ArthNow vs Pulse by Zerodha: Should You Scan Headlines or Read Briefs?
Pulse and ArthNow have more in common than most finance apps. Neither shows ads, both cover Indian business and market news from established publishers, and neither pushes stock tips. The difference is in what they do with the news.
Pulse is an aggregator: a fast, chronological list of headlines from the last day, with a short excerpt and a link to the source. ArthNow is a summariser: it turns each story into a short brief you read inside the app, then lets you listen to it, read it in your language, or open the original. Which is better depends on how you like to read.
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The quick take
- Pulse is ideal if you want breadth: every business headline from many outlets, free, with no login.
- ArthNow is ideal if you want the substance without opening each source: short summaries, sorted by topic, with audio and Indian-language reading.
- Pulse is a starting point that sends you elsewhere to read; ArthNow is designed so that, for most stories, the brief is enough.
ArthNow vs Pulse: what you get
Pulse details are from Zerodha's website and the Pulse app store listing as of October 2026.
| ArthNow | Pulse by Zerodha | |
|---|---|---|
| Approach | Summarises each story into a short brief | Aggregates headlines and excerpts from many publishers |
| Where you read the story | In the app; one tap to the full original | On the publisher's website |
| Ads | None | None |
| Price | Free; Premium from ₹199/month removes audio and search limits | Completely free |
| Login required | Not to read; an account is needed for Premium | No |
| Organised by topic | Market, Economy, IPO, Metals & MCX, Personal Finance, Crypto & Web3, plus My Feed | Chronological feed with trending stories |
| Live market screen | Indices, top movers, NSE IPOs, currencies and commodities | No |
| Audio briefs | Yes; two voices, two speeds | No |
| Indian-language reading | Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, Gujarati, Kannada | English |
| Chrome extension | No | Yes |
Aggregator versus summary: the real difference
When the RBI announces a policy decision, Pulse will typically show you the headline from several publications within minutes. That's useful if you want to see how different outlets framed it, or if you plan to read two or three full pieces anyway.
ArthNow handles the same event as a short brief: the decision, the key numbers, and what it means for loans, deposits and rate-sensitive stocks. If you want the full reporting, the original source is a tap away. The trade-off is that you read a summary, not every outlet's own angle.
Why some readers prefer Pulse
- It is completely free, with no limits and no paid tier.
- No account, no sign-in and no personal data needed.
- You see the publishers' own headlines, with no summarising layer in between.
- It is very fast to scan, and the Chrome extension puts it in your browser.
If you trade actively and want to see everything as it is published, Pulse's raw feed is hard to beat.
Why some readers prefer ArthNow
Scanning 100 headlines is quick, but working out which five matter, and then reading them across five different websites with their own pop-ups and paywalls, is not. ArthNow is built to do that filtering and condensing for you, so a morning catch-up takes a few minutes inside one ad-free app.
It also works when you can't look at a screen: briefs can be played aloud with a female or male voice at normal or fast speed. And because the app translates on your phone, you can read market news in Hindi, Gujarati, Telugu or four other Indian languages. The live market screen shows indices, top movers and the current NSE IPO list next to the news, so you don't need to switch apps to check the numbers.
More comparisons
See how ArthNow compares with full-service apps in ArthNow vs Moneycontrol and ArthNow vs Economic Times, or read our guide to choosing a market news app in India.
Pulse or ArthNow?
ArthNow is for you if you…
- Want summaries, not a list of links
- Prefer reading inside one app instead of many websites
- Want to listen to market news hands-free
- Read better in an Indian language
Pulse is for you if you…
- Want every headline from every major outlet
- Don't want to create any account
- Prefer reading the original articles yourself
- Use the Chrome extension while you work
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Keep comparing
Comparisons are based on each app's public store listing and website as of the review date above. Features and prices change; check the app itself before you subscribe. Economic Times, Moneycontrol, Pulse, Mint, Business Standard and CNBC-TV18 are trademarks of their respective owners, and ArthNow is not affiliated with them. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will correct it.
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