If you want to read RSS feeds, you need an RSS reader. But why? We briefly describe what an RSS reader is all about and why you need it.
Definiton
An RSS reader (often also called feed reader or news aggregator) is a program that allows you to read and display RSS feeds.
The best free RSS readers
Until 2013, the Google Reader was the de facto standard in the field of RSS readers. The API of the free service enabled a whole ecosystem of different feed readers.
Since the Google Reader was discontinued, numerous alternative RSS readers have built up a large fan base over the years.
Cross Plattform (Desktop)
"RSSOwl" is a news aggregator for RSS and Atom News feeds, but is no longer maintained. It is written in Java and released under open source license.
Windows
There are numerous RSS readers for Windows. Especially attractive are "FeedReader", "Nextgen Reader" and "Readiy Pro". These are not only slim, but also offers the possibility to choose from a list of known feeds. So you don't start completely naked.
Mac
The RSS readers "Gruml" and "Vienna" are very popular among Mac users. This was not least due to the sync capability with Google Reader. But even so, they are an excellent option if you are looking for an RSS reader for your Mac.
Linux
Linux users can also access attractive RSS readers. Especially worth mentioning here is "Liferea".
iPhone
If you also want to be provided with the latest RSS news on the move, we recommend using the apps "Reeder" or "Lire" on an iPhone. In addition to a clear user interface, these apps offers a clear structure of the integrated RSS feeds.
Android
For mobile use on an Android smartphone the apps "Flipboard", "FeedMe", "Readably" are recommended (the famous "gReader" has been discuntinued). Especially the stylish design, which looks like a magazine, can score with users. The large areas can also be selected quickly and easily, which is especially helpful on the small smartphone display.
Web Based
If you want to be more independent of an operating system, you can use an online based readers.
"Tiny Tiny RSS" is a free, web-based feed reader. The application allows you to subscribe to and view web feeds from a web browser. There is also an official Android app and an API available for other clients. The formats RSS and Atom are supported. The program retrieves subscribed RSS feeds from a server (which needs to be maintained by the user) at regular intervals and stores the articles found in a database.
"Inoreader" is content and RSS feed reader, a cloud-based service for web browsers and mobile devices running iOS and Android.
"Feedly" is a news aggregator application for web browsers and mobile devices running iOS or Android. It is also available as a cloud-based service.
The RSS reader "Feedly" is particularly recommended here. Feedly uses a minimalist design and focuses on the elements that are really important - the RSS messages.
If you do not want to get a separate RSS reader, you can also use your e-mail program. Outlook and Thunderbird are worth mentioning here.
Browser
Of course you can also follow RSS feeds in some browser. However, this is a rarely used feature, since the browsers do not really support user friendly administration of the feeds. Mozilla will remove native support for RSS and Atom feeds from Firefox 64. They rather rely on add-ons than continue to maintain this feature. Popular Firefox Add-Ons are "Livemarks" and "Feedbro".
Fire TV
"Headlines": in addition to RSS feeds, you can view the weather or display Twitter trends. Disadvantage: At the moment you can't add your own sources, instead you have 60 sources from 11 categories to choose from.
Mr. Reader
Mr. Reader is a RSS News Reader for iOS. One of its main features is are a large article preview and image thumbnails. So it is easy to read only the articles you are interested in. Manage your subscriptions directly in the app and share articles with other services. Please see below for a list of features.
Please note: Since 2016, the app development has stopped, and the app has been removed from the App Store.
Summary
The app is a paid RSS news reader developed by Oliver Fürniß for the iPad that enables users to search, view and add news feeds with ease.
In addition, Mr. Reader allows users to have total control on their RSS feeds with its powerful features like Feed Management, Folder Management and Tag Management. It also allows offline reading with its image caching functionality. Plus, it has several themes to suit anyone’s needs and preferences.
Aside from that, users can share links with others via Facebook, Twitter, or email. It also allows users to add their RSS feeds to several services like Delicious, Zootool, Kindle and many more. Overall, Mr. Reader is a feature-rich RSS reader for the iPad made available for a download price of $3.99.
Synchronization Options
- Aol Reader
- BazQux Reader
- Feedbin
- FeedHQ
- Feedja
- Feedly
- Feed Wrangler
- Fever
Google Reader(R.I.P.)- InoReader
- SubReader
You can add multiple accounts each with separate settings. Automatic background synchronization can be enabled in the Synchronization settings (disabled by default).
Supported Sharing Services
- Native iOS Share Sheet
- Post to Twitter, Facebook, Ello, LinkedIn
- Add articles to Buffer
- Send to Instapaper, Pocket, Readability for reading later
- Send to Evernote and Microsoft OneNote
- Add to Safari Reading List
- Collect YouTube and Vimeo videos by using ToWatchList
- Send articles to your Kindle by using Tinderizer or SENDtoREADER
- Post to Tumblr (multiple blogs supported)
- Connect to Instagram, PinTrest, Snapchat etc.
- Open articles in "any" browser by using the SendTab service
- Send an article or just the link by mail (predefine multiple recipients)
- Send link by 'Message' (SMS, text message)
- Copy link to the clipboard
- Copy Short URL to the clipboard
- URL shortener: goo.gl, TinyURL, is.gd, Bitly or your custom one
You can re-order the services menu and enable only the services you use.
Open with Browser
Every browser app that can be opened via an URL scheme can be integrated. The following browser actions are included:
- Safari
- Apollo Browser
- Atomic Web
- Coast by Opera
- Dolphin Browser
- Google Chrome
- Mercury
- Opera Mini
- Vivaldi
Feed Management
- Subscribe to feeds
- Rename feeds
- Delete/unsubscribe feeds
- Assign feeds to folders
- Open the feed homepage in one of your installed browsers
- 'Subscriptions Checker' to check if the feed URL's are still up to date
Tag Management
- Create tags
- Rename tags
- Delete tags
- Assign tags to feed items