GNews vs Currents API: full comparison for 2026
Quick verdict
GNews (4.3/5) edges ahead of Currents API (3.3/5) overall. GNews is the better choice for small commercial apps needing a cheap, simple news feed. Currents API is the stronger option for coursework and hackathons needing a free feed. The right pick depends on your budget, how much history you need and whether you need full text.
GNews vs Currents API: head-to-head summary
| Criterion | GNews | Currents API |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | Not disclosed | 2018 |
| HQ | Not publicly disclosed | Not publicly disclosed |
| Team size | Not publicly disclosed | Not publicly disclosed |
| Rating | 4.3 / 5 | 3.3 / 5 |
| Primary differentiator | Commercial rights and full article content for under €50 a month | A free tier that tutorials and roundups often recommend |
| Pricing model | Monthly or yearly plans in euros | Free tier; monthly plans |
| Entry price | €49.99/mo | $69/mo (third-party listing) |
| Formats & SDKs | REST API, JSON | REST API, JSON |
| Typical uses | News & content apps, AI & LLM apps, Marketing & PR | News & content apps, Research & academia |
GNews vs Currents API: overview
GNews
GNews keeps its surface small: one search endpoint, one top-headlines endpoint, and filters for country, language and category. That small surface is why developers like it, because the docs fit on one page and a working call takes a few minutes. The free tier allows 100 requests a day for non-commercial work with 30 days of history. Essential, at €49.99 a month, adds commercial rights, 1,000 requests a day and articles back to 2020, while Business and Enterprise raise the daily quota to 5,000 and 25,000. The weak spot is the company itself. The site credits a studio called Gigathink and gives only a contact email, so its size, founding year and support capacity are unknown.
Currents API
Currents API has run since about 2018 with latest-news and search endpoints filtered by language, region and category. Developer roundups often point beginners to its free tier, but they quote the limit as 600 requests a day, 600 a month or 250 a day depending on the article, and the free plan returns latest news only, with no historical search or commercial use. One report lists paid plans from $69 a month for 75,000 requests (independently unverifiable). The operator, location and team are not published.
Features: GNews vs Currents API
| Capability | GNews | Currents API |
|---|---|---|
| Full article text | ✓ | ✗ |
| Historical archive | ✓ | ✗ |
| NLP enrichment | ✗ | ✗ |
| Story/event clustering | ✗ | ✗ |
| Official SDK | ✗ | ✗ |
| Streaming or webhooks | ✗ | ✗ |
| Free access | ✓ | ✓ |
Formats and SDKs: GNews vs Currents API
| Format / SDK | GNews | Currents API |
|---|---|---|
| REST API | ✓ | ✓ |
| Python SDK | N/A | N/A |
| Node.js SDK | N/A | N/A |
| Webhooks | N/A | N/A |
| WebSocket | N/A | N/A |
| MCP server | N/A | N/A |
| S3/bulk delivery | N/A | N/A |
| BigQuery | N/A | N/A |
Pricing comparison: GNews vs Currents API
| Criterion | GNews | Currents API |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | €49.99/mo | $69/mo (third-party listing) |
| Pricing model | Monthly or yearly plans in euros | Free tier; monthly plans |
| Access models | Free tier, Monthly plans | Free tier, Monthly plans |
| Price transparency | Public price | Public price |
| Price tier | Budget | Budget |
Who each API suits: GNews vs Currents API
| Dimension | GNews | Currents API |
|---|---|---|
| Buyer type | Individuals to enterprise | Individuals to enterprise |
| Typical uses | News & content apps, AI & LLM apps, Marketing & PR | News & content apps, Research & academia |
| Example use cases | A news section in a small SaaS product. Headline widgets filtered by country. | Class assignments. Hackathon news features. |
| How you get access | Free tier | Free tier |
GNews vs Currents API: pros and cons
| GNews | |
|---|---|
| + | The whole API can be learned in one sitting |
| + | One of the cheapest routes to commercial use, and yearly billing takes about 20% off |
| + | Paid plans return full article content |
| + | Up to 100 articles per request on the top tier |
| - | Nothing before 2020 |
| - | No entity, sentiment or clustering fields |
| - | An unnamed operator makes support and continuity hard to judge |
| Currents API | |
|---|---|
| + | Free key is quick to obtain |
| + | Two simple endpoints |
| + | Several languages and regions |
| - | Quoted free limits disagree |
| - | Free plan has no history and bars commercial use |
| - | No identifiable operator or support terms |
Who should choose GNews?
A typical fit: a news section in a small SaaS product.
Commercial rights and full article content for under €50 a month. Paid access starts at €49.99/mo. Typical uses: News & content apps, AI & LLM apps, Marketing & PR.
Who should choose Currents API?
A typical fit: class assignments.
A free tier that tutorials and roundups often recommend. Paid access starts at $69/mo (third-party listing). Typical uses: News & content apps, Research & academia.
Decision matrix: GNews vs Currents API
| Your situation | Recommended choice |
|---|---|
| You want to start free before paying | Both |
| Your budget is at the lower end | GNews |
| You need full article text in the response | GNews |
| You need years of historical news | GNews |
| You want an official SDK | Neither; both are plain REST |
| You are wiring news into an LLM agent | Both work through plain REST calls |
Use case fit: GNews vs Currents API
| Use case | GNews fit | Currents API fit | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| News & content apps | Strong | Strong | Both equally |
| AI & LLM apps | Strong | Limited | GNews |
| Marketing & PR | Strong | Limited | GNews |
| Research & academia | Limited | Strong | Currents API |
Verdict: GNews vs Currents API
GNews (4.3/5) is the stronger overall choice as a news data source. Commercial rights and full article content for under €50 a month.
Currents API (3.3/5) is worth a look if you need hackathon news features. If your situation matches that, Currents API is a competitive option.
Related comparisons
GNews vs Currents API FAQ
Is GNews better than Currents API?
GNews (4.3/5) scores higher overall, but "better" depends on your use case. GNews's strongest advantage: the whole API can be learned in one sitting. Currents API's strongest advantage: free key is quick to obtain.
How do GNews and Currents API differ in pricing?
GNews: monthly or yearly plans in euros, with paid access from €49.99/mo. Currents API: free tier; monthly plans, with paid access from $69/mo (third-party listing). Both offer some free access for testing.
Which is better for enterprise: GNews or Currents API?
Neither sells an enterprise contract. Neither carries licensed publisher content, so check copyright terms before republishing anything.
What are the main differences between GNews and Currents API?
What sets GNews apart: commercial rights and full article content for under €50 a month. What sets Currents API apart: a free tier that tutorials and roundups often recommend. They also differ on entry price (€49.99/mo vs $69/mo (third-party listing)) and typical uses (News & content apps, AI & LLM apps vs News & content apps, Research & academia).
Verify all details directly with each API before making a decision.