# Unread vs An Otter RSS Reader

The clearest difference is rating: Unread at 4.6 against An Otter RSS Reader's 4.1. Unread also leads on review sentiment (72% vs 60%) and ratings volume (442 vs 73). An Otter RSS Reader's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 8 days). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Unread sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month 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.

Unread holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Unread has 442 ratings behind it against 73, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 72% of Unread's written reviews are positive against 60% of An Otter RSS Reader's.

Unread ships an update every 8 days, An Otter RSS Reader every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Unread | An Otter RSS Reader |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (442 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/unread-an-rss-reader/id1363637349/reviews)** | [4.1 (73 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/an-otter-rss-reader/id1529696614/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **442** | 73 |
| Positive reviews | **72.4% of reviews** | 60.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 8 days | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 40 MB | 45 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Golden Hill Software](https://appshunter.io/developer/404445480) | [Josh Holtz](https://appshunter.io/developer/1460622095) |

## What reviewers say

### Unread

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/unread-an-rss-reader/id1363637349)

This app is a beautifully designed RSS reader that focuses on a clean reading experience with customizable typography and themes. It offers seamless syncing across devices and integrates with various read-later services, allowing for offline access to cached content.

**Highlights:** Gesture-based navigation, Customizable color themes, Cross-device syncing, Automatic webpage text display, Offline access with caching, Integration with read-later services, Widgets for unread counts

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unread Monthly Subscription | $4.99 | per month |
| Unread Annual Subscription | $29.99 | per year |
| Unread: Free first year | $29.99 | per year |
| Unread: Discounted first year | $29.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Elegant and intuitive UI
- 🚀 Fast and responsive
- 🔒 Secure login integration
- 📚 Excellent article formatting and readability
- 💡 Automated full-text article retrieval

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Subscription model seen as too expensive
- 🔀 Inconsistent experience between iOS and iPad versions
- 🔍 Difficult to discover certain features
- 🔠 Lack of customization options (e.g., font, theme)

**Reported bugs**

- Occasional article duplication
- Issues with 'Keep Unread' feature
- Text formatting problems in dark mode

**Requested features**

- Add support for more RSS providers (e.g., Miniflux, FreshRSS)
- Implement keyboard shortcuts and power-user features
- Improve information density on iPad layout
- Introduce a one-time purchase option


### 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 Unread free?

Unread 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, Unread or An Otter RSS Reader?

Unread is rated higher. Unread averages 4.6 out of 5 from 442 ratings, while An Otter RSS Reader averages 4.1 from 73 ratings.

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

Neither Unread nor An Otter RSS Reader shows ads.

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

Unread ships an update every 8 days, and An Otter RSS Reader every 3 days. Most recently, Unread was updated on October 13, 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.*