Last Updated: Aug 16, 2025
Sooth is the only internet search platform specifically designed for knowledge seekers. On Sooth, knowledge seekers search exclusively across the web’s most credible and diverse sources of news, research, data, and insights without distractions from ads, dubious sources, or AI-generated content. Sooth’s human-curated search index comprises billions of pages of the internet’s best sources of knowledge that cannot be found in academic databases. Sooth is the only search platform that displays NewsGuard and AllSides ratings, providing insights on source credibility and perspective. Sooth is also the only platform with a misinformation toolkit, empowering you to vet, fight, and explore the origins of misinformation in an environment designed to cultivate critical thinking and information literacy. Our news aggregator, Pulse, empowers you to stay on top of current events and topics of interest from the broadest selection of credible sources.
In addition, Sooth is the only internet search platform with premium news partnerships that grant you paywall-free access to premium content whenever it appears as a search result. Our growing list of partnerships includes esteemed publishers like The Washington Post, The Economist, Foreign Policy, Christian Science Monitor, MIT Technology Review,and many, many others.
In today’s digital world, knowledge seekers have access to vast amounts of information online. But actually finding credible, actionable insights is becoming increasingly difficult because it’s so easy for anyone to create and share information online, particularly now with the advent of generative AI. Sooth addresses this growing problem by providing a curated search index focused exclusively on diverse, expert, original sources of news, research, data, insights, and perspectives. By isolating high-quality information without the noise, distractions, and dubious content of traditional search engines or AI tools, Sooth supercharges your knowledge discovery, helping you get authentically smarter, faster.
Sooth is designed for knowledge seekers, specifically:
K-12 Students: Typically, 5th grade and above, as they tend to conduct more in-depth online research. However, it can also be useful for younger students as they begin their introduction to information literacy and online knowledge discovery.
College Students: Whether it is looking for open-access research or additional insight and analysis on complex issues, Sooth is a uniquely powerful tool for undergraduate and graduate students across disciplines.
Educators and School Staff: Teachers, professors, and academic staff who require reliable sources for teaching and research.
Librarians: Both school and public librarians who assist patrons in finding trustworthy information.
Government Researchers: Professionals in government agencies who need accurate and timely data.
Please note that while all sources are vetted at the source level, we do not filter individual content for age appropriateness.
Sooth is old English for truth. It reflects our commitment to providing truthful, reliable information to our users.
To help you get the most out of Sooth, we’ve prepared a comprehensive suite of training videos that can be found here. These training videos are ideal for building a full understanding of all the unique features and capabilities found on Sooth. We also have a number of shorter help videos that can be found inside the app. Here is a selection of some of these short videos:
These and other help videos provide step-by-step guidance on how to maximize your use of Sooth’s features and tools.
Sooth delivers unparalleled benefits and a superior user experience for today’s true knowledge seekers, including:
Exclusively High-Quality Information: Sooth’s curated search index is comprised exclusively of the internet’s highest quality and most diverse sources of information.
Access to Premium Content: Sooth’s growing list of premium news partnerships delivers on-demand access to world-renowned premium content from award-winning publishers in critical moments of learning.
Distraction-Free Experience: No ads, sponsored content, or commercial distractions, just immediately actionable insights so you can get authentically smarter, faster.
Efficient Knowledge Discovery: Sooth organizes your search results by the type of source that published it, quickly orienting you to the wide variety of content and perspectives relevant to your query.
Enhanced Information Literacy: NewsGuard Trust Scores and AllSides Media Bias Ratings™ provide immediate insights on source credibility and perspective. Sooth’s one-of-a-kind Misinformation Toolkit empowers you to vet, fight, and explore the origins of misinformation in an environment designed to cultivate critical thinking and information literacy.
End-to-End Productivity: Sooth’s suite of powerful productivity tools includes features like citation generators, bookmarking, research collections, collaboration tools, article summarizers, and source transparency features. Sooth’s got you covered throughout the knowledge discovery process.
No Dubious Sources or AI Answers: Sooth focuses you on original content from the widest variety of expert sources so you can get authentically smarter, faster. Knowledge seekers need to avoid the inaccuracies and superficial summaries of generative AI tools and unreliable content creators designed to steal your attention.
Use Sooth like any other search engine:
For comprehensive research, try varying your search terms and exploring different recency settings. Check out our help videos for detailed guidance.
Databases are closed systems that incrementally add archived content of various provenance and vintage. Typically, the content is in PDF form and the search technology uses keyword search. While databases can be valuable archived resources, the diversity and scope of the content is usually strictly limited to digital copies of printed newspapers, journals, and periodicals.
Sooth, by contrast, is live web semantic search that encompasses tens of billions of pages of dynamic internet content that is near-instantly discoverable by our users once it has been published online by the originating source. Sooth has access to content that is orders of magnitude larger than what is typically available in databases. Recent open access initiatives within the academic and research communities are also pushing more accessible research content online today than what was available in the past. Content that was once the exclusive domain of research databases is now being made available online. Recently, the U.S. federal government mandated that all research funded by taxpayers must be publicly accessible, without an embargo period or cost.
Sooth performs exceptionally well on topics such as:
Our Academia & Scholarly Resources category includes direct access to over 100 million open-access research papers from repositories like Semantic Scholar, Arxiv, PLOS, Springer Nature, and CORE. This makes Sooth an invaluable resource for in-depth academic research.
Sooth organizes search results into seven source categories to accelerate your knowledge discovery:
Each category is carefully curated to ensure the inclusion of reliable, expert sources relevant to knowledge seekers.
Our sources are chosen through a dynamic vetting process focusing on reliability, relevance, expertise, and transparency. Our selection framework includes:
We rely on data from NewsGuard and other reputable organizations to inform our selections. We also consider factors like subject matter expertise, ownership, transparency, and reputation.
AllSides Media Bias Ratings™ do not play any role in our curation process.
We welcome your feedback to improve our curated sources. If you believe we are missing high-quality sources or have included sub-standard sources, please let us know at contact@sooth.fyi.
We focus on sources whose primary product is information — news, data, research, and insights — and exclude sources primarily focused on selling goods or services. This means:
No Ads or Sponsored Content: Sooth search results are free from advertisements and sponsored links.
No Commercial Incentives: Sooth’s curated search index largely excludes companies that sell products or services. This helps to ensure information is free from ulterior commercial motives. Sooth, however, does include trade associations within the Other Selected Sources category. Trade associations can display biased views that promote certain commercial interests, however, they are usually fact-based and represent expert perspectives that represent a broad coalition of aligned interests.
Enhanced Research Focus: Allows you to concentrate on high-quality, reliable information with minimal commercial distractions.
For example, searching for “clean energy” topics on Sooth yield results extremely rich in diverse, expert information, unlike search results on other platforms that are saturated with ads and commercial content from companies selling energy-related products.
No. Sooth only vets sources at the domain level. Once a source is included in Sooth’s curated search index, most of that source’s content may appear in search results. Sooth does not vet individual pieces of content published by any sources.
Users should always:
Apply Their Own Judgment: Always critically evaluate the information you consume, leveraging best practices in information, media, and digital literacies.
Use Transparency Tools: Utilize features like NewsGuard Trust Scores and AllSides Media Bias Ratings™ for additional insight.
Report Issues: If you encounter sub-standard content, please inform us atcontact@sooth.fyi. Our goal is to provide a valuable level of focus and source vetting, not to replace your critical thinking skills.
As of January 31, 2024, Sooth no longer includes user-generated content (UGC) in search results. This decision was made because UGC platforms lack rigorous vetting, which is inconsistent with Sooth’s commitment to reliable, expert sources. While UGC can sometimes offer intriguing insights and disseminate breaking news quickly, we prioritize maintaining the highest standards of reliability.
We are building administrative controls that will allow account admins to reactivate UGC search results for their respective accounts in the near future.
No. Sooth aims to provide access to high-quality information from diverse contributors without promoting any specific agenda or ideology. Our approach is driven by the following commitments:
Society Benefits from Diversity: Exposure to all sides of a topic enriches understanding.
Neutral Platform: We do not take sides on any issues or ideologies.
Informed Decisions: Our platform helps you explore all perspectives to make well-informed decisions.
We strive to present information transparently, allowing you to form your own opinions based on reliable sources.
No. Sooth includes a wide variety of international sources:
Global News: Approximately 50% of our Global News sources are non-U.S.
International Think Tanks and IGOs: Includes leading international organizations.
Government Sources: Currently indexing U.S. federal and state government websites, with plans to add non-U.S. government sources soon.
European Union Content: EU-related websites are included within the Intergovernmental Organizations category.
Our aim is to provide a global perspective, enhancing the diversity and richness of your research.
Not at all. Our curated index includes tens of billions of pages from thousands of reliable sources, covering a vast range of topics relevant to knowledge seekers. By focusing on high-quality sources, Sooth provides:
Rich, Comprehensive Search Results: Access to a vast amount of reliable information.
Enhanced Productivity: Less time sifting through irrelevant or unreliable content.
Depth and Breadth: Despite being a subset of the internet, the scope is immense and continually growing.
We encourage you to explore Sooth to experience its depth and breadth firsthand.
Yes. We offer transparent pricing for individuals and group subscriptions across three user categories:
For detailed pricing information, please visit ourSubscriptions page. All purchases can be made using our self-service platform from inside the app. To purchase a subscription, please sign-in (or sign-up if you haven’t already done so.)
Of course! All new users get a 30-day free trial period. No payment details are required.
Yes. We are committed to providing an ad-free experience to ensure uninterrupted, high-quality research.
Currently, subscriptions are available only to:
All users must have a verifiable school, library, or government email address.
Absolutely! We offer:
Group Subscriptions: For classes, schools, or districts.
Discounted Pricing: You may be eligible for special rates.
Easy Integration: With Single Sign-On options for seamless access.
Please reach out to us at contact@sooth.fyi to discuss your needs.
Of course! Just download the appropriate template (K-12, Higher Ed, Gov / Public Library), populate the green cells, and return it to us at subscriptions@sooth.fyi.
No setup is required. Sooth is a web-based application optimized for:
Laptops and Desktops: For the best experience.
Tablets: Fully compatible and optimized.
Mobile Devices: Download our app!
To use Sooth:
Create an Account: Using your school email. We also offer multiple Single Sign-On options like Google, Microsoft, Clever, ClassLink, and NYC Public Schools.
Your trust is fundamental to us. We are committed to:
Protecting Your Data: We never sell or share your personally identifiable data with third parties.
No Tracking: We do not track you outside our site nor do we allow third-party tracking on our site.
Anonymized Analytics: We collect anonymized usage data solely to improve your experience.
COPPA / FERPA Compliance: We comply with all federal, state, and local student data privacy requirements.
Minimal Data Collection: We only collect the personal information needed to operate our platform securely.
Industry Best Practices: we are a member of the Student Data Privacy Consortium.
For more details, please read our Privacy Policy.
Yes. Sooth is compliant with the Standard Student Data Privacy Agreements (SDPA) as endorsed by the Student Data Privacy Consortium, of which Sooth is a vendor-member. We have signed multiple SDPA’s including the corresponding Exhibit E that other schools can leverage for their SDPA’s.
We are committed to maintaining the highest standards of data privacy and security.
Yes. We offer Single Sign-On (SSO) through:
SSO simplifies access for users and enhances security.
NewsGuard is an independent organization that rates the credibility and transparency of tens of thousands of online news and information websites. NewsGuard provides:
Trust Scores:Each site is rated on a scale of 0 to 100 based across nine credibility and transparency criteria.
Nutrition Labels: Detailed write-ups explaining each rating.
We have partnered with NewsGuard to:
Enhance Trust: Sooth displays NewsGuard Trust Scores alongside search results for rapid insight into source reliability.
Inform Users: Provide access to in-depth evaluations of sources.
Maintain High Standards: Sooth only includes sources with a Trust Score of 60 or above (exception: our Misinformation Toolkit).
This partnership aligns with our mission to promote informed decision-making based on reliable information.
AllSides provides Media Bias Ratings™ for thousands of media sources. They aim to:
Expose Bias: Help readers understand the political leanings of news outlets.
Promote Balanced Perspectives: Encourage exposure to all sides of a topic.
Combat Filter Bubbles: Reduce polarization by breaking echo chambers.
We have partnered with AllSides to:
Increase Awareness: This is why Sooth displays Media Bias Ratings™ to inform users about potential biases.
Encourage Critical Thinking: Help users critically evaluate the information they consume.
Promote Diversity of Thought: Facilitate access to diverse viewpoints.
This collaboration supports our commitment to providing a neutral platform that empowers users to explore all perspectives.
Sooth was founded by Jeff Walsh and is supported by a passionate and dedicated team committed to enhancing knowledge discovery for students, educators, and researchers.
We are always interested in people who are passionate about our mission. We are particularly interested in:
If you are focused on building customer love and want to be part of our team, please email us at contact@sooth.fyi.
