AP News vs SmartNews:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, AP News had more branded searches than SmartNews among news apps worldwide. AP News had about 1.2 million branded searches, while SmartNews had 33,100. AP News made up 12.8% of all news app searches we track, and SmartNews accounted for 0.35%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about news apps, AP News appeared in all five answers and SmartNews in none.
Who do people search for more?
AP News, about 37 searches for every 1 for SmartNews
Who does AI mention more?
AP News, mentioned in every answer we collected
Who does AI recommend more?
AP News, the only one of the two named
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Top news apps in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, AP News appeared in all five answers. SmartNews did not appear in any of the 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.
Share of searches by month for AP News, SmartNews. 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 AP News and SmartNews comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- AP News was ahead of SmartNews in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, AP News’ share of searches among news apps worldwide moved from 10.8% to 12.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 1.2M.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, SmartNews’ share of searches among news apps worldwide moved from 0.36% to 0.35%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 40.5K to 33.1K.
How did search popularity change for news apps worldwide in September 2026?
1 change
Estimated monthly branded searches for SmartNews worldwide fell 18.3% over 12 measured months, from 40.5K to 33.1K in September 2026.
How are branded searches counted?
2 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using AP News’ and SmartNews’ 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.
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