# Heartfeed RSS Reader vs Elytra

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Heartfeed RSS Reader at 89% against Elytra's 44%. Heartfeed RSS Reader also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.7) and monetization model (free vs subscription). Elytra's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Heartfeed RSS Reader sells 5 one-off in-app purchases and Elytra sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Heartfeed RSS Reader holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Heartfeed RSS Reader has 90 ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 89% of Heartfeed RSS Reader's written reviews are positive against 44% of Elytra's.

Heartfeed RSS Reader ships an update every 2 months, Elytra fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Heartfeed RSS Reader | Elytra |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (90 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/heartfeed-rss-reader/id1078754321/reviews)** | [3.7 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/elytra-rss-feed-reader/id1433266971/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **90** | 9 |
| Positive reviews | **89.0% of reviews** | 44.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Subscription |
| Size | 14 MB | 56 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Ozymandias](https://appshunter.io/developer/286776954) | [Nikhil Nigade](https://appshunter.io/developer/1422296034) |

## What reviewers say

### Heartfeed RSS Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/heartfeed-rss-reader/id1078754321)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Tipping the developer | $0.99 | one-time |
| Unlimited feeds | $2.99 | one-time |
| Tipping the developer | $2.99 | one-time |
| Even more tip to the developer | $9.99 | one-time |
| Maximum tip to the developer | $24.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎯 Perfect Pulse replacement with grid/tile layout
- 👍 Simple, intuitive, and streamlined interface
- ⚡ Fast and efficient news consumption
- 🔄 Reliable syncing across devices
- 📱 Clean, uncluttered design without bloat

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes on opening and usage
- 💰 Paywall for unlimited feeds ($2.99)
- 🔍 No search functionality across feeds
- 📸 Limited thumbnail/image display options
- 🌍 No multi-language or RTL script support

**Reported bugs**

- 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)

**Requested features**

- 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


### Elytra

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/elytra-rss-feed-reader/id1433266971)

A privacy-focused RSS reader for iOS and macOS that offers native article rendering, advanced search, and cross-device synchronization. It strips tracking scripts and provides customizable appearance options for a clean reading experience.

**Highlights:** Privacy-focused design, Native article and image rendering, Cross-device synchronization, Search within articles, Customizable appearance, Mute filters, Widgets

**Features:** Safari Extension, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $0.99 | per month |
| Pro - Monthly | $1.99 | per month |
| Yearly Subscription | $10.49 | per year |
| Pro - Yearly | $20.00 | per year |
| Free Trial | Free | one-time |
| 1 Month Subscription | $0.99 | one-time |
| 3 Months Subscription | $2.99 | one-time |
| 1 Year Subscription | $12.99 | one-time |
| Lifetime Subscription | $54.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Heartfeed RSS Reader free?

Heartfeed RSS Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Elytra free?

Elytra is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Heartfeed RSS Reader or Elytra?

Heartfeed RSS Reader is rated higher. Heartfeed RSS Reader averages 4.8 out of 5 from 90 ratings, while Elytra averages 3.7 from 9 ratings.

### Do Heartfeed RSS Reader or Elytra have ads?

Neither Heartfeed RSS Reader nor Elytra shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Heartfeed RSS Reader or Elytra?

Heartfeed RSS Reader ships an update every 2 months, and Elytra fortnightly. Most recently, Heartfeed RSS Reader was updated on October 9, 2026 and Elytra on October 8, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*