ppc.land/flipboard-bets-on-indie-journalism-as-washington-post-demolishes-its-newsroom/)). It's free and ad-supported on iOS, Android and the web. If SmartNews feels too much like a list of headlines, Flipboard is the more visual option. See our [Flipboard alternatives](/blog/flipboard-alternatives) post for how it compares. Google News is the other obvious free option, and our [Google News alternatives guide](/blog/google-news-alternatives) covers it. ## When SmartNews is the better choice Stay with SmartNews if: - **You want zero setup.** Open the app and read. There are no sources to choose and nothing to configure. - **Local US news matters most.** SmartNews gives you local news without any work. Hushread's Local tab is country-wide, and anything closer to home means adding local outlets yourself. - **You use the political spectrum slider.** Hushread has no bias or perspective tools. - **You don't want a cap or a bill.** SmartNews is free. Hushread's free plan stops at 5 sources. - **You like the rewards program.** If you're in the US and collecting points is part of the appeal, that's something Hushread doesn't offer. ## FAQ ### Is SmartNews safe to use? Nothing in our research suggests the app itself is unsafe. The complaints we found are about its ads, including one Google Play review in July 2025 reporting phishing ads. Be careful with any ad that asks for a login, payment details or a download. ### Is SmartNews free? Yes, it's free with ads. An ad-free plan exists for US users aged 18 and over, and its terms still allow publisher ads and sponsored content. ### Can you add your own sources to SmartNews? No. You choose channels from SmartNews's catalog, and custom sources aren't supported. If you want to follow a specific site, feed or subreddit, you need a reader like Hushread. ### Does SmartNews have a web version? We couldn't find one; SmartNews runs on iOS and Android. Hushread runs on iOS, Android and the web at app.hushread.com, synced across all three. ### What is the closest app to SmartNews? If you want another app to choose for you, Yahoo News and Particle are closest. If you want to choose the outlets yourself and still get coverage grouped by story, try Hushread. SmartNews is good at deciding for you. If you'd rather decide yourself, and still have the day's coverage grouped into stories, that's how Hushread works. Hushread is free with up to 5 sources on iOS, Android and the web. [Try Hushread](https://hushread.com/#download).