Apple News vs Ground News:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Apple News and Ground News were level in searches among news apps worldwide, with an estimated 246K branded searches each, at 2.6% of the total each. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about news apps, Ground News appeared in all five answers and Apple News in four. Ground News was mentioned before Apple News in three out of five answers.
Who do people search for more?
Apple News and Ground News are searched for about as often as each other.
Who does AI mention more?
Ground News, mentioned in every answer we collected
Who does AI recommend more?
Ground News, named ahead of Apple News in 3 of 5 answers
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Top news apps in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Ground 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. Ground News was listed before Apple News in three out of five answers.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Google News1st
AP News2nd- Ground News3rd
Apple News4th
NewsBreak5th
Flipboard6th
Feedly7th
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
Asked ChatGPT
“Which news app should I use?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best news apps?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best news app for daily headlines?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“news apps”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“breaking news app”
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 Ground News more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Apple News and Ground 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.
Share of searches by month for Apple News, Ground News. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Google News | AP News | NewsBreak | Apple News | Ground News | SmartNews | Feedly | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 80.6% | 10.8% | 3.2% | 1.8% | 3.2% | 0.36% | 0.01% | <0.01% |
| Nov 2025 | 81.3% | 10.9% | 3.3% | 1.5% | 2.7% | 0.36% | <0.01% | <0.01% |
| Dec 2025 | 83.6% | 9.1% | 3.4% | 1.2% | 2.3% | 0.37% | <0.01% | <0.01% |
| Jan 2026 | 78.7% | 12.9% | 3.2% | 1.7% | 3.2% | 0.35% | 0.01% | 0.01% |
| Feb 2026 | 81.8% | 10.9% | 2.7% | 1.5% | 2.7% | 0.36% | 0.01% | 0.01% |
| Mar 2026 | 78.8% | 13% | 2.6% | 2.1% | 3.2% | 0.29% | 0.02% | <0.01% |
| Apr 2026 | 77.6% | 15.5% | 2.6% | 1.4% | 2.6% | 0.34% | 0.02% | <0.01% |
| May 2026 | 79.4% | 13% | 3.2% | 1.4% | 2.6% | 0.35% | 0.02% | <0.01% |
| Jun 2026 | 82.3% | 11% | 2.7% | 1.5% | 2.2% | 0.3% | 0.02% | <0.01% |
| Jul 2026 | 79.4% | 13% | 3.2% | 1.4% | 2.6% | 0.35% | 0.02% | <0.01% |
| Aug 2026 | 79.2% | 12.9% | 3.2% | 1.7% | 2.6% | 0.35% | 0.02% | <0.01% |
| Sep 2026 | 78.5% | 12.8% | 3.2% | 2.6% | 2.6% | 0.35% | 0.02% | 0.01% |
How has the Apple News and Ground News comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Apple News was ahead of Ground 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, Ground News’ share of searches among news apps worldwide moved from 3.2% to 2.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 368K to 246K.
How did search popularity change for news apps worldwide in September 2026?
2 changes
In September 2026, Apple News overtook Ground News to rank 4th among news apps worldwide, with 2.6% of the searches.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Ground News worldwide fell 33.2% over 12 measured months, from 368K to 246K in September 2026.
How are branded searches counted?
2 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Apple News’ and Ground 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
Ground News
1 branded search term
- ground news
Other head-to-heads among news apps
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