Lire vs NetNewsWire (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, NetNewsWire grades higher than Lire: 3.0 against 2.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
Lire grades higher on features. NetNewsWire grades higher on the free plan. They get the same grade on value for money, ease of use and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Which one is for you
Pick Lire if
- Fits if you live on Apple devices and read feeds that only show a snippet
- Works for people who want articles saved for offline reading
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you use Windows or Android, as there's no version for either
- Pricey if you want both Mac and iPhone, since they're two separate $9.99 purchases
- Watch out: both listings mention in-app purchases but don't show what they cost
- Tight if you want to try before buying on iOS, as a demo is mentioned only for the Mac app
Pick NetNewsWire if
- Fits if you're on Mac, iPhone or iPad and want a free reader with no account
- Works for people who already sync feeds through Feedbin, Feedly or Inoreader
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you use Windows, Android or the web, because it's Apple devices only
- Tight if your Mac or iPhone is an older one, since the current version needs macOS 15 or iOS 26 and newer
- Too light for you if you want filters, rules or reader view on everywhere at once
- Watch out: volunteers make it, and bugs and requests go through GitHub issues and a forum
How we grade them
| 2.6GPALireGood | 3.0GPANetNewsWireVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | A$9.99 one time for each app, under a year of the $3.99 that a middle-priced reading app charges. The in-app purchase amounts aren't shown on either listing. | AIt costs nothing, and there's nothing to upgrade to, in a category where paid readers start at $2.42 a month in the cheapest quarter. Open source under the MIT license with no in-app purchases, and the project even asks supporters not to send money. |
| Free plan and trial | DNo free plan. A demo of the Mac app is offered on the vendor's site and none is mentioned for iOS, and the demo limits aren't on record. | AThe complete app is free on Mac, iPhone and iPad, iCloud sync and syncing with third-party feed services included. No cap anyone will reach, because there's no paid version to hold anything back for. |
| Features | BFull-text articles, offline reading, standalone use or sync with Feedly, Feedbin, Inoreader, NewsBlur, FreshRSS and others. Nothing in the listing is missing from a reader's job. | CIt covers the basics of feed reading: direct feeds or sync through seven services, reader view, smart feeds, folders, stars, search, single-key shortcuts and OPML. The listing names the gap: reader view can't be turned on for everything at once, only per article or per feed, so summary-only feeds stay fiddly. |
| Ease of use | BNo rating on record. Install it and read, with sync as an option rather than a requirement. | B4.75 from 884 App Store ratings, short of the 1,000 ratings we want behind an A. There's no account to make, since it can download feeds directly: add a feed, or use the Safari extension on the page you're reading, and you're off. |
| Platforms and integrations | CiPhone, iPad and Mac only, which is one family of devices. No Windows, Android or web version. | COne family of devices: Mac, iPhone and iPad, with a Safari extension and nothing for web, Windows or Android. The current release also needs macOS 15 or iOS 26 and newer. It does sync with seven feed services, if you read elsewhere too. |
| Best for | an RSS reader that turns partial feeds into full text | a free, no-account RSS reader on Apple devices |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Lire and NetNewsWire. How we grade
Where they differ
- NetNewsWire is open source, according to its own site.
In commoniOSmacOSRSS reader
At a glance
| Lire | NetNewsWire | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free |
| Starts at | $9.99 one-time per app, in-app purchases listed | Free |
| Free plan | None | Entirely free and open source under the MIT license, with no in-app purchases. The project asks people who want to support it not to send money. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| iOS | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Kunal Sood | Brent Simmons |
| Price read from | apps.apple.com | netnewswire.com |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Lire
- The Mac and iOS apps are bought separately, at $9.99 each on the US App Store.
- Both listings mention in-app purchases but do not show what they cost.
- No Windows, Android or web version is listed.
- A demo is offered for the Mac app on the vendor's site; no demo is mentioned for iOS.
NetNewsWire
- Apple platforms only: Mac, iPhone and iPad, with no web, Windows or Android version.
- The current version needs macOS 15 or iOS 26 and newer.
- Reader view cannot be switched on for everything at once; it is used per article or per feed.
- The app is made by volunteers, with bug reports and requests handled through GitHub issues and a forum.
Key features
Lire
- Full-text articles
- Its own engine fetches the whole article for feeds that publish only a snippet, with no third-party parsing service.
- Offline reading
- Full text can be downloaded ahead of time and cached, so cached articles open without a connection.
- Standalone or synced
- Use it without an account, or sync through iCloud on current versions or a supported feed service.
- Many sync services
- Feedly, Feedbin, Feed Wrangler, FeedHQ, The Old Reader, Inoreader, NewsBlur, BazQux, FreshRSS, Miniflux, Nextcloud News and Tiny Tiny RSS.
NetNewsWire
- Direct feed downloading
- Feeds can be fetched straight from the sites that publish them, so the app works without signing up for a feed service.
- Sync through iCloud or feed services
- Feed lists and read and starred status sync through iCloud, or through Feedbin, Feedly, BazQux, Inoreader, NewsBlur, The Old Reader and FreshRSS.
- Reader view and article themes
- Reader view pulls the full article text when a feed carries only a summary and can be set to always apply to a given feed. Article themes are customizable.
- Smart feeds, folders and stars
- All Unread and Today smart feeds, folders, starred articles and search organize reading, and read articles and feeds can be hidden.
- Keyboard navigation and Mac extras
- Single-key shortcuts cover everyday navigation. The Mac app adds a customizable toolbar, multiple windows and AppleScript support.
- Safari extension and OPML
- A Safari extension adds the feed for the page you are viewing, and feed lists can be imported and exported as OPML.
Plans
Lire
lire for iOS and iPadOS$9.99
one-time App Store price; in-app purchase amounts not shown
Universal purchase for iPhone and iPad, with the full-text engine and iCloud or service sync.
lire for macOS$9.99
one-time Mac App Store price; in-app purchase amounts not shown
Separate Mac app. A demo build is offered on the vendor's site.
NetNewsWire
Free$0
The complete app on Mac, iPhone and iPad, including iCloud sync and syncing with third-party feed services.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Lire or NetNewsWire?
As of Nov 12, 2026, Lire starts at $9.99 one-time per app, in-app purchases listed, and NetNewsWire is free.
Which has a free plan, Lire or NetNewsWire?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only NetNewsWire has a free plan. Lire does not.
Which platforms do Lire and NetNewsWire run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only NetNewsWire lists a browser extension. Both list macOS and iOS apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.