Feedly is an RSS service with its own apps for the web, iOS and Android. Reeder and NetNewsWire are apps for iPhone, iPad and Mac only. They often work together: NetNewsWire (free) and Reeder Classic ($4.99 on iPhone and iPad, $9.99 on Mac) can sync with your Feedly account, so you keep Feedly and read it in an Apple app. The new Reeder is different: it syncs only through iCloud, not with Feedly.
We make Feeder, another RSS reader, so we're not neutral. Every fact about Feedly, Reeder and NetNewsWire on this page comes from their own websites, help pages and App Store listings. Prices are in US dollars, from each company's website and the US App Store, checked on September 27, 2026. For more readers, see the best RSS readers, compared.
What is Feedly?
Feedly is an RSS reader from Feedly Inc. You follow websites and read their new articles in one list, on the web or in the iOS and Android apps. The free plan follows up to 100 feeds in 3 folders, with sponsored ads. Pro is $6 a month billed yearly, or $8 monthly. Pro+ adds Feedly AI for $12 a month, billed yearly only.
What is Reeder?
Reeder is an RSS app for iPhone, iPad and Mac from Silvio Rizzi, a solo developer. There are two versions, and they work very differently.
- Reeder (the new app) puts RSS feeds, videos, podcasts and social media posts in one timeline. It has no unread counts: it remembers your place in the timeline and syncs it, with your subscriptions and saved items, through iCloud. It's free for up to 10 feeds. The subscription is $1.99 a month or $14.99 a year, and it covers iPhone, iPad and Mac.
- Reeder Classic is the older app, kept "for those who prefer a more traditional RSS reader experience". It's a one-time purchase, $4.99 on iPhone and iPad and $9.99 on Mac, and it's still updated: version 5.6 came out on September 25, 2026. It syncs through iCloud or through a service such as Feedly, Inoreader or Feedbin.
What is NetNewsWire?
NetNewsWire is a free, open-source RSS reader (MIT license) for Mac, iPhone and iPad, built by Brent Simmons and volunteers. It keeps your feeds in iCloud, or syncs with a service: Feedly, Inoreader, Feedbin, NewsBlur, The Old Reader, FreshRSS or BazQux. The Mac app downloads from netnewswire.com, and the iPhone and iPad app is in the App Store.
Feedly vs Reeder vs NetNewsWire at a glance
| Feedly | Reeder | Reeder Classic | NetNewsWire | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free for 100 feeds, with ads. Pro $6 a month billed yearly, or $8 monthly. | Free for 10 feeds. $1.99 a month or $14.99 a year. | $4.99 on iPhone and iPad, $9.99 on Mac, paid once | Free |
| Runs on | Web, iOS, Android | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Needs | iOS 15 or later | iOS 17 or later, macOS 14 or later | iOS 15 or later, macOS 12 or later | iOS 17 or later, macOS 15 or later |
| Syncs through | Your Feedly account | iCloud only | iCloud, or Feedly, Inoreader, Feedbin, NewsBlur, The Old Reader, FreshRSS, BazQux Reader or FeedHQ | iCloud, or Feedly, Inoreader, Feedbin, NewsBlur, The Old Reader, FreshRSS or BazQux |
| How you read | A list of new articles from your feeds | One timeline with no unread counts. It remembers your place. | Read and unread articles, with mark as read on scroll if you turn it on | Read and unread articles, with All Unread and Today smart feeds |
| Beyond RSS | Newsletters and Google News feeds on Pro+. Up to 100 Reddit feeds. | Videos, podcasts and social media posts. Home timelines from Mastodon, Bluesky and Micro.blog with the subscription. | Read later with Instapaper, Pocket or iCloud | RSS, Atom and JSON Feed. A Safari extension adds feeds. |
| OPML | Export in the web app | Export in Settings. Import needs the subscription. | Not listed on its website | Import and export |
Does Reeder work with Feedly?
Reeder Classic does. The new Reeder doesn't.
- Reeder Classic lists Feedly among its supported services, next to Inoreader, Feedbin, NewsBlur, The Old Reader, FreshRSS, BazQux Reader and FeedHQ. Feedly keeps your feeds, and Reeder Classic is the app you read them in.
- The new Reeder syncs only through iCloud and fetches each feed straight from the source. Its developer says support for third-party sync services "is not currently planned", because Reeder tracks what you've read by your place in the timeline, not by read and unread.
So "Reeder with Feedly" means Reeder Classic. To switch to the new Reeder, you bring your feeds over once with an OPML file. The free version can't import OPML, so that step needs the subscription.
Feedly vs Reeder: which should you use?
It depends on your devices and on how you like to read.
- Feedly on its own suits you if you also read on Android or in a browser on Windows, or if you want Feedly AI.
- Feedly with Reeder Classic suits you if you like Feedly but want a native app on your iPhone, iPad or Mac. You pay for Reeder Classic once, and Feedly stays as it is on your other devices.
- The new Reeder suits you if all your devices are Apple devices and you'd rather read a timeline than clear an unread count. It also mixes in videos, podcasts and social posts, and its filters build custom timelines by keyword, media type or feed type. It's $14.99 a year, or free for up to 10 feeds.
Feedly vs NetNewsWire
NetNewsWire is free, so the real question is whether you need Feedly too.
- NetNewsWire on its own, with iCloud, is enough if you read only on a Mac, iPhone and iPad. iCloud syncs your list of feeds and what you've read and starred.
- NetNewsWire with Feedly makes sense if you also read on Android or on the web. Add your Feedly account in NetNewsWire, and it becomes your Feedly app on Apple devices.
- Feedly on its own is the pick if you don't use Apple devices.
NetNewsWire vs Reeder and Reeder Classic: which is better?
All three are native Apple apps. The choice comes down to price, how you like to read, and what you want to sync with.
- Choose NetNewsWire for a free, classic reader that keeps track of what you've read and syncs through iCloud or a service such as Feedly, Inoreader or Feedbin. Its code is open source, under the MIT license.
- Choose Reeder Classic for the same classic style with extras such as Bionic Reading, widgets on iOS and a read-later service, paid once. It's also the one for older devices, because it runs on iOS 15 and macOS 12.
- Choose the new Reeder for one timeline of feeds, videos, podcasts and social posts, synced through iCloud only, for $1.99 a month or $14.99 a year.
Do Reeder and NetNewsWire work on Windows or Android?
No. Both are made only for Mac, iPhone and iPad, and neither website lists a Windows or Android version. If you read on those too, use a service with its own apps there, such as Feedly, and read it in NetNewsWire or Reeder Classic on your Apple devices. More options are in RSS feed readers for Android.
How do I move my feeds between them?
All of them use OPML, a file with your list of feeds.
- From Feedly: sign in on the web, open
feedly.com/i/opmland save the file. It works only in Feedly's web app, and it leaves out Boards, Read Later, AI Feeds and Reddit feeds. - From Reeder: export your feeds in Settings, under Your Data. Only RSS and JSON feeds are included, so timelines that need a login stay behind.
- From NetNewsWire: on a Mac, choose File, then Export Subscriptions.
- Into Feeder: open Library, then Import & Export, and choose Import from file. The steps are in Import and export your feeds with OPML.
To keep Feedly and read it in NetNewsWire or Reeder Classic, you don't need a file: sign in to your Feedly account in the app.
A third option: Feeder
Feeder is our RSS reader, for the web, iOS and Android, with extensions for Chrome, Firefox and Edge. If you read on more than Apple devices, these are the differences that matter:
- One reader on all your devices. Apps for iPhone, iPad and Android, and the web app in any browser, including Safari on a Mac. See Feeder apps for iPhone, Android and your browser.
- 200 feeds free, with no ads. Reeder's free version stops at 10 feeds, and Feedly Free at 100.
- Alerts on every plan. Push and desktop notifications when a feed posts something new, even on Free.
- Plus is $7.99 a month billed yearly, or $9.99 monthly. It follows 2,500 feeds and updates them as often as every 5 minutes. It also adds e-mail updates, plus Rules and keyword filters.
- What it doesn't do. Feeder doesn't sync with NetNewsWire, Reeder or other third-party apps, so you read Feeder in its own apps and in the browser. On a Mac, that means the web app or a browser extension. On Free, feeds update every 2 hours unless you set them to update more often, as often as every 30 minutes.
More comparisons: Feeder vs Feedly, and Feedly vs Feedbin for a paid service that also syncs with NetNewsWire and Reeder Classic.
Common questions
Is Reeder free?
The new Reeder is free for up to 10 feeds, without OPML import. The subscription is $1.99 a month or $14.99 a year in the US App Store, and it covers iPhone, iPad and Mac. Reeder Classic has no free version: it's $4.99 on iPhone and iPad and $9.99 on Mac, paid once.
Is NetNewsWire free?
Yes. NetNewsWire is free and open source, with no paid plan, on Mac, iPhone and iPad.
Can I use Feedly on a Mac?
Yes, in the browser at feedly.com, or in NetNewsWire or Reeder Classic once you add your Feedly account. Feedly's own apps are for iOS and Android.
Try Feeder
Feeder is an RSS reader for the web, iOS and Android, with extensions for Chrome, Firefox and Edge. The free plan follows up to 200 feeds, updated as often as every 30 minutes, with no ads. Plus is $7.99 a month, billed yearly, for 2,500 feeds, updates as often as every 5 minutes and e-mail summaries.
Get started with Feeder for free