# Heartfeed RSS Reader vs An Otter RSS Reader

The clearest difference is rating: Heartfeed RSS Reader at 4.8 against An Otter RSS Reader's 4.1. Heartfeed RSS Reader also leads on review sentiment (89% vs 60%) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). An Otter RSS Reader's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 months). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Heartfeed RSS Reader sells 5 one-off in-app purchases and An Otter RSS Reader sells 6 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 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 90 and 73 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 89% of Heartfeed RSS Reader's written reviews are positive against 60% of An Otter RSS Reader's.

Heartfeed RSS Reader ships an update every 2 months, An Otter RSS Reader every 3 days. Both last shipped on October 12, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Heartfeed RSS Reader | An Otter RSS Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (90 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/heartfeed-rss-reader/id1078754321/reviews)** | [4.1 (73 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/an-otter-rss-reader/id1529696614/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **90** | 73 |
| Positive reviews | **89.2% of reviews** | 60.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 14 MB | 45 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Ozymandias](https://appshunter.io/developer/286776954) | [Josh Holtz](https://appshunter.io/developer/1460622095) |

## 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


### An Otter RSS Reader

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/an-otter-rss-reader/id1529696614)

A minimalistic RSS reader that synchronizes your subscribed feeds across Apple devices via iCloud. It allows for automatic feed discovery, organization into folders, and reading articles in a standard web view. Integrates with Shortcuts and offers home screen widgets for unread counts.

**Highlights:** iCloud feed synchronization, Auto-discover RSS feeds, Group feeds into folders, Read articles in web view, Shortcuts integration, Home screen widgets, Import/Export with OPML

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Otter Pro Monthly | $0.99 | per month |
| Otter Pro Annual | $9.99 | per year |
| Small Tip | $0.99 | one-time |
| Medium Tip | $2.99 | one-time |
| Large Tip | $5.99 | one-time |
| Mega Tip | $12.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Elegant and convenient
- 👍 Great app
- 👍 Cute RSS reader in every way
- 👍 Works Great, syncs on all iOS Devices
- 👍 More than an 'okay minimalistic app'

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 It does not work
- 🐛 Abandoned app
- 🐛 Bug list view dark mode
- 🐛 Only shows a couple of entries
- 🐛 Missing keyboard shortcuts

**Reported bugs**

- It does not work
- Articles flicker in and out of existence and about 30 of them don't show at all
- The list views are messed up with many black spaces where a feed item should appear but is completely black
- Reader mode seems to not work
- Articles show up in duplicated often, articles had been marked as read will show up again as unread

**Requested features**

- Encripted iCloud backups would be welcome
- Mark articles read on scrolling past them
- Option to hide read articles by default instead of manually hiding all the time
- When clicking on a top level folder it expands the folder clicking the arrow should expand the folder
- Needs swipe gestures example swipe right mark read/unread swipe left add to favorite


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Heartfeed RSS Reader free?

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

### Is An Otter RSS Reader free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Heartfeed RSS Reader or An Otter RSS Reader?

Heartfeed RSS Reader is rated higher. Heartfeed RSS Reader averages 4.8 out of 5 from 90 ratings, while An Otter RSS Reader averages 4.1 from 73 ratings.

### Do Heartfeed RSS Reader or An Otter RSS Reader have ads?

Neither Heartfeed RSS Reader nor An Otter RSS Reader shows ads.

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

Heartfeed RSS Reader ships an update every 2 months, and An Otter RSS Reader every 3 days. Most recently, Heartfeed RSS Reader was updated on October 12, 2026 and An Otter RSS Reader on October 12, 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.*