The best News apps of 2014

Best News app 2014

It’s hard to believe that a whole year has come and gone since we gave you our best-of lists in 2013. While last year was hard to beat with the advancement in iOS software and updated version of our most favorite apps and games, this year has provided us with a number of fantastic titles to choose from.

Today, we have a list of news apps that the iDownloadBlog writing team has nominated the best releases in 2014. Below is our vote for the best news app of 2014, as well as the runner ups and the app we think is the best all-time news app. 

The best News app of 2014

SmartNews

SmartNews

This app actually existed prior to 2014, but only in Japan. So, it goes on our list because it is brand new to us. What makes this stand out from other newsreaders is the way information is aggregated. SmartNews analyzes millions of news articles a day in various categories, and delivers the top trending stories from some of the most trusted news sources. It utilizes iOS’s Background App Refresh feature to load content ahead of time so that, when you are ready, so are your articles. This app is available for free.

The runner ups

NPR One

NPR One

If you are driving around all day, listening to your local NPR affiliate, or have the station on at your desk while you type away, you probably come to a time when you don’t want to hear that cooking show or listen to another interview with a playwright. This app allows you to personalize your stream by “liking” or skipping stories. The more activity you participate in, the more customized your stream becomes. You will still hear the top stories of the day, so you won’t be without your daily dose of news. But the rest of the stream will be more localized and significant to you. You can also search for specific shows, podcasts, and even radio station to listen to the content you are most interested in. This app is available for free.

Unread

Unread

Reading your morning news feed can be a daunting task, especially when you follow way too many blogs that post dozens of articles per day. This app clears away the clutter so that your reading experience is undisturbed. It supports the RSS services Feed Wrangler, Feedly, and Feedbin. Its focus is to keep you focused. There are not a bunch of side panels or advertisements taking up screen space. It looks more like a book than a magazine. The toolbar and settings are even hidden from sight to make your reading experience seamless. The controls are all gesture-based so you won’t be interrupted by such nuisances as the back button. It will even learn your reading patterns and refresh feeds faster during certain times of the day. Unread was originally released in 2013, but was sold and relaunched in 2014, which is why it is on this year’s list. This app is available for free.

Yahoo News Digest

Yahoo News digest

I remember the first time I saw a movie where the “evening” paper was mentioned. By the time I was old enough to understand the news, the paper only came out early in the morning. This app harkens back to the days when you’d get news in the morning, and then again in the evening. Top stories are summarized for you with a rundown of the key points. If you’d like to delve deeper into the story, follow the links. Stories are shaped by different media bits called “Atoms,” which include quotes, maps, graphs, definitions, pictures, and more. Get a comprehensive outline of the top stories. iPad users can watch Katie Couric in a weekly video segment. This app is available for free.

The best News app ever

Reeder 2

Reeder 2 iDB

Reeder is arguably the best all-time newsreader for iOS and the writers at iDB overwhelmingly agree. It has all the features you’d want in an RSS reader and is compatible for a huge variety of different services. There are five different themes so you can customize your look and more than a dozen sharing options so you can let others know about your favorite articles. It works smoothly and looks fantastic. As of about a month ago, it also supports landscape mode and has been optimized for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. This app is available for $4.99.

Which is your favorite news app of 2014? Let us know in the comments below.

Best of 2014

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