5 best RSS reader applications for iPhone

After years of being forgotten, RSS is gradually reviving. RSS is the only reliable way to see what you really want, as opposed to the content that the algorithm wants users to see on Twitter or Facebook.

When choosing to return to RSS (or start with a new account), you'll need a news reader. Thankfully, there are some great RSS readers on the iPhone. But how do you know what is the right choice for you? Let's find out the top 5 options below!

RSS reader and news reader

First, learn about RSS. Many users misconception about what an RSS application really is. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. RSS has an open protocol that any website can use.

The RSS feed of a website includes the latest articles. The job of an RSS reader is to accept any RSS feed and present its content to the reader on a list. If you cannot add a new source using the RSS feed link, then it is not an RSS reader.

A good example of this is Flipboard. Flipboard is a great news reader application with a closed system of approved publishers, but it's not an RSS reader (similar to Apple News). Users cannot add their own sources using RSS links in these applications.

If you want complete control of your news reading experience, readers should create an account with Feedly, add favorite sources and use the iPhone RSS reader application to improve the reading experience.

5 best RSS reader applications for iPhone

1. Feedly

Since Google 'death' of Google Reader, Feedly has become an RSS service for most users. And over the past few years, Feedly has added new and exciting features, to maintain its leading position.

For years, users can only use Feedly as a synchronization service with third-party applications. Now, it's time to take another look at the Feedly application for the iPhone.

Feedly on iOS new application is very intuitive to use. When users load up their sources, the most important news feed will appear. Users can swipe through articles and use gestures to return. When clicking on a link, the link will open in the integrated Safari browser, with Reader Mode enabled by default. Click the Menu button and you can see the entire folder structure and source.

In addition, night mode is especially good on new iPhone models. Because Feedly is the most popular RSS service, it has the most useful Discovery tool in every RSS application. Feedly is a great way to find new sources, and even act as a research tool for a specific topic.

Download Feedly (Free, subscription available).

2. Unread

If you're interested in reading experience more than anything else, Unread is the app for you. This is a meticulously designed reader application, taking content from all users' RSS feeds and presenting it as a list of text-only articles. Applications that support popular RSS services like Feedly, Feedbin, Inoreader, NewsBlur and Feed Wrangler.

The application has no visible UI elements and therefore completely dependent on gestures. When clicking on an article, all users see is text and images. Swipe right to go back; swipe left to see options. You can switch to another topic or share the article to another application from there.

The free version of Unread allows reading the first 50 articles (and then 3 posts per day). You can pay $ 10 (VND 230,000) to unlock the full application and add 8 additional themes.

Download Unread (Premium version available and free).

3. Lire

If you're looking for a lightweight RSS reader, Lire is the app for you. Lire uses the standard iOS design language to present a simple reading experience. But the app also allows users to customize every part of the screen to read. This is the most important thing.

The best aspect of Lire is that it has a full-text reader. Normally, when browsing RSS feeds, users must click on a link to load the entire article in the browser. Lire automatically downloads the entire text section of the article, converting the partial feed source into a full feed. Only this feature has made Lire worthwhile for advanced RSS users.

Download Lire ($ 7 / 161,000 VND).

4. Fiery Feeds

If you feel that Lire is inappropriate or if you don't want to buy an app right away, try Fiery Feeds. Like Lire, Fiery Feed takes iOS design language as a basis and is also built on it. This application has a toolbar below to perform quick operations and also supports navigation gestures.

Users have access to several color schemes in the free version (along with beautiful dark mode). And of course, users can customize the reading mode. But if you are an advanced user, you will want to upgrade to the Premium version for $ 10 (VND 230,000) per year.

Fiery Feeds also extract full text similar to Lire. The application will load the entire text of the article even if the feed is truncated. In addition, users also have access to Smart Views automatically filtering high and low frequency feeds.

A unique feature in Fiery Feeds is custom themes. You can customize your own themes and even import theme files directly from iCloud Drive.

Download Fiery Feeds (Free, subscription available).

5. Inoreader

Inoreader is the preferred RSS synchronization service for 'nerds'. If you are interested in specific details about how exactly syncing subscriptions are and if you want to enable server-side automation and filtering, you should use Inoreader. When it comes to the user interface, Inoreader looks more like a traditional news reader application than an RSS reader. You can register topics to start and the application will open in magazine view by default.

Go deeper and you'll find directory structure, dark mode, shortcuts to load the entire text of the article and the powerful tagging system. Inoreader also provides a customized reading screen.

A free account allows users to subscribe to 150 feeds. Users can pay for the Pro version to use offline mode for selected folders and the ability to search through all public posts.

Download Inoreader (Free, subscription available).

If you've just started with RSS, try Feedly first. This application will help you discover sources, topics and websites. This app also has a very good reading experience. Once you have a good understanding of RSS, you can try switching to a more powerful application like Lire or Inoreader. If only planning to subscribe to a handful of sites and want the interface to read as neatly as possible, consider Unread.

As the article mentioned, there are many RSS applications available. Many applications blur the line between pure RSS and a magazine-style news reader. Newsify is a good example in this case.

If you try to use RSS but find it too complicated, you can always switch to news reader applications like Flipboard, News360 and Nuzzel.

Wish you have the right choice!