Google Reader may not be everyone’s favorite reader, but its use is so widespread that news of its closure shocked and upset many. But knowing Google’s penchant for shutting down many of its services, it is no surprise that this one too has met its end. Now that Google Reader is not going to be around, here are some free and paid RSS Feed Reader apps worth checking out. You can choose from one of the desktop alternatives or web based alternatives.
Top Free and Paid RSS Feed Reader Apps
If you prefer to get your news fix from stand alone desktop apps, here are are few paid and free RSS Reader options you might want to check out.
Feedreader
Feedreader is definitely one of the best alternatives to Google Reader. It offers both an online version as well as a desktop version. It has a clean, minimalist UI that lets you view and manage your feeds easily. This is one of the two readers’ I am currently using on my Windows 10 desktop and my top favorite.
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RSSOwl
RSSOwl is another feed reader for Windows PCs that I enjoyed using on my Windows 8 PC. I love the varied options available to manage and read my favorite stories. However I have since uninstalled it as it asks for me to run a Java update. You can check out my indepth review of RSSOwl here if you are interested.
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NetNewsWire
It’s a popular RSS reader for Mac and iOS devices but is supported by ads, which you can remove by paying a license fee of $14.95. It includes a great many features such as saving stories on Instapaper, three different viewing options, tabbed browsing, use of keyboard shortcuts and navigating using the Spacebar.
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GreatNews
GreatNews is my second favorite desktop feed reader. It doesn’t have as clean a UI as FeedReader but still packs a punch with some fantastic features. It offers a plethora of customization options including 6 different reading view styles, options to add labels to categorize feeds, track feeds using search terms, highlight important feeds and so much more. Its completely free to use and a great desktop client should you ever need one.
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Web based feed readers are just as popular with users, and here are some of the popular options.
Feedly
Feedly is definitely one of the more popular options out there and plenty of folks are busy moving their stuff out of Google Reader onto Feedly. The team at Feedly have done their homework well, increased their bandwidth, added new servers, and opened their arms to everyone orphaned by Google. The app itself is well designed, offering a newspaper like layout to read your feeds in a more leisurely fashion. They also have apps for the mobile friendly reader, and options to transition your feeds into Feedly easily.
Old Reader
This feed reader reminds you of the older Google Reader, (hence the name I suppose) and is still in beta, but offers importing your Google Reader feeds, share stories with friends, comment, add notes and more.
Pulse
Certainly my favorite news reader app on Android, Pulse offers a beautiful way to read your favorite stories. You can do a lot more such as save stories to read later, share with friends, and subscribe to plenty of blogs, newspapers, and magazines.
Netvibes
NetVibes has certainly gained a lot from the demise of Google Reader. They have an option to easily move your feeds to their network and offer more than just feed reading. Access to your stories on mobile devices, creating personalized dashboards and other additional features make this web tool a good alternative to Google Reader.
Skimr
You can enjoy all your favorite stories on your desktop, tablet and smartphone without even signing up for an account. This simple, slick RSS reader is quite unlike other readers, but still has its legion of fans.
Scouring the web, it is obvious that people love reading feeds, so much, that there are a gazzilion feed readers that cater to every type of user. This post only lists some of the popular ones, but you could check out Taptu, GreatNews, Vienna, Omea Reader, WebReader, Feedbooster, Reeder, NewsBlur or just use Outlook to get your feed fix.
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