NetNewsWire vs Vienna RSS (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, NetNewsWire and Vienna RSS share a 3.0 GPA, both are free, so the choice depends on whether you care more about platforms, where NetNewsWire grades higher, or features, where Vienna RSS does.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Which one is for you
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
Pick Vienna RSS if
- Fits if you read feeds on a Mac and like a mail-style layout
- Works for people who sync through FreshRSS, Inoreader or BazQux
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you use Windows, Linux or a phone, because it's macOS only
- Not for you if you run an older Mac, as 3.11.x needs macOS 10.15 (Catalina) or newer
- Watch out: it has no sync of its own, so syncing needs another service that supports the Open Reader API
How we grade them
| 3.0GPANetNewsWireVery good | 3.0GPAVienna RSSVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | 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. | AFree under Apache 2.0, with no paid plans listed, against a $2.50 start for the cheaper quarter of reading apps. |
| Free plan and trial | 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. | AThe whole app is free and nothing is held back. |
| Features | 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. | BDirect feed reading, a mail-style layout, plug-ins, custom display styles and Open Reader API sync. Nothing in the listing is missing for feed reading. |
| Ease of use | 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. | BNo rating on record. Download it, add feeds and read, with nothing else to set up. |
| Platforms and integrations | 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. | DmacOS only, and 3.11.x needs macOS 10.15 or newer. No iOS, Windows, Android or web version. |
| Best for | a free, no-account RSS reader on Apple devices | a free RSS reader for the Mac |
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: NetNewsWire and Vienna RSS. How we grade
Price against what you get
NetNewsWire has no paid plan and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Vienna RSS has no paid plan and scores 2.3.
On this chart the two sit in the same place: the same score for the same starting price. Of the other read-later and bookmark apps on the chart, none scores higher than NetNewsWire for less, and none scores higher than Vienna RSS for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
In commonFree planmacOSOpen sourceRSS reader
At a glance
| NetNewsWire | Vienna RSS | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | 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. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| iOS | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Brent Simmons | ViennaRSS Project |
| Price read from | netnewswire.com | vienna-rss.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
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.
Vienna RSS
- It runs on macOS only; no iOS, Windows, Android or web version is listed.
- Releases 3.11.x need macOS 10.15 (Catalina) or newer, per the README.
- Syncing needs a separate service that supports the Open Reader API; Vienna has no sync of its own.
Key features
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.
Vienna RSS
- Direct feed reading
- Connects straight to the sites you track and reads RSS, Atom and JSON feeds without needing an account.
- Mail-style layout
- Scan article summaries in a list, then open a single article in a simplified browser view for deeper reading.
- Open Reader API sync
- Syncs with cloud services using the Open Reader API. The README lists BazQux, FreshRSS, FeedHQ, Inoreader and The Old Reader as tested.
- Plug-ins
- XML-based plug-ins add menu and toolbar actions, and the vendor says one can be built by editing a property list file.
- Custom display styles
- Articles can be shown in different styles, each an HTML template plus a stylesheet, and new ones can be written.
Plans
NetNewsWire
Free$0
The complete app on Mac, iPhone and iPad, including iCloud sync and syncing with third-party feed services.
Vienna RSS
Free$0
The whole app is free and released under the Apache 2.0 license; no paid plans are listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, NetNewsWire or Vienna RSS?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both NetNewsWire and Vienna RSS are free to use.
Which has a free plan, NetNewsWire or Vienna RSS?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both NetNewsWire and Vienna RSS have a free plan.
Which platforms do NetNewsWire and Vienna RSS run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only NetNewsWire lists an iOS app and a browser extension. Both list a macOS app. 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.