NetNewsWire vs News Explorer

NetNewsWire

• Mac, iPhone and iPad users who want a free reader with no account
• People who already sync feeds through Feedbin, Feedly or Inoreader
• Readers who prefer open-source software

News Explorer

• People on Apple devices who want feed sync without creating an account
• Readers who would rather pay once than subscribe
• Following Reddit, YouTube, Mastodon and podcast feeds alongside RSS

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.

News Explorer

• Built only for Apple platforms, with syncing that relies on iCloud; there is no web, Windows or Android version.
• The Mac app and the mobile app are separate purchases, listed at $9.99 and $4.99 on the US App Store.
• The 14-day trial is a download of the Mac edition; the App Store editions are paid up front.
• Current versions need macOS 15.6 or iOS and iPadOS 18 or later, and the Apple Watch app needs a paired iPhone.

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.

News Explorer

iCloud sync without an account

Feeds, folders, articles, read status, favorites, filters, notes and tags sync through iCloud across Mac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Apple TV, with no other service to sign up for.

Many feed types

Reads RSS, Atom, RDF and JSON feeds along with Mastodon, Bluesky, Reddit, YouTube channel and podcast feeds, and a built-in search finds new feeds by keyword.

Automatic Reader view

For supported sources the app downloads the full original article and shows it in a clean format. Several Reader view engines are available and can be chosen per feed.

Smart filters and prefilters

Sidebar filters match on title, content, author, tags or dates, and prefilters stop unwanted articles from being downloaded at all. Both sync between devices through iCloud.

Article comments

Comments can be read inside the app for feeds that publish a comment feed per article, and for YouTube, Reddit and Hacker News feeds.

Notes, tags and sharing

Rich-text notes and custom tags can be attached to articles, and built-in sharing sends items to Instapaper, Raindrop.io and Readwise.

NetNewsWire

• Free$0

  The complete app on Mac, iPhone and iPad, including iCloud sync and syncing with third-party feed services.

News Explorer

• Mobile edition$4.99

  one-time purchase (US App Store)

  Universal purchase covering iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch and Apple TV. It does not include the Mac app.

• Mac edition$9.99

  one-time purchase (US Mac App Store)

  The macOS app. Also sold as a Personal License in the Betamagic Store, where the 14-day trial is offered, and included in Setapp.