NetNewsWire: RSS Reader Reviews

by Jason Mark

I want to love NetNewsWire, but the swipe is backwards. Every other app I use (Mail, Reeder, Gmail, Microsoft To Do, Fantasical, hell even Messages) you swipe from right to left to bring up the archive/delete/dismiss/mark-as-read… but for some reason with NetNewsWire you have to swipe left to right for that. I really tried for two weeks but still found myself frustratedly swearing at NetNewsWire daily. If you don’t often swipe in other apps this might not be a problem, and if they just had a setting for this it would be a non-issue, but it seems to be hard-coded this way unfortunately. Otherwise, this is a just fine app.

by Lunar Dount

I was looking for something to allow me to put more than three categories but the buttons are awful. Took me two times to delete categories because the buttons would disappear. Then I sync with Feedly and I’m trying to reorganize everything when one of my feedly categories gets deleted instantly! It popped up with the same ultra sensitive buttons and deleted it without asking if i really wanted that. No way to re-add it that I could see. Tried reloading feedly and NetNewsWire itself and it didn’t work either time. Bye!

by Taste Is Relative

I’m not RSS savvy but I do know how to find a web address and share a link into NetNewsWire - problem is, where does it end up? Apparently not where it defaults to anyway. No doubt this is a wonderful app based on other reviews but in my case just adding ABC News Top Stories feed was not possible without more frustration and effort than I was willing to endure.

by Kevin&Jenn

I appreciate how versatile NetNewsWire is, and for quite a while it has replaced Feedly as my RSS reader. However, for the past several months, more than once a month, I get an error message stating I need to add the Feedly account again. It’s not all that difficult, but I have to re-filter and re-sort the stories each time and frankly, it’s not worth it.

I’d rather not, but I’m abandoning this app and going back to Feedly.

by (: ME :)

I really appreciate the light and dark mode support and native experience of NetNewsWire . Swiping between the articles is great. Works well on iPhone and iPad.

I kinda wish there were headers shown between days so I could easily see when I’ve advanced to the previous day’s content. I tend to open NetNewsWire , scroll down to the bottom, then read up so I can read them in the order they were created. The Today section usually works well for this except I miss the content posted late the night before so I switch back and forth between that and All Unread which is a bit annoying.

Overall, would recommend! Definitely can’t beat the price ha

by Juneax

NetNewsWire is my favorite news reader. It’s fast, puts the information front and center, and has a great UI. This might seem silly but I really love that it has an actual progress bar to show you the progress on refreshing your feeds. Small touches like that are why I like NetNewsWire so much.

by Newmans99

I used to use this app years ago and loved it, I was so disappointed when it went away. I was excited to hear NNW coming back and that it would be available on my current devices (iPad/iPhone). However, over the years have experienced many new ways to consume my news including Feedly and News+.

When NNW was released, I was hoping that it would significantly improve my news reading experience, as it did years ago. Unfortunately, NNW feels to be the same app/workflow as it was back then with little evolution other than being on my iDevice.

Adding features such as Category (folder) views, device feed sharing (iCloud Drive), newspaper style view, duplicate elimination/aggregation, recommended feeds, auto category forward, and auto-read would make NNW my go-to news reading solution. Until then it will have to remain a throwback novelty.

Hopefully, these suggestions will help NNW become better and eventually become THE best RSS Feed reader available, as it once was.

by Bearu

I am really loving this RSS reader! It’s always nice to know the developer loves working on it as much as one likes using it. I’ve noticed lots of RSS apps support Inoreader, but only with “local” Inoreader accounts. Is it possible to support Inoreader accounts created using Google sign-in or should I look into converting my account to a Inoreader sign-in.

by Gen. K. Whale

Somehow 90% of people stopped reading blogs when Walmart eliminated Walmart Reader. Which seems really weird, but maybe 90% of people would stop emailing if Walmart terminated Walmail? (I mean WHEN they do, I suppose.)

This somehow led to iOS never having the kind of RSS reader that those of us who never stopped reading blogs wanted.

But now it does! 👍🏻

by I Work Out... Sometimes

Good design, consistent with Apple’s first party apps but yet somehow faster, more stable, and more polished. I’ve had virtually no complaints with NetNewsWire other than not being able to get it on my Linux Desktop… but I suppose cross-platform support might be too much to ask (and I’d lose iCloud syncing, which is wonderful btw).

by K95dl01

When I first bought a Mac in 2004, the coolest thing about it was this app. If I were procrastinating on my previous Windows machine, I’d play solitaire. On the Mac, though, if I were trying to avoid real work, I’d read fascinating articles from the great RSS reader. The revival of NNW5 back in its original hands is spectacular, and to get to run it in my phone is absolutely legendary. Thank you!

by ㅂㅈ!!

it will be great if NetNewsWire can let users to to open the link in chrome app when click the title of the article. 1. Open in NetNewsWire 2. Open in safari 3. Open in chrome app. Hope the developer can add the option in the setting , thanks! This option is also in reeder app.

by Alex Celeste

I used older versions of this app years ago, way back about two or three ownership changes ago, and am very pleased to see its return to iOS. As a Feedly user I’m looking forward to when the Mac app gains Feedly support so I can go back to NNW everywhere. A solid, yet simple, app for reading your rss news feeds. The design is better than the Feedly app, which is what I’ve been using most recently.

by Unsure About UnSync

They made NetNewsWire with love, and you’ll use it in love. Clean and for a purpose: a free and open web. They don’t ask for and don’t want you money. They want you to support the idea that the web and being informed should come from those who control the narrative. You pick you’re feeds and what you see. No one else. 10 stars!

by Jpurnell

First, a PSA: USE RSS. The best way to ensure you’re getting high-quality news and are well-informed.
Second: The craftsmanship on this shows. Full disclosure, I’ve been beta testing this for several months. Also full disclosure I haven’t had a single issue with this basically that entire time. This team is shooting for perfection, and I have to say they’re just about there.

by John75

I used to use RSS a lot. But over the years the interfaces from other apps just didn’t do much for me. I quit using RSS until I found NetNewsWire. There’s a setting with each feed that you can make every article go into reader mode, which is a huge plus for me. NetNewsWire adopts the aesthetic of ios13. It’s neat, fast, and easy on the eyes. Finally RSS is fun again! Also, the developer is very responsive to answering questions.

by Ben Zell

I’ve used many newsreader apps over the years in search of the perfect one for my needs and finally this one comes along at a price of $0.00. It is super stable, polished and thoughtfully designed. In my opinion, it’s better than most of the competition despite the fact that they are asking for no money (they just ask that you do a few things you should already be doing like voting for candidates whose policies are not cruel). It’s a no-brainer, get it!

by GeeWitRates

I've been through all the major feed readers over the years and have even been there to see some fade away or put down. Now while simplifying my computing life, this app is where I've landed for RSS and I'm glad to be here. I love the ~just works~ simplicity but desperately miss one major feature not provided :: KEYWORD SEARCH. The other thing would be an included link to be able to tip the developer a well deserved cup of coffee. Regards~

by Mjcrandall

Don't normally write reviews but this is worth it. I've used the desktop version for a while and this is a great companion to that. I don't do any syncing, just use the same set of feeds on my iPad, phone, and desktop- so I can't comment on syncing- but for local feeds it's excellent. The iPad app in particular has extensive keyboard shortcuts if you use a physical keyboard, something lacking on most rss readers.

One feature request: Would love a way to sync over iCloud so I don't have to use third party services (I had an rss reader years ago that did this) but beyond that no complaints.

by Dlangendorf

this app was an RSS pioneer. If I’m not mistaken, I paid for it years ago . . . and then other readers came along, were better, and I jumped ship. There are plenty of excellent readers out there, but this version of NNW is amazingly fast, simple to use, and minimalist. Over the years, apps became more sophisticated, adding so many features that ultimately just added complexity and bloat. While NNW is lacking in some areas, I just don’t need or want anything more that what NNW offers now. Polish, yes. Occasional UI improvements, sure. Added services, bring ‘me on. But, for the most part, NNW is fantastic as is and makes RSS reading a joy again. Thanks to the developer(s). Well done.

by Bruteforce037

I saw the article on the 9to5 Mac feed early this morning. I immediately downloaded NNW, and moved all of my feeds over. It’s fast, smooth, and there are not a ton of settings that I had to mess with @ 1:00am this morning.:/ So far, I’m speechless and all I can say is, thanks, and keep up the good work. I was using Reeder 4. I still have Reeder 4 on my XR, but really enjoying NNW so far.

by Its_bmo_time

Might be the best RSS reader out there right now. Plus, it’s free because the developer believes in it. That’s awesome!

A few suggestions to make it even better: 1) Allow users to have ‘dark mode’ all the time and not just change based on your global settings. 2) Dark mode option that has less contrast so it’s easier, less strain on the eyes. The black background and white text is hard for long periods. Maybe a deep grey background and a light fret text. 3) Ability to adjust font settings like font (choose between multiple sans, serif options), font size, line height, etc.

by Blah Blah Blahp

I've used a lot of RSS readers and this app is my favorite. Seamlessly imports your OPML file, and fast enough to load my whole feed in one subway stop's worth of phone reception on the way to work. And the team is super dedicated and responsive. And? It's free. Lives in my phone's dock and is a part of my daily routine 👍🏼

by Blandsberg

Would be nice to have article/sharing toolbar at the top of the reading panel (by default or as an option) on iPad. This would make them easier to reach whether reading in bed or with the iPad propped up. On iPhone the controls are well positioned as-is (at the bottom).