Google Alerts Alternatives: Other Ways to Get News by Email
The closest free replacement for Google Alerts is Talkwalker Alerts; Feedly or Inoreader if you'd rather have a reading app than an email; or hand the subject to MailMeWhen in one sentence. The last needs no account or app: write the subject as you'd say it to a person, leave an email, and the first letter arrives within 24 hours. The first 7 days are free.
Google Alerts has been around for twenty years, it's free, and for many people it was the first 'email me when' tool they ever used. It also misses a lot, sends in bursts or not at all, and hasn't changed much in a decade.
Here's what people switch to, what each is good for, and how to say in one sentence what you actually want.
What people switch to instead of Google Alerts
A Google Alerts replacement in one sentence
With MailMeWhen you say the subject the way you'd say it to a person who reads the news for you — 'anything new about the Hamburg port expansion', 'when a new paper on X appears', 'if my company is mentioned in the press'. You get a letter when there's something, in plain words, and nothing when there isn't.
The first 7 days are free with no payment details; after that it's $5/month for that one subject, and it stops by itself if you don't subscribe. One reply stops it any time.
Good to know about news alerts
The clearer the subject, the fewer the false hits. 'News about Apple' drowns; 'Apple's antitrust case in the EU' makes a good letter.
If you'd rather have a daily digest than alerts, ask for that — the sentence is the setting.
Try it — hand us this sentence:
Email me when there's genuine news about [topic or company] — a short summary with the source. Skip press releases and duplicates; if nothing happens, don't write.
Common questions
Why does Google Alerts miss stories or stop sending emails?
Google Alerts only reports what Google has indexed and judged new and relevant, so smaller sites, forums and pages behind a paywall often never appear. It also sends only at the frequency you picked — as it happens, once a day or once a week — and a quiet topic produces nothing at all. Before assuming it's broken, check the spam folder and switch 'Only the best results' to 'All results'.
Which Google Alerts alternative is free?
Talkwalker Alerts is free and works the same way. Feedly and Inoreader have free tiers, but keyword alerts sit in the paid plans; Mention, Brand24 and Awario are priced for companies. With MailMeWhen the first 7 days are free with no payment details, then $5/month for that one subject.
How do I phrase a topic so I don't get false hits?
Name the specific thing, not the company: 'Apple's antitrust case in the EU' rather than 'news about Apple'. Say what to skip — press releases, duplicates — and whether you want a letter per story or a daily digest. A person reads the request first, so plain words are enough; the sentence is the setting.