Alternatives to Unread
iOS and macOS feed reader designed around comfortable reading. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
Unread
iOS and macOS feed reader designed around comfortable reading.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as Unread.
NetNewsWire
Free, open-source feed reader for Mac, iPhone and iPad.
NetNewsWire is free and MIT-licensed for Mac, iPhone and iPad with iCloud sync, but has no full-text fetching or filtering.
Reeder
Apple-platform timeline reader for feeds, podcasts and videos.
Reeder uses one chronological timeline across feeds, podcasts and videos with iCloud sync, replacing the classic unread-count workflow.
Reeder Classic
The classic Reeder feed reader, still sold separately.
Reeder Classic is a paid purchase keeping folders and unread counts with nearly every sync back end, though it is less actively developed.
Fiery Feeds
Power-user iOS and macOS reader supporting many back ends.
Fiery Feeds supports a long list of sync back ends with smart views for power users, though most features need a subscription.
lire
iOS and macOS reader that downloads full articles for offline use.
lire downloads full articles for offline reading with search over the text, sold as a paid purchase per platform.
Vienna RSS
Open-source RSS and Atom reader for macOS with smart folders.
Vienna RSS is a free open-source macOS reader with smart folders, but has no iOS version and limited sync.
ReadKit
An RSS and read-later client for iPhone, iPad and Mac that syncs with many feed services.
ReadKit combines RSS and read-later on iPhone, iPad and Mac with many sync services, a built-in RSS engine and a full-text reader mode.
News Explorer
A feed reader for Mac and iOS that syncs feeds and read status through iCloud.
News Explorer is a paid Mac and iOS reader syncing through iCloud that also follows Reddit, Mastodon, YouTube and podcasts.
Also worth comparing
These listings name Unread as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.
feeeed
An iOS feed reader that follows websites, RSS, YouTube and Reddit in a chronological feed.
Unread is an iOS and macOS reader built around typography and gestures that fetches full text, but most functionality requires a subscription.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
Feedbin
Paid RSS reader that also handles newsletters and YouTube.
Feedly
Cloud RSS reader with apps, newsletters and AI topic filtering.
Inoreader
Power-user cloud RSS reader with rules, filters and full-text search.
Matter
Read-it-later app that combines newsletters, RSS feeds, and saved articles.
Readwise Reader
Read-it-later app for articles, PDFs, RSS, YouTube, and ePubs.
Tapestry
An iOS app that merges RSS feeds, social media, podcasts and YouTube into one chronological timeline.
