Reading Twitter, Google News, and Facebook for news can be distracting and overwhelming at times. That’s why dedicated RSS reader apps help you choose the resources you want to read. The Apple App Store has several RSS reader apps for iPhone. Among them, NetNewsWire and Feedly stand out with their popularity and features. Once you know its features and strengths, you can choose one of them.
Although both are RSS reader applications, they carry different features. NetNewsWire checks all the boxes while focusing on the interface and reading experience. Meanwhile, Feedly offers RSS aggregation of resources and features based on machine learning.
Which one should you install on your iPhone? Let’s discuss both in detail.
Cross-Platform Availability
Feedly has an advantage over NetNewsWire as it is available on iOS, Android, and the Web. Cross-platform availability ensures you have the same user interface and reading experience across all platforms.
NetNewsWire is an open source project available on Apple’s software platforms. NetNewsWire v5.0 and the new Mac version also came to the App Store last year.
user interface
The UI is important when dealing with RSS sources and feeds. While the design guidelines of software platforms change every year, RSS reader app developers are always on the alert.
NetNewsWire offers a standard iOS navigation with home buttons at the bottom and news feed at the top. While you may not find it as flashy as other apps, it’s pretty good for the first release that gets you excited for future updates.
While the user experience elements are mostly in place, you may find the implementation a bit rough.
Feedly feels stuck between the past and the future. For example, it has a nice bottom bar, but it also uses the hamburger menu (like an Android app) which might annoy all experienced iPhone users. You can switch between text, magazine and cards to change the look of the app’s home screen.
Both NetNewsWire and Feedly support iOS dark theme.
Services and Integration
Feedly offers three main services that you can integrate into the app. You can add Pocket, Instapaper, and Evernote accounts for better integration. Using Feedly Pro (more on that later), you can also use OneNote to save articles and integrate your Twitter feed.
NetNewsWire only supports two services – Feedbin and Feedly. You can import OPML backups to continue reading your subscribed feeds. Otherwise, you’ll have to rely on the default sources or add new ones manually.
Reading Experience
Let’s talk about the main factor that will help you decide between the two – the reading experience. And we must say that NetNewsWire achieves this.
The transition from one post to the next feels more natural and intuitive. However, the lack of customization options can sometimes bother you. There is no way to customize the reading experience with different fonts and sizes.
You will have to dive into the app settings to make changes. And even there, you’ll only find a few options.
Feedly has been around for a while longer than the NetNewsWire app on iPhone. You can change the theme, text size and font directly from the home screen using Feedly. You can swipe left/right to switch between articles. If a post has a Read More button, it will use the Safari browser to load the webpage. You can use the built-in Read Later service or choose the integration of the application to save articles.
Tap the three-dot menu in the upper-right corner and connect Feedly to third-party services like Pocket, Instapaper, or Evernote.
Extra Features
NetNewsWire offers only a few extra features compared to Feedly and other RSS reader apps. It’s missing a few things like Siri integration or widgets. You can only hope to see them in future updates.
Feedly offers loads of extra features to customize the entire reading experience. This is one reason why Feedly is so sure about charging a subscription fee for using add-ons.
Feedly allows you to create different boards to organize saved articles. You can view it as an advanced Pocket application. Feedly also offers Google Keyword alerts, IFTTT integration, the ability to use notes and highlighter, and more.
Feedly Premium presents Leo, an AI assistant that identifies topics, keywords and products relevant to you based on your reading habits and the websites you subscribe to. It also helps you avoid deduplication so you don’t have to read ‘Apple version 2021 24-inch iMac’ from dozens of news sources.
Price
NetNewsWire is completely free on iPhone. Feedly works as a subscription service. Feedly Pro and Pro+ plans are priced at $8 and $16 per month, respectively. On the plus side, the free version of Feedly does not contain any ads.
Get Latest News on the go
Get the perfect RSS reader app to organize your custom source list for reading RSS feed. NetNewsWire is free and provides a good experience for its first version. Feedly is moving forward with advanced customization options and advanced features. Although it comes at a cost. Which one will you choose? Share your opinion in the comments below.
Next: The App Store is packed with some of the best RSS apps. Read the post below to find the top five options among them.
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