The Unread Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Unread in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Unread
The Insider’s Guide
RSS reader for Mac, iPhone and iPad with full-text retrieval
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among read-later and bookmark apps, read from Unread’s own pages.
Made by Golden Hill Software · checked Oct 6, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Unread’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Unread’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 6, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.6
GPA, above 11 of the 36 other read-later and bookmark apps we grade
Unread is an RSS reader for Mac, iPhone and iPad from Golden Hill Software. It works out which feeds carry only summaries and shows the full article text from the web page instead. Devices sync through the free Unread Cloud service or through feed services such as Feedbin, Feedly, Inoreader and NewsBlur. The core app is free, and an Unread Premium subscription adds caching for offline reading, article actions for read-later services, Shortcuts and a Save to Unread share extension.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Unread, taken from its own pages and our grades.
- 1
Best for reading summary-only feeds in full on Apple
Unread is an RSS reader for Mac, iPhone and iPad that fetches the full article when a feed only gives you a summary, and most of it is free.
- 2
Paid plans start at $2.50 a month when paid by the year
As its pricing page puts it: $29.99 per year, or $4.99 per month.
- 3
There is a free plan
Most functionality is free: feed reading, Unread Cloud and third-party sync, automatic webpage text, themes and search. Caching, article actions, Shortcuts and Save to Unread need Premium.
- 4
It runs on 2 platforms
macOS and iOS.
- 5
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.
- 6
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.
- 7
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.
- 8
A 2.6 GPA, above 11 of 36
That is against the other read-later and bookmark apps we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
The plain part of Unread you could make: rSS reader. What surrounds it you could not. The 4 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
Unread at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $29.99 per year, or $4.99 per month
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- macOS, iOS
- Made by
- Golden Hill Software
- Category
- Read Later & Bookmarks
- Our grade
- 2.6 GPA, good
- Store rating
- 4.6 on the App Store, 442 ratings
The report card
Best for reading summary-only feeds in full on Apple
Unread is an RSS reader for Mac, iPhone and iPad that fetches the full article when a feed only gives you a summary, and most of it is free. Offline caching, article actions, Shortcuts and Save to Unread need Premium at $29.99 a year, with no trial. It's Apple only, it needs macOS 15 or iOS 18, and anyone on Windows, Android or the web should look elsewhere.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | Premium is $29.99 a year, $2.50 a month, a shade above the $2.42 that marks the lowest-priced quarter of reading apps here, so an ordinary price. It does cover Mac, iPhone and iPad together, and Plinky Pro subscribers get the yearly plan at half price. |
| Free plan and trial | B | Most of it is free and one person could live on that: reading, syncing through Unread Cloud or your feed service, full article text, website accounts, themes and search. Premium is offline caching, article actions, Shortcuts and Save to Unread, and there's no trial of it. |
| Features | B | It covers the whole feed-reading job: it works out which feeds carry only summaries and pulls the full article from the page, signs in to news sites that need an account, syncs with Feedbin, Feedly, Inoreader, NewsBlur and self-hosted Fever, FreshRSS or Miniflux servers, and adds widgets and share extensions. |
| Ease of use | B | 4.59 from 442 App Store ratings, under the 1,000 ratings an A needs, so a B. Syncing through Unread Cloud takes a Sign in with Apple and nothing else, and the app decides by itself which feeds need their full text fetched. |
| Platforms and integrations | C | One family of devices: Mac, iPhone and iPad, with no web, Windows or Android version listed, and macOS 15 or iOS 18 required. It does talk to a long list of feed services and read-later apps, from Feedbin to Readwise. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Unread is for
- Fits if many of your feeds only publish a summary and you want the whole article
- Works for people who already sync through Feedbin, Feedly, Inoreader, NewsBlur or a FreshRSS server
Who it is not for
- Skip it if you read on Windows, Android or the web, as it's Mac, iPhone and iPad only
- Not for you if your devices are older, because it needs macOS 15, iOS 18 or iPadOS 18 or later
- Tight if you read offline and won't pay, since caching is Premium at $29.99 a year or $4.99 a month
- Watch out: there's no trial of Premium, so you pay before you can try caching, actions or Shortcuts
- Watch out: Save to Unread works only with Unread Cloud, Local, Feedbin, Feedly and NewsBlur accounts
Good to know
Good for
- 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
Worth knowing
- 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.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$2.50
A month to start, paid by the year. There is a free plan too
Unread has a free plan. Paid plans start at $29.99 per year, or $4.99 per month.
It does cover Mac, iPhone and iPad together, and Plinky Pro subscribers get the yearly plan at half price.
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.
The free plan
Most functionality is free: feed reading, Unread Cloud and third-party sync, automatic webpage text, themes and search. Caching, article actions, Shortcuts and Save to Unread need Premium.
Read from goldenhillsoftware.com on Oct 6, 2026.
Ways to pay less
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.
Stated on goldenhillsoftware.comOther 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.
Stated on goldenhillsoftware.com
What the app costs elsewhere
Each country’s App Store price for “Unread Annual Subscription”, against $29.99 in the United States, in dollars at the day’s rate. The four cheapest and the four dearest of 11.
| Country | Price there | In dollars | Against the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | ₹ 299 | $3.09 | 90% less |
| Turkey | ₺999,99 | $20.34 | 32% less |
| Indonesia | Rp 499ribu | $27.91 | 7% less |
| Canada | $39.99 | $28.11 | 6% less |
| Australia | $49.99 | $34.90 | 16% more |
| South Africa | R599.99 | $36.29 | 21% more |
| Germany | 34,99 € | $39.21 | 31% more |
| United Kingdom | £29.99 | $39.65 | 32% more |
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
2
Places it runs: macOS and iOS
RSS reader for Mac, iPhone and iPad with full-text retrieval. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: works offline, rSS reader.
It does talk to a long list of feed services and read-later apps, from Feedbin to Readwise.
- 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.
Where it runs
- macOS
- iOS
What it works with
- Feedbin
- Feedly
- Inoreader
- NewsBlur
- FreshRSS
- Miniflux
- Instapaper
- Readwise
Unread is made by Golden Hill Software.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
11/36
Other read-later and bookmark apps it is graded above
Unread's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 11 of the 36 other read-later and bookmark apps we grade, and level with 4.
It stands best on free plan and trial (B, above 15 of 36) and worst on platforms and integrations (C, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $2.50 a month when paid by the year, against a middle price of $3 for the category: 8 of the 24 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 2.7 out of 4. 2 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 37 read-later and bookmark apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. Unread’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 6 of 36
- BFree plan and trialAbove 15 of 36
- BFeaturesAbove 10 of 36
- BEase of useAbove 15 of 36
- CPlatforms and integrationsAbove 0 of 36
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 33 read-later and bookmark apps. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Unread is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
The plain part of Unread you could make: rSS reader. What surrounds it you could not. The 4 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 21 of the 36 other read-later and bookmark apps grade higher. It costs $29.99 a year.
What you could make
- RSS reader: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- Apps for macOS and iOS that stay in step with each other.
- It plugs into other products, Feedbin, Feedly and Inoreader among them.
- Hooks into the device itself: widgets.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Unread’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.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Reeder, NetNewsWire, Fiery Feeds, News Explorer and Newsify
The 5 tools Unread is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.4GPA
Reeder
Free plan · from $14.99/yr
Feed reader for Apple devices with a synced timeline.
- Reeder also covers read later and bookmarks.
- 3.0GPA
NetNewsWire
Free
Free, open-source RSS reader for Mac, iPhone and iPad.
- Only NetNewsWire lists a browser extension.
- NetNewsWire is open source, according to its own site.
- 2.2GPA
Fiery Feeds
Free plan · from $1.99
Customizable feed reader and read-later client for Apple devices.
- Only Fiery Feeds lists a browser extension.
- Fiery Feeds also covers read later.
- 2.8GPA
News Explorer
Free trial · from $4.99 one-time
RSS reader with iCloud sync across Apple devices, bought once.
- Unread has a free plan. News Explorer does not, though it has a free trial.
- News Explorer can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- 2.8GPA
Newsify
Free plan · from $2.99/mo
RSS reader with a newspaper-style layout for Apple devices and web.
- Only Newsify lists a web app.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
15
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Unread free?
Unread has a free plan. Most functionality is free: feed reading, Unread Cloud and third-party sync, automatic webpage text, themes and search.
How much does Unread cost?
Unread lists 2 plans. Free: $0.
What platforms does Unread work on?
Unread is available on macOS and iOS.
Does Unread offer any discounts?
Unread publicly lists the following: About 50% off with the yearly subscription; 50% off for Plinky Pro subscribers.
How is Unread rated?
Unread's iPhone and iPad app averages 4.6 out of 5 from 442 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 6, 2026.
Does Unread have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 6, 2026. Unread is listed for macOS and iOS.
Does Unread have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 6, 2026. Unread is listed for macOS and iOS.
Is Unread open source?
Unread is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 6, 2026.
Does Unread work offline?
Yes, according to its own site. What works without a connection differs by plan and platform, so check the vendor's page for the detail.
What does Unread integrate with?
Unread's listing names Feedbin, Feedly, Inoreader, NewsBlur, FreshRSS, Miniflux, Instapaper and Readwise.
Who makes Unread?
Unread is made by Golden Hill Software.
What are the alternatives to Unread?
The closest alternatives to Unread in our directory are Reeder, NetNewsWire, Fiery Feeds, News Explorer and Newsify.
How does Unread compare with other read-later and bookmark apps?
Unread's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 11 of the 36 other read-later and bookmark apps we grade, and level with 4.
Is Unread good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Unread C for value for money. Its paid plans start at $2.50 a month when paid by the year, against a middle price of $3 for the category: 8 of the 24 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Unread?
The plain part of Unread you could make: rSS reader. What surrounds it you could not.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Unread’s own pages on Oct 6, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 10, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Unread's own pages on 6 October 2026, and its App Store rating. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-07-19.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Golden Hill Software. Prices change, so check goldenhillsoftware.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Unread, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/unread
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Unread: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 6, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/unread
Know someone choosing between read-later and bookmark apps?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/unread/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded read-later and bookmark apps after Unread, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Read Later & Bookmarks Insider's GuideEvery one of the 37 read-later and bookmark apps we grade, compared
- FeedFlow Insider's GuideFree, open-source RSS reader for mobile and desktop3.2 GPA
- Flipboard Insider's GuideFree news aggregator built around topics and shared Magazines3.2 GPA
- Miniflux Insider's GuideMinimalist open-source feed reader, self-hosted or hosted3.2 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Unread’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Unread is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Golden Hill Software. Prices and plans change: check goldenhillsoftware.com before you buy.