Last updated: March 15, 2026
Getting Started
What is NewsFathom?
NewsFathom is a Chrome extension that provides AI-powered explanations of news articles. Select an article and click the extension to instantly get background context, key points, and in-depth analysis.
How do I use it?
- Install the extension from Chrome Web Store
- Open a news article page
- Click the extension icon in your browser toolbar
- Click "Extract Article"
- Select your read: The Tea, Like I'm 5, or Your Brief
- Read the AI explanation in the side panel
What are the explanation levels?
| Read | For | Content |
|---|---|---|
| The Tea | Those who want the unfiltered take | The take nobody's saying out loud. Cynical, witty, shareable. |
| Like I'm 5 | Those who want a plain-language breakdown | No jargon. Plain English. Anyone can follow. |
| Your Brief | Those who want news tailored to their world | Personalized to your work, role, and interests. |
Pricing
What plans are available?
| Plan | Price | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Trial | Free | The Tea×1, Like I'm 5×1, Your Brief×1 (3 total) |
| Plus (Monthly) | $13/month | Unlimited explanations, all reads (The Tea / Like I'm 5 / Your Brief) |
| Plus (Annual) | $117/year | Unlimited explanations, all reads — 3 months free |
Is Plus really unlimited?
Yes — Plus includes unlimited explanations for normal personal use. To keep the service fast and fair for everyone, we may limit abnormal or automated usage (for example, scripted bulk requests or account sharing) under our Fair Use Policy. Normal everyday reading is never affected.
Is there a free trial?
The Trial plan gives you The Tea × 1, Like I'm 5 × 1, and Your Brief × 1 (3 total) for free. Paid plans include a 7-day full refund guarantee from first payment.
Account & Billing
How do I cancel?
- Click the extension icon
- Open settings
- Click "Manage Subscription"
- Click "Cancel"
Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period. You can continue using the service until then.
How do I request a refund?
We offer a 7-day refund guarantee to first-time paid subscribers from their initial payment.
If you contact us within 7 days of your initial payment, we will provide a full refund, no questions asked.
After 7 days from the initial payment, refunds are not available except in the following cases:
- (a) Service could not be provided due to a technical error on our part
- (b) Duplicate or incorrect billing occurred
- (c) A refund is required under applicable consumer protection laws
To request a refund, please email support@newsfathom.com with your account email address and the date of your first payment.
How do I delete my account?
Settings → "Delete Account" → Confirm. We delete your account and personal data, subject to the limited retention periods in our Privacy Policy (limited dispute/fraud-handling records for 12 months; a minimal re-registration/trial-abuse identifier — a one-way hash, no other personal data — kept to prevent abuse).
Privacy & Data
What data do you collect?
- Article content: Raw body deleted after processing, not stored on our servers
- Derived Memory: Source, topics, level reached, feedback, interest profile, article domain and language for follow-ups/personalization — export or delete anytime
- Usage data: Explanation count, selected level
- Account info: Email, subscription status
We do not collect the browsing history of pages you don't ask us to explain, location data, or names.
Is my data used to train AI?
No. Article text is never used to train AI models.
Do you sell personal data to third parties?
No. We do not sell your personal data — information that identifies you as an individual. We only share data with the service providers needed to run NewsFathom (Anthropic, Supabase, Stripe, Google, World News API/GDELT, Sentry, Resend). We generate aggregated, de-identified insights for internal use only (to improve NewsFathom and power in-product features) — we do not share or sell them to third parties; sensitive categories — including health, religion, political opinions, sexual orientation, and racial or ethnic origin — are excluded, and you can opt out at any time from the account menu in the extension.
For details, see Privacy Policy.
Technical Issues
Articles aren't being extracted
- Refresh the page and try again
- Make sure you are on the article page (not the homepage)
- Paywalled articles may not be available
- Test with a different news site
Explanations are taking too long
AI processing usually takes 10–30 seconds. If it takes longer:
- Check your internet connection
- Wait a few minutes and try again
- Refresh the page and try again
Error messages are shown
| Error | Solution |
|---|---|
| "Extraction failed" | Refresh the page or try a different article |
| "Rate limit exceeded" | Wait a few minutes and try again |
| "Network error" | Check your internet connection |
| "Session expired" | Click the extension icon to refresh |
Still not resolved?
Bugs & technical issues only: support@newsfathom.com
(Response may take up to 3 business days)