Say goodbye to algorithms with these 5 personal curation apps

Summary

If you’re tired of today’s algorithmic cat and mouse game, consider switching to an RSS service.
RSS, which stands for Really Simple Syndication, is a web technology that makes it easy to subscribe to and curate news feeds.
Here are 5 of my personal favorite mobile RSS applications.

Really Simple Syndication, better known as RSS, is an internet technology that allows you to curate your own feed of news articles, blog posts, and other published content from across the web. There are several excellent RSS services available to choose from, many of which are cross-platform and accessible across both desktop and mobile.

In today’s social-media-saturated world, RSS readers offer a genuine breath of fresh air. They allow you to escape big tech’s heavy-handed approach to serving you the news, which so often relies on algorithmic machine learning to predict your habits, interests, and likelihood of interacting with a given piece of content. By contrast, RSS readers empower you to create a custom feed that better speaks to your own preferences.

Here are five RSS apps that I think are particularly excellent at letting you wrestle back control of your news consumption, while kicking algorithms to the curb in the process.

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1

Reeder Classic

Reeder Classic is a well-refined RSS application that covers all the basics, and then some. Aside from offering a clean and attractive user interface, the app supports iCloud syncing, a built-in Pocket-style read-later service, a selection of widgets, a clutter-free reader view, and more. Reeder Classic is available on the Apple App Store for a single-time purchase of $5. The developer has since published a second RSS app onto the App Store in the form of the free Reeder. app, but I’m admittedly too used to Reeder Classic’s interface to make the switch anytime soon.

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2

Inoreader

A refined experience with excellent discovery tools

One of the most popular RSS services, Inoreader allows you to craft your own news feed with precision. The app’s Discover tab makes it easy to explore and dive into a range of collections and themes, and its interface manages to remain approachable despite all the content on offer. Folders and tags are available to help keep things organized, and article translation, annotations, read-later integration, and text-to-speech are all present and accounted for. Inoreader is free to download and install on mobile app stores, but a Pro subscription is required to unlock functionalities such as offline mode, automation tools, and advanced feed filtering options.

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3

ReadKit

A flexible and cross-platform solution

ReadKit is a powerful cross-platform RSS service that offers a wide set of features and utilities. Advanced organizational tools, offline access, an in-app browser for content consumption, and easy feed import and export settings are all integrated into the experience. The app’s interface is simple and straightforward, and the reading canvas itself is pleasant and flexible. ReadKit’s basic feature set is entirely free, with no ads or data harvesting. A Premium tier is available via subscription or single-time payment, which unlocks multi-account support, extra themes and icons, a more powerful Reader Mode, and other perks.

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4

Feedly

A feature-packed app for following topics and trends

Feedly is one of the most popular cross-device RSS reader services, and for good reason. The app experience is polished and feature-rich, without creating a sense of overwhelm. Beyond written news publications, the service supports everything from research journals, YouTube channels, podcasts, Reddit feeds, and Google News alerts. The app has a useful Follow Sources tab that surfaces popular websites, Reddit feeds, and newsletters, making discovery a breeze. Feedly is free to get started with, though the Pro tier is required to unlock keyword tracking, an in-feed search tool, and some other useful RSS additions.

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5

Unread

Unread is a lovingly crafted RSS reader app for Apple devices that populates your news feed in an aesthetically pleasing manner. The app’s clean look and feel is a real perk here, and I can’t get enough of its unique font styling. In terms of features, the app offers in-house Unread Cloud syncing, custom keyboard shortcuts, a variety of colored themes, and voice over support, among other useful tools. Unread is free to download and install, with an optional paid subscription tier available for adding in custom dock icons, website text and image caching, widget customization options, and more into the mix.