In search of an RSS reader for macOS and iOS

TLDR: I recommend NetNewsWire. 😉

I use RSS daily. I couldn’t imagine keeping up with the news without it. I have about a hundred sites that I follow. It wouldn’t be possible to visit them all every day. Thanks to RSS reader, I can have everything in one place and quickly scan through the headlines to see if there’s anything interesting.

There are many RSS readers available with different functions, but I have a few requirements that I would like to meet:

• I want to use the same RSS reader on macOS and iOS.
• It should synchronize articles between devices (iCloud).
• It should support categories.
• It should be as simple as possible, because I don’t need any fancy features.
• The cost should be reasonable.

I have used a lot of RSS readers in the past. Most of them were subscription-based.

The best RSS reader I have used so far is Feedly. They have great apps for all platforms, and even a web version. The interface is very clean and easy to use.

I stopped using Feedly because I don’t want to pay for something that I don’t use. I need a simple app where I can add RSS feeds, display a list of articles, and read them. I don’t need to save articles, search through them, use AI, or any other features. I just want to read the news.

There are many RSS readers that support what I need, and I don’t have to pay $6 per month (or $99 per year for the Pro+ version).

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t have anything against paying for software. I have a lot of paid apps and subscriptions. I just don’t want to pay for something that I don’t use. I have been using Feedly for a long time, and I realized that I don’t use most of the features that I pay for. That’s the main reason why I stopped using it.

I can use that money to pay for other apps that I need and use every day.

If you need the features that Feedly offers, I highly recommend it. It’s a great service.

Until last week, I was using Reeder5 on my iPad. It’s a great app and I’ve been using it for a long time. It supports everything I need and I highly recommend it.

Last week, I realized that I wanted to have the same app on my Mac. I never feel like opening my iPad to add an RSS feed when I find an interesting website while working on my MacBook. It would be easier to add it using a desktop app and synchronize the two devices.

There is a Reeder app for macOS, and I almost bought it. (You need to buy the iOS and macOS versions separately.) However, before clicking the buy button, I remembered that I wanted to test another RSS reader that I had come across some time ago.

NetNewsWire.

I installed it on macOS and iOS, tested it for a couple of hours, and I was sold. I would say it’s similar to Reeder, but the interface is even cleaner and simpler. I moved all my RSS feeds, and for some reason, I feel like the NetNewsWire app is a little faster than Reeder. Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like NetNewsWire needs less time to synchronize the feeds.

As I said, both apps are similar, and both are great. I switched to NetNewsWire for four reasons:

1. The interface looks better to me.
2. It’s open-source. I always choose open-source projects when possible.
3. Privacy. I don’t know if Reeder collects any data, but I know that NetNewsWire doesn’t (open-source).
4. It synchronize the feeds faster.

I would be happy to pay for such software, but they don’t want our money 😕

Thanks for the awesome software!