Reeder vs Unread

Reeder

• Apple users who want feeds, videos and podcasts in one timeline
• Readers who would rather pick up where they left off than clear unread counts
• People who want syncing to stay inside their own iCloud account

Unread

• Mac, iPhone and iPad readers who follow feeds that publish only summaries
• People already syncing through Feedbin, Feedly, Inoreader or NewsBlur
• Self-hosters running FreshRSS, Miniflux or a Fever-compatible server

Reeder

• Apple only: it runs on iPhone, iPad and Mac, with no web, Windows or Android version listed.
• The free version stops at 10 feeds and leaves out OPML import, Shared Feeds and social home timelines.
• There are no unread counts, and third-party sync services are not supported; syncing is through iCloud.
• Reeder Classic, the older app, is sold separately as a one-time purchase: $4.99 on iPhone and iPad, $9.99 on Mac.

Unread

• Apple platforms only: Mac, iPhone and iPad, with no web, Windows or Android version listed.
• Offline caching, article actions, Shortcuts, Save to Unread and limiting widgets to a feed or folder all require Unread Premium.
• The press kit lists macOS 15, iOS 18 or iPadOS 18 or later as requirements.
• Save to Unread works only with Unread Cloud, Local, Feedbin, Feedly and NewsBlur accounts.

Reeder

Unified timeline

RSS feeds, videos, podcasts and social media posts appear in one timeline. Items can be opened in other apps when you want the full client.

Synced timeline position

Reading progress is tracked by scroll position instead of read and unread states, and it syncs for the home timeline, filters, folders and single feeds.

Filters

Build custom timelines that include or exclude posts by keyword, media type or feed type. The built-in Audio and Video timelines are filters.

Saved links and tags

A share extension saves links from other apps. Later, Bookmarks and Favorites are built-in tags with their own keyboard shortcuts, and custom tags can be added.

Shared Feeds

Subscribers can turn any tag into a public, auto-updating JSON feed with a browser view. A shared feed carries the last 50 items added to the tag.

iCloud sync without data collection

Subscriptions, timeline position and tagged items sync through your own iCloud account, and the developer states that Reeder collects no data.

Unread

Automatic webpage text

Unread judges whether each feed is summary-only and, if it is, shows the full article text taken from the web page. The default can be changed for individual feeds.

Unread Cloud and third-party sync

The free Unread Cloud service syncs devices after Sign in with Apple. Unread also syncs with Feedbin, Feedly, Gobbler, Inkwell, Inoreader and NewsBlur, and with self-hosted Fever, FreshRSS and Miniflux servers.

Website accounts

For news sites that require an account, you can sign in from inside Unread, and the app then generates the full article text for that site on the device.

Caching for offline reading

With Premium, webpage text and images are cached ahead of time so articles open quickly and remain available offline. Caching can be limited on cellular connections.

Article actions and Shortcuts

Premium sends articles to services such as Anybox, GoodLinks, Instapaper, Matter, Pinboard, Plinky, Raindrop.io, Readwise and wallabag, and runs your own Shortcuts on articles and links.

Share extensions and widgets

Subscribe in Unread adds a site's feeds from a browser's share sheet, and Save to Unread, a Premium feature, turns the page being viewed into an article. Widgets show recent articles and unread counts.

Reeder

• Free$0

  Nearly all features for up to 10 feeds, without OPML import, Shared Feeds or home timelines from Mastodon, Bluesky and Micro.blog.

• Subscription$1.99

  per month, or $14.99 per year (US App Store)

  Lifts the 10-feed limit and adds Shared Feeds, OPML import and social home timelines. One subscription covers iPhone, iPad and Mac.

Unread

• Free$0

  Feed reading with Unread Cloud or third-party sync, automatic webpage text, website accounts, color themes, search and basic widgets.

• Unread Premium$29.99

  per year, or $4.99 per month; covers Mac, iPhone and iPad

  Adds caching of webpage text and images, article actions, Shortcuts, Save to Unread, widget customization, custom app icons and premium support.

Reeder

• Annual discount

  About 37% off with the yearly plan

  The US App Store lists the subscription at $14.99 a year or $1.99 a month, so a year paid up front costs about 37% less than twelve monthly payments.

Unread

• Annual discount

  About 50% off with the yearly subscription

  Unread's press kit lists Premium at $29.99 a year or $4.99 a month, so a year paid up front costs about half of twelve monthly payments.

• Other savings

  50% off for Plinky Pro subscribers

  Golden Hill Software says Plinky Pro subscribers can get an annual Unread Premium subscription at a 50% discount, which continues for as long as they stay subscribed to Plinky Pro.