Best News apps, ranked by ASO
We took the News category's real top-chart leaders on the App Store and Google Play and ranked them by how well they're optimized. Both store leaderboards are shown side by side.
Top News apps by store
App Store
25 appsTop: Police Scanner: Crime Radar · ASO 84
View iOS ranking- 1
Police Scanner: Crime Radar
App Store#13 by downloadsSepia Software LLC
- 2
Bloomberg: Business News Daily
App Store#5 by downloadsBloomberg Finance LP
- 3
Citizen: Safety & Live Video
App Store#4 by downloadssp0n, Inc.
- 4
Epoch Times: Live & Breaking
App Store#19 by downloadsEpoch Usa Inc
- 5
Current - RSS Feed Reader
App Store#5 by downloadsJupiter Interactive Group LLC
- 6
Loop - Podcast Player
App Store#9 by downloadsAugusto Simionato
- 7
Stocks.News－Market Alerts
App Store#14 by downloadsIR Agency LLC
- 8
5-0 Radio Pro Police Scanner
App Store#15 by downloadsSmartest Apps LLC
- 9
FOX LOCAL: Live News & Weather
App Store#20 by downloadsFox Television Stations, Inc.
- 10
NYTimes: US and Global News
App Store#2 by downloadsThe New York Times Company
- 11
World News 206・Translation
App Store#8 by downloadsSeiya.k
- 12
CNN: Live & Breaking News
App Store#9 by downloadsCNN Interactive Group, Inc.
- 13
SkipCast: Podcast Player
App Store#13 by downloadsMatthew Grdinic
- 14
CNBC: Stock Market & Business
App Store#12 by downloadsVersant Media LLC
- 15
Nextdoor: Neighborhood Network
App Store#7 by downloadsNextdoor
- 16
The Economist - News, Podcasts
App Store#10 by downloadsThe Economist
- 17
Fizz: Your Authentic Community
App Store#17 by downloadsFizz Social Corp.
- 18
Financial Times: Business News
App Store#18 by downloadsFinancial Times Ltd.
- 19
CrimeRadar Dispatch Audio
App Store#4 by downloadsScoopz Inc.
- 20
Police Scanner: Fire Radio
App Store#12 by downloadsGuru Network Limited Inc.
- 21
The Wall Street Journal. News
App Store#3 by downloadsDow Jones & Company, Inc., publisher of The Wall Street Journal.
- 22
Watch Duty: Wildfire & Floods
App Store#5 by downloadsSherwood Forestry Service, Inc.
- 23
Noticias Telemundo
App Store#20 by downloadsNBCUniversal Media, LLC
- 24
Police Scanner Radio & Fire
App Store#9 by downloadsGordonEdwards.net LLC
- 25
Medium: Read & Write Stories
App Store#15 by downloadsA Medium Corporation
Google Play
25 appsTop: The Wall Street Journal. News · ASO 88
View Android ranking- 1
The Wall Street Journal. News
Google Play#3 by downloadsDow Jones & Company, Inc.
- 2
Bloomberg: Finance Market News
Google Play#13 by downloadsBloomberg LP CM
- 3
SmartNews: Live News & Rewards
Google Play#13 by downloadsSmartNews, Inc.
- 4
CrimeRadar: Dispatch Alerts
Google Play#2 by downloadsScoopz LLC
- 5
The Epoch Times: Breaking News
Google Play#14 by downloadsEpoch Times Association Inc
- 6
Local Weather & News - Radar
Google Play#18 by downloadsDaowei Network
- 7
Scanner Radio - Police Scanner
Google Play#6 by downloadsGordonEdwards.net LLC
- 8
PEOPLE: Pop Culture & Puzzles
Google Play#20 by downloadsDotdash Meredith Inc.
- 9
FOX News - Daily Breaking News
Google Play#11 by downloadsFOX News Network, LLC
- 10
Local Weather News - Radar
Google Play#5 by downloadsEASE Group
- 11
Haystack News: Local TV News
Google Play#17 by downloadsHaystack News
- 12
NYTimes: US and Global News
Google Play#2 by downloadsThe New York Times Company
- 13
CNN: Live & Breaking News
Google Play#8 by downloadsCNN
- 14
WeatherNews: Local & Breaking
Google Play#9 by downloadsNEWSDELIVER LIMITED
- 15
Local News: Breaking & Latest
Google Play#15 by downloadsNEWSDELIVER LIMITED
- 16
The Guardian - US & World News
Google Play#7 by downloadsGuardian News & Media Ltd
- 17
FOX Nation: Celebrate America
Google Play#9 by downloadsFOX News Network, LLC
- 18
Washington Post: Live News
Google Play#12 by downloadsThe Washington Post
- 19
NewsBreak: Local News & Alerts
Google Play#4 by downloadsParticle Media Inc.
- 20
Le Monde, Live News
Google Play#20 by downloadsLe Monde
- 21
Google News - Daily Headlines
Google Play#16 by downloadsGoogle LLC
- 22
FOX LOCAL: Live News & Weather
Google Play#17 by downloadsFox Television Stations, Inc.
- 23
Pocket Casts - Podcast App
Google Play#18 by downloadsAutomattic, Inc
- 24
Local News: Headlines & Alerts
Google Play#19 by downloadsOpera
- 25
The Economist - World News
Google Play#17 by downloadsThe Economist Newspaper
What to compare across stores
The same News category can behave differently on the App Store and Google Play. iOS listings lean on the title, subtitle, keyword field, and screenshot sequence. Android listings have more room in the short description and long description. Reading both leaderboards helps separate category signals from platform signals.
Use the highest-scoring apps as a baseline for a complete listing in this category. Review your own app against the same signals before changing keywords or creative. Strong ASO work matches search intent, store fields, and conversion-focused screenshots in the same release.
How News apps can earn more organic search
Organic growth in News starts with the job a user wants to solve. A strong listing makes that job clear in the title, subtitle or short description, first screenshots, and opening description copy. The score shows whether the listing gives stores enough evidence to understand the app. It also shows whether users get enough visual proof to install.
Compare the words used by high-scoring apps with the outcomes shown in their screenshots. Repeated benefit language, category labels, and use-case phrases are good keyword candidates. If screenshots explain the same first-use moment, test that creative angle before chasing harder search terms.
Police Scanner: Crime Radar leads the App Store side while The Wall Street Journal. News leads the Google Play side, which gives you two different listing patterns to compare. Do not copy the wording directly. Look for the structure behind it. Check where the primary keyword appears. See how quickly the listing explains the app. Then review whether the description supports the same intent and recent updates build trust. The best ASO pages combine search relevance, complete metadata, fresh updates, and a clear reason to install.
- Search intentMap the category's common jobs, outcomes, and user language before editing metadata.
- Store fitCheck whether the App Store or Google Play leaders rely on different fields to explain the same value.
- Conversion proofUse screenshots and short copy to prove the outcome promised by the keyword target.
What the ASO score reveals in News
This is a listing-quality view of News apps. It is not a download chart. The ranking shows which leaders connect metadata, screenshots, freshness, and complete store fields.
If Police Scanner: Crime Radar leads this list, look for the reason. The edge may come from sharper title terms, stronger first screenshots, fresh release notes, or clearer category-fit signals. Use those patterns as a benchmark, not as copy to mirror.
The best News apps connect keyword intent, product promise, visual proof, and trust signals in one listing.
- Metadata fitClear title, subtitle, short description, and keyword coverage.
- Creative proofFirst screenshots show the outcome users came to find.
- Maintenance signalFresh updates and complete metadata keep the listing trustworthy.