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The Old Reader alternatives: 5 apps ranked by verified data

Facts checked Oct 25, 2026AppBreakup editorialHow we rank

Common reasons people leave The Old Reader: dated design and slow feature development, and no newsletter, AI or advanced filtering features. We ranked 5 alternatives by how directly each one replaces The Old Reader, then by reviews, real visits and how recently each app's facts were checked against its own website. Inoreader currently ranks first.

Quick comparison

#AppPricingOpen sourcePlatformsVerified factsScore
1Inoreader logoInoreaderFree plan + paidNoWeb, iOS, Android +14 of 466.5
2Feedly logoFeedlyFree plan + paidNoWeb, iOS, Android +14 of 462.6
3NewsBlur logoNewsBlurFree plan + paidYesWeb, iOS, Android +15 of 559.6
4CommaFeed logoCommaFeedOpen sourceYesWeb, Self-hosted3 of 357.2
  1. Inoreader logo

    1. InoreaderTop pick

    Best for: Power users and researchers who follow hundreds of sources and want automation

    Free plan + paidWeb, iOS, Android, Browser extension

    66.5

    score / 100

    Why switch from The Old Reader

    Far more features, including rules and newsletters, with a bigger free plan.

    Pros

    • Generous free plan with 150 feeds
    • Rules, filters and keyword monitoring
    • Follows newsletters, social accounts and sites without feeds
    • Works with many third-party RSS apps

    Cons

    • Free plan shows ads
    • Dense interface with a learning curve
    • Best automation features require Pro
    Visit Inoreader Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.3100
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Inoreader a good The Old Reader alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    Pro price
    $7.50/month billed yearly, $9.99 monthly
    Checked Oct 25, 2026inoreader.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Feed limits
    150 free, 2,500 on Pro
    Checked Oct 25, 2026inoreader.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Free plan
    Yes, free forever
    Checked Oct 25, 2026inoreader.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Social feeds
    Facebook, Reddit, Mastodon, Telegram
    Checked Oct 25, 2026inoreader.com(opens source in a new tab)
  2. Feedly logo

    2. Feedly

    Best for: People who want a widely supported hosted reader that many third-party apps sync with

    Free plan + paidWeb, iOS, Android, Browser extension

    62.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from The Old Reader

    More modern hosted reader with native mobile apps.

    Pros

    • Free account to start, no credit card
    • Newsletters and Google News feeds alongside RSS
    • Boards with notes and highlights for saving articles
    • Supported as a sync backend by many apps

    Cons

    • Free plan is limited and many features need Pro
    • Company focus has moved to business intelligence products
    • Pricing pages are hard to find from the main site
    Visit Feedly Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.387
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is Feedly a good The Old Reader alternative?

    Verified facts

    4 of 4 verified
    Free account
    Yes, no credit card required
    Checked Oct 25, 2026feedly.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Newsletters
    Yes
    Checked Oct 25, 2026feedly.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Google News feeds
    Yes
    Checked Oct 25, 2026feedly.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Mobile apps
    iOS and Android
    Checked Oct 25, 2026feedly.com(opens source in a new tab)
  3. NewsBlur logo

    3. NewsBlur

    Best for: Readers who want to train their feed to surface favourite topics and hide the rest

    Free plan + paidOpen sourceSelf-hostableWeb, iOS, Android, Self-hosted

    59.6

    score / 100

    Why switch from The Old Reader

    Also has social sharing, plus training and native apps.

    Pros

    • Training by author, tag, title and text
    • Open source and self-hostable
    • Native iOS and Android apps
    • Affordable yearly Premium

    Cons

    • Busy interface with many panes
    • Free plan is limited
    • Archive and AI features need the pricier tiers
    Visit NewsBlur Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.377
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is NewsBlur a good The Old Reader alternative?

    Verified facts

    5 of 5 verified
    License
    MIT
    Checked Oct 25, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Premium price
    $36/year
    Checked Oct 25, 2026newsblur.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Premium Archive
    $99/year
    Checked Oct 25, 2026newsblur.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Intelligence training
    By author, tag, title and text
    Checked Oct 25, 2026newsblur.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Native apps
    iOS and Android
    Checked Oct 25, 2026newsblur.com(opens source in a new tab)
  4. CommaFeed logo

    4. CommaFeed

    Best for: Former Google Reader users who want a familiar reader on their own server

    Open sourceSelf-hostableWeb, Self-hosted

    57.2

    score / 100

    Why switch from The Old Reader

    Google Reader-inspired and self-hosted, if you'd rather run it yourself.

    Pros

    • Familiar Google Reader-style layout
    • Docker image and several database options
    • Fever and Google Reader APIs for mobile app sync
    • Free and open source

    Cons

    • No hosted option or official mobile apps
    • Fewer extensions than FreshRSS
    • Small maintainer team
    Visit CommaFeed Details and reviews
    How this score is calculated
    Editorial fit ×0.369
    Reviews ×0.363
    Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
    Freshness ×0.1585
    Votes ×0.150

    0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula

    Is CommaFeed a good The Old Reader alternative?

    Verified facts

    3 of 3 verified
    License
    Apache-2.0
    Checked Oct 25, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Design
    Google Reader inspired
    Checked Oct 25, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
    Project status
    Active
    Checked Oct 25, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)

The best The Old Reader alternative for…

The highest-ranked app in this list for each need.

Inoreader logo

Best The Old Reader alternative for most people

Inoreader

Far more features, including rules and newsletters, with a bigger free plan.

CommaFeed logo

Best The Old Reader alternative for a free option

CommaFeed

Google Reader-inspired and self-hosted, if you'd rather run it yourself.

Feedly logo

Best The Old Reader alternative for a free plan you can upgrade

Feedly

More modern hosted reader with native mobile apps.

NewsBlur logo

Best The Old Reader alternative for open source

NewsBlur

Also has social sharing, plus training and native apps.

NewsBlur logo

Best The Old Reader alternative for self-hosting

NewsBlur

Also has social sharing, plus training and native apps.

Inoreader logo

Best The Old Reader alternative for iPhone and Android

Inoreader

Far more features, including rules and newsletters, with a bigger free plan.

Feedbin logo

Best The Old Reader alternative for working in the browser

Feedbin

Clean paid service with newsletters, podcasts and YouTube.

The Old Reader alternatives: common questions

What is the best alternative to The Old Reader?

Inoreader ranks first right now. Far more features, including rules and newsletters, with a bigger free plan. Feedly and NewsBlur follow it in our ranking.

Is there a free alternative to The Old Reader?

Yes. Inoreader (free plan + paid), Feedly (free plan + paid), NewsBlur (free plan + paid) and CommaFeed (open source) have a free option. Check each app's verified facts for current plan limits.

Is there an open-source alternative to The Old Reader?

Yes: NewsBlur and CommaFeed. NewsBlur and CommaFeed can also be self-hosted.

Why do people switch from The Old Reader?

The complaints we hear most: dated design and slow feature development; no newsletter, AI or advanced filtering features; pricing details are only shown at purchase.

How is this list ranked?

Every app is scored with the same published formula: how directly it replaces The Old Reader, reviews (weighted by verification), visits from AppBreakup, how recently its facts were checked against its own website, and reader votes.