| Core Identity |
| Developer | Haystack TV | Particle Media Inc. | The Associated Press | Fox News Network, LLC | Google | CNN Interactive Group, Inc. | Guardian News and Media Limited | Feedly Inc. | Flipboard Inc. | Epoch Usa Inc |
| Category | News | News | News | News | News | News | News | News | News | News |
| Platform | iOS | iOS, Android | Android, iOS | iOS | iOS, Android | Android, iOS | iOS, Android | iOS, Android | iOS | iOS |
| Store Metrics |
| Rating | 4.7 / 5 | 4.8 / 5 | 4.6 / 5 | 4.4 / 5 | 4.6 / 5 | 4.8 / 5 | 4.9 / 5 | 4.6 / 5 | 4.7 / 5 | 4.9 / 5 |
| Ratings Count | 18,634 | 1,353,959 | 359,413 | 401,876 | 226,320 | 1,664,875 | 112,402 | 25,670 | 327,543 | 264,805 |
| Price | Free | Free | Free | Free | Free | Free | Free | Free | Free | Free |
| Release Date | Apr 8, 2014 | Jul 15, 2016 | Apr 1, 2010 | Apr 26, 2010 | Dec 8, 2011 | Sep 29, 2009 | Oct 29, 2013 | Nov 19, 2010 | Jul 21, 2010 | Jul 16, 2013 |
| Last Updated | Apr 14, 2026 | Apr 30, 2026 | May 8, 2026 | May 11, 2026 | Apr 24, 2026 | Apr 28, 2026 | May 18, 2026 | Apr 10, 2026 | Feb 23, 2026 | Apr 26, 2026 |
| Sentiment & Reviews |
| Sentiment | negative | negative | negative | terrible | mixed | terrible | mixed | negative | - | mixed |
| Score | 35/100 | 35/100 | 25/100 | 15/100 | 55/100 | 15/100 | 35/100 | 25/100 | - | 55/100 |
| Praises | - Diverse news aggregation provides a balanced perspective on daily current events
- Brief and tailored news clips allow for efficient information consumption
| - Comprehensive news coverage across local and national headlines keeps users informed on daily events
| - Independent non-profit journalism provides a trusted alternative to biased commercial news outlets
- High quality photography and insightful reporting keep daily readers informed on global issues
| - Core news content remains the primary reason for daily engagement among long-term loyal users
| - Aggregated news coverage from diverse global sources provides a comprehensive daily information overview
| - Global news coverage provides reliable and timely information for daily readers
- Clean interface design allows for quick navigation of breaking news alerts
| - Independent and trustworthy journalism provides a necessary alternative to domestic news outlets
- Subscription support is viewed as a vital contribution to maintaining independent democratic institutions
| - Personalized news aggregation provides a clean and functional reading experience for long-term users
| - | - Independent news coverage provides a reliable alternative to mainstream media narratives for informed readers
|
| Complaints | - Subscription cancellation processes are intentionally difficult and lack clear support paths
- Technical instability and audio playback failures disrupt the viewing experience
| - Aggressive monetization and pay-to-read barriers frustrate users attempting to access standard news content
| - Aggressive full-screen advertisements trigger unintended clicks and force users out of the app
- Performance degradation and loading errors prevent users from accessing news content reliably
| - Aggressive and intrusive advertising patterns disrupt reading flow and trigger accidental clicks during navigation
- Technical instability including app freezes and audio hijacking disrupts the user experience across devices
| - Excessive advertisement placement and paywall frequency disrupt the reading experience for active users
| - Aggressive paywall implementation restricts access to news content for long-term users
- Technical instability and frequent crashes disrupt the live streaming experience
| - Blank screen rendering issues during article scrolling break the reading experience on Android
- Mandatory account sign-in requirements frustrate users who prefer anonymous access to news
| - Frequent application crashes at launch following the latest update prevent access to content
| - | - Persistent subscription prompts and paywalls frustrate users who have already purchased a full annual membership
|
| Requests | - Granular control over news feed content and station selection
| - Improved filtering and blocking controls to remove unwanted publishers and topics from the feed
| - Granular control settings to disable comments and manage intrusive video advertisements
| - Implementation of font size controls on tablet devices to improve readability for all users
| - Granular control over feed sources and content blocking to improve relevance
| - Unified subscription access across cable providers and mobile platforms
| - Restore dark mode functionality to improve readability and reduce eye strain
| - Implementation of a lifetime license option to avoid recurring subscription fatigue
| - | - Improved search functionality is needed to act as a comprehensive index for the entire article archive
|
| Strategic Intel |
| Strengths | - Personalized headline curation loop increases session frequency
- Hyper-local weather mapping drives daily habit formation
- Multi-device preference sync expands total viewing time
| - Zip-code-mapped content delivery sustains daily utility
- 10,000-source aggregation provides comprehensive coverage
| - Non-profit status signals objective reporting [Brand Trust]
- Pulitzer Prize-winning journalism sustains daily habit [Content Quality]
- Multilingual reporting reaches Spanish-speaking demographics [Market Reach]
| - Editorial brand loyalty drives daily check-ins
- Diversified content mix expands ad-inventory surface area
| - Full Coverage mechanism creates a unique information-synthesis moat against standard RSS-style aggregators
- Interest-graph algorithm sustains high DAU/MAU ratios via personalized daily briefings
| - Global correspondent network provides real-time reporting speed
- Live-first video infrastructure enables immediate breaking news coverage
- Cross-platform streaming access via TV provider authentication
| - Editorial authority drives high-intent reader funding
- Puzzles Hub creates a daily-active retention loop
- My Guardian tab enables personalized content filtering
| - Centralized aggregation of 40M+ sources creates high switching costs
- Enterprise-grade threat intelligence provides a distinct B2B revenue moat
| - Editorial curation model provides a premium reading experience
- Fediverse integration centralizes fragmented social graphs
| - Long-term editorial consistency builds deep subscriber trust
- Exclusive video programming creates a distinct content barrier
- Text-to-audio functionality increases daily session frequency
|
| Weaknesses | - Subscription cancellation friction drives negative sentiment
- Audio playback failures disrupt core viewing experience
- Content filtering settings fail to respect user preferences
| - 0.16★ Android-iOS rating gap indicates platform-specific usability issues
- Aggressive pay-to-read gates drive high churn
| - Aggressive full-screen ads trigger redirects [User Experience]
- Frequent loading errors and loops [Technical Stability]
- Forced account sign-outs disrupt notifications [Retention]
| - 0.7★ Android-iOS rating gap signals technical neglect
- Aggressive ad-redirects trigger high-frequency churn complaints
| - Excessive ad-load disrupts reading flow for 209 analyzed users
- Performance regressions in latest builds cause interface jitter and loading errors
| - Restrictive paywall alienates long-term loyal users
- Technical instability and login persistence issues post-update
- Excessive ad frequency during live streams
| - Persistent blank-screen rendering bugs on Android
- Forced login requirements drive anonymous-user churn
- Inconsistent cross-platform subscription syncing
| - Launch crashes in the latest update erode daily habits
- Premium tier gates basic utility like notifications, creating conversion friction
| - Lack of hyper-local push alerts limits daily habit formation
- Media-heavy UI struggles in low-bandwidth environments
| - Persistent subscription prompts frustrate paying members
- Broken deep-linking from emails prevents direct article access
- Technical instability causes frequent app crashes
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| Pricing | freemium | free | free | freemium | free | freemium | freemium | freemium | free | subscription |
| Momentum | Intense | Active | Active | Active | Active | Active | Active | Maintenance | Maintenance | Active |
| Update Cadence | 5 versions | 5 versions, ~5d avg | 5 versions, 3 majors/6mo, ~12d avg | 5 versions, 3 majors/6mo, ~10d avg | 5 versions, ~18d avg | 5 versions, ~7d avg | 5 versions, ~12d avg | 5 versions, ~34d avg | 5 versions, 5 majors/6mo, ~66d avg | 5 versions, 3 majors/6mo, ~17d avg |
