Heartfeed RSS Reader vs WhatsHappen
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Heartfeed RSS Reader
This app offers an efficient, no-nonsense way to read news from RSS, Atom, and JSON feeds without requiring account setup or server reliance. It features a compact grid view, background feed refreshing, and seamless syncing across iOS devices via iCloud.
- Compact grid view for feeds
- Internal browser with content blocker support
- Automatic iCloud sync for feeds and read status
- Quick pick list for selecting news items
- Background feed refresh and caching
- Bookmark management with iCloud sync
- Night mode theme
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Do you want to read your news using RSS/Atom/JSON feeds in the most efficient, no-nonsense way, and with no requirement to setup an app-specific user account or relying on a server? If you do, Heartfeed might be the app for you. Features: - A compact grid view for your feeds, making it easy to check all of them at once - When reading news in the internal browser, full support of your configured content blockers, saved passwords, etc. - Automatic synching of subscribed feeds and read status between iOS devices (requires an iCloud account) - Quick pick list: Easily select which news items from different feeds you want to read - Background refresh of feeds: Some feeds refresh often and you then risk missing news in case the app is not used frequently. Background refresh, together with caching of the last 50 news items in each feed, prevents this from happening - Bookmarks, including reading them from either inside Heartfeed or from any iOS or macOS browser (requires an iCloud account) - Night mode theme - Subscribing to feeds from the current Heartfeed top list, from files, or directly from the web - Full support for split views and multi-tasking on iPads - No tracking of usage or personal data; optionally, you can anonymously share which feeds you subscribe to for improving the builtin top list of recommended feeds The app is 100% free and without ads. If you want to tip me somethings as thanks for the app, you can do so within the settings. I hope you'll enjoy using Heartfeed!
WhatsHappen
This app provides a streamlined way to read RSS news and articles, replicating a popular browser feature. It helps users avoid subscribing to numerous sites and manage their reading list efficiently, with cross-device synchronization.
- RSS news aggregation
- Replicates 'Shared Links' feature
- Cross-device synchronization
- Distraction-free reading
- Direct website reading option
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We have the best news reader and RSS articles for you if: - You miss Safari's "Shared Links" feature - You're tired of subscribing to 50 sites to check the news - You do not want to spend the day "checking as read" - You want to keep the links synchronized between devices Easy, simple without distractions. You will also read the news directly on the website allowing your favorite blogs and newspapers to continue to be financed by advertisers. Check our macOS application on the Mac App Store.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Heartfeed RSS Reader at 89% against WhatsHappen's 38%. WhatsHappen's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 5) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, ads, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Heartfeed RSS Reader sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. WhatsHappen asks for nothing beyond the download.
Heartfeed RSS Reader ships an update every 2 months, WhatsHappen every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 26, 2026 and July 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Heartfeed RSS Reader | WhatsHappen |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (90 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 89.0% of reviews — better | 37.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 90 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 11.2 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 14 MB | 10 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Ozymandias | Arturo Rivas |
Customer experience
Heartfeed RSS Reader
WhatsHappen
Bugs and requests
Heartfeed RSS Reader
Reported bugs
6 issues- App crashes on launch
- Crashes after adding feeds
- Multiple crashes during normal usage
- App fails to start after recent updates
- iCloud syncing issues (requires troubleshooting)
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- Bright reader screen conflicts with dark mode setting
Requested features
13 requests- Search functionality with highlighting across feeds
- Individual mark-as-read buttons per feed
- Thumbnail images in grid view
- Apple Watch app support
- Offline reading capability
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- Multi-language support including RTL scripts
- Integration with Feedly and other accounts
- Preserve feed groups on OPML import
- Dark mode for reader screen
- Feed discovery page with popular feeds index
- Ability to save/bookmark articles
- Variable font sizes in grid view
- Apple News+ integration
WhatsHappen
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Heartfeed RSS Reader
- Tipping the developer$0.99
- Unlimited feeds$2.99
- Tipping the developer$2.99
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- Even more tip to the developer$9.99
- Maximum tip to the developer$24.99
WhatsHappen
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Heartfeed RSS Reader free?
Is WhatsHappen free?
Do Heartfeed RSS Reader or WhatsHappen have ads?
Which is updated more often, Heartfeed RSS Reader or WhatsHappen?
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