Really Simple Syndication,better known as RSS, is an internet technology that allows you to curate your own feed of news articles, blog posts, and other published content from across the web. There are several excellent RSS services available to choose from, many of which are cross-platform and accessible across both desktop and mobile.
In today’ssocial-media-saturatedworld, RSS readers offer a genuine breath of fresh air. They allow you to escape big tech’s heavy-handed approach to serving you the news, which so often relies on algorithmic machine learning to predict your habits, interests, and likelihood of interacting with a given piece of content. By contrast,RSSreaders empower you to create a custom feed that better speaks to your own preferences.
Here are five RSS apps that I think are particularly excellent at letting you wrestle back control of your news consumption, while kicking algorithms to the curb in the process.
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1Reeder Classic
A well-oiled RSS machine
Reeder Classic
Reeder Classic is an RSS app that offers curated access to articles, with iCloud syncing, read-later support, widgets, and more.
Reeder Classic is a well-refined RSS application that covers all the basics, and then some. Aside from offering a clean and attractive user interface, the app supports iCloud syncing, a built-inPocket-style read-later service, a selection of widgets, a clutter-free reader view, and more. Reeder Classic is available on the Apple App Store for a single-time purchase of $5. The developer has since published a second RSS app onto the App Store in the form of the freeReeder.app, but I’m admittedly too used to Reeder Classic’s interface to make the switch anytime soon.
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2Inoreader
A refined experience with excellent discovery tools
Inoreader: News & RSS reader
Inoreader is a popular RSS app that makes it easy to browse and select topics, with automation and annotation tools, language translation, and more.
One of the most popular RSS services, Inoreader allows you to craft your own news feed with precision. The app’s Discover tab makes it easy to explore and dive into a range of collections and themes, and its interface manages to remain approachable despite all the content on offer. Folders and tags are available to help keep things organized, and article translation, annotations,read-later integration, and text-to-speech are all present and accounted for. Inoreader is free to download and install on mobile app stores, but a Pro subscription is required to unlock functionalities such as offline mode, automation tools, and advanced feed filtering options.
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A flexible and cross-platform solution
ReadKit - Reading Hub
ReadKit is an RSS app that offers offline reading access, cross-platform synchronization, advanced organization tools, and a fluid gesture navigation system.
ReadKit is a powerful cross-platform RSS service that offers a wide set of features and utilities. Advanced organizational tools, offline access, an in-app browser for content consumption, and easy feed import and export settings are all integrated into the experience. The app’s interface is simple and straightforward, and the reading canvas itself is pleasant and flexible. ReadKit’s basic feature set is entirely free, with no ads or data harvesting. A Premium tier is available via subscription or single-time payment, which unlocks multi-account support, extra themes and icons, a more powerful Reader Mode, and other perks.
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A feature-packed app for following topics and trends
Feedly - Smart News Reader
Feedly is a popular RSS service that allows you to follow news publications, blogs, podcasts, YouTube channels, Reddit feeds, and much more.
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RSS simplicity at its best
Unread: An RSS Reader
Unread is a clean and lightweight RSS reader app that offers its own Unread Cloud service for syncing, while also providing a broad set of advanced features.
Unread is a lovingly crafted RSS reader app for Apple devices that populates your news feed in an aesthetically pleasing manner. The app’s clean look and feel is a real perk here, and I can’t get enough of its unique font styling. In terms of features, the app offers in-house Unread Cloud syncing, custom keyboard shortcuts, a variety of colored themes, and voice over support, among other useful tools. Unread is free to download and install, with an optional paid subscription tier available for adding in custom dock icons, website text and image caching, widget customization options, and more into the mix.
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