Fraidycat review (2026): is it any good?
Follow people across blogs and social sites without a news feed
Fraidycat report card
Very good · out of 4.0 · graded Nov 13, 2026
Best for following people across sites without a feed
Fraidycat is a free browser extension and desktop app that follows people across blogs and social sites, sorted by how much you care about them. It costs nothing. But the extensions were last released in May 2021 and the desktop apps in September 2020, the desktop apps have no sync, and there is no phone app.
Who Fraidycat is for
- Fits if you want to keep up with a few people more than with every post they write
- Works for a computer-only reader who is happy with a small free tool
Who Fraidycat is not for
- Skip it if you want a phone app: mobile apps are only on the wish list
- Not for you if you want a tool that is kept up: the extensions were last released in May 2021 and the desktop apps in September 2020
- Watch out: the Mac, Windows and Linux apps have no online sync
- Watch out: Twitter, Instagram and SoundCloud pages are read by scraping, so they may break when those sites change
Why Fraidycat gets a 3.0
Five grades, each with its reason. The GPA is their average: an A is 4 points, an F is none.
- AValue for moneyFree to download and run, with no paid plan listed anywhere on the site. The reading category's middle price is $4 a month.
- AFree plan and trialEverything is free, with no paid tier on the site.
- CFeaturesIt follows people, not posts, across many source types, with importance levels and tags. That is a smaller job than a full reader, and the site lists mobile apps and keyword filters only as things it would like to add.
- BEase of useNo store rating on record. You install an extension and start adding people, with little to set up.
- CPlatforms and integrationsBrowser extensions and desktop apps for Mac, Windows and Linux only, with no phone app, and the desktop apps have no online sync.
What these grades rest on. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Fraidycat's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. How we review and grade.
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<a href="https://toolgpa.com/tools/fraidycat#review"><img src="https://toolgpa.com/badge/fraidycat.svg" alt="Fraidycat: 3.0 GPA on ToolGPA" width="196" height="56"></a>Where Fraidycat stands among read-later and bookmark apps
Fraidycat's GPA of 3.0 is higher than 46 of the 66 other read-later and bookmark apps we grade, and level with 14.
It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 47 of 66) and worst on features (C, above 0).
Fraidycat has no paid plan.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.3 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 67 read-later and bookmark apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. Fraidycat’s own letter is outlined.
- AValue for moneyAbove 43 of 66, level with 23
- AFree plan and trialAbove 47 of 66, level with 19
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 66, level with 33
- BEase of useAbove 32 of 66, level with 32
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 2 of 66, level with 23
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 60 read-later and bookmark apps. Further left costs less, and higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Point at a dot to see which tool it is.
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
Keep Fraidycat, or make your own?
Keep it
Fraidycat is free, so making your own would save you nothing.
It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 3.0 is higher than 46 of the 66 other read-later and bookmark apps we grade.
What you could make
- RSS reader and bookmarks: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- Apps for macOS, Windows and Linux that stay in step with each other.
- It plugs into other products, YouTube, Mastodon and Reddit among them.
What this rests on. Fraidycat’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
What is Fraidycat?
Fraidycat is a browser extension and desktop app that tracks the people you follow on blogs, YouTube, Mastodon, Twitter, Twitch and other sites. Instead of one long feed it shows a list of recently active individuals, each summarized in two lines. It is free and its source code is published on GitHub.
Worth knowing
- The extensions were last released in May 2021 and the desktop apps in September 2020, according to the site.
- The Mac, Windows and Linux apps are marked as having no online sync.
- The site lists mobile apps and keyword filters only as things it would like to add.
- Pages for Twitter, Instagram and SoundCloud are read by scraping, so they may break when those sites change.
Key features
- People, not posts
- The main page lists each follow as a two-line summary of their recent activity, rather than a feed of individual posts.
- Many source types
- Reads RSS, Atom and JSON Feed, plus Twitter, Instagram and SoundCloud by picking details out of their pages. It also finds the feeds for Pinboard, YouTube and Reddit.
- Importance levels
- Each follow is set to real-time, daily, weekly, monthly or yearly, which controls how often it is checked and whether it stays on the main page.
- Tags
- Follows are grouped by tag, and a tab bar on the main page filters the list by tag.
- Sync through your browser
- Follows sync between computers by way of the browser's own sync, with no central Fraidycat server.
Fraidycat pricing
As of Nov 13, 2026, Fraidycat is free to use.
- Starts at
- Free
- Free plan
- Everything: the site lists no paid plan.
- Free trial
- None listed
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | The Firefox and Chrome extensions and the desktop apps, with no paid tier listed. |
Read from fraidyc.at on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Fraidycat before you buy.
Works with
Fraidycat alternatives
- Fraidycat vs Feedbin
Free trial · from $7/mo
- Fraidycat vs Miniflux
Free plan · from $15/yr
Common questions
Does Fraidycat have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Fraidycat is listed for macOS, Windows and Linux.
Does Fraidycat have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Fraidycat is listed for macOS, Windows and Linux.
Is Fraidycat open source?
Yes. Fraidycat is open source, according to its own site.
Sources for this page
The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026.