Brandwave

Apple News vs Google News:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Google News had more branded searches than Apple News among news apps worldwide. Google News had about 7.5 million branded searches, while Apple News had 246,000. Google News made up 78.5% of all news app searches we track, and Apple News accounted for 2.6%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about news apps, Google News appeared in all five answers and Apple News in four. Google News was mentioned before Apple News in four out of five answers.

Among news apps worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Google News, about 30 searches for every 1 for Apple News

Google News 7.5M searchesApple News 246K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Google News, mentioned in every answer we collected

Google News in 5 of 5Apple News in 4 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Google News, named ahead of Apple News in 4 of 5 answers

Google News first in 4Apple News first in 1

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Top news apps in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Google News appeared in all five answers. Apple News was mentioned in four out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. Google News was listed before Apple News in four out of five answers.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Google News1st
  2. AP News2nd
  3. Ground News3rd
  4. Apple News4th
  5. NewsBreak5th
  6. Flipboard6th
  7. Feedly7th
  8. SmartNews–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Google News5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • AP News5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Ground News5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Apple News4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • NewsBreak2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Feedly1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Flipboard1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • SmartNews0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about news apps

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 19, 2026.

Is Apple News or Google News more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Apple News and Google News by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all eight news apps we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Apple News and Google News among news apps worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Google News, Apple News. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthGoogle NewsAP NewsNewsBreakApple NewsGround NewsSmartNewsFeedlyFlipboard
Oct 202580.6%10.8%3.2%1.8%3.2%0.36%0.01%<0.01%
Nov 202581.3%10.9%3.3%1.5%2.7%0.36%<0.01%<0.01%
Dec 202583.6%9.1%3.4%1.2%2.3%0.37%<0.01%<0.01%
Jan 202678.7%12.9%3.2%1.7%3.2%0.35%0.01%0.01%
Feb 202681.8%10.9%2.7%1.5%2.7%0.36%0.01%0.01%
Mar 202678.8%13%2.6%2.1%3.2%0.29%0.02%<0.01%
Apr 202677.6%15.5%2.6%1.4%2.6%0.34%0.02%<0.01%
May 202679.4%13%3.2%1.4%2.6%0.35%0.02%<0.01%
Jun 202682.3%11%2.7%1.5%2.2%0.3%0.02%<0.01%
Jul 202679.4%13%3.2%1.4%2.6%0.35%0.02%<0.01%
Aug 202679.2%12.9%3.2%1.7%2.6%0.35%0.02%<0.01%
Sep 202678.5%12.8%3.2%2.6%2.6%0.35%0.02%0.01%

How has the Apple News and Google News comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Google News was ahead of Apple News in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Apple News’ share of searches among news apps worldwide moved from 1.8% to 2.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 201K to 246K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Google News’ share of searches among news apps worldwide moved from 80.6% to 78.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 9.1M to 7.5M.

How did search popularity change for news apps worldwide in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, Apple News overtook Ground News to rank 4th among news apps worldwide, with 2.6% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, Google News lost share of searches among news apps worldwide, from 79.2% to 78.5%.

How are branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Apple News’ and Google News’ names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

Apple News

1 branded search term

  • apple news

Google News

1 branded search term

  • google news

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among news apps

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