# Unread vs Flyleaf

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Flyleaf at 99% against Unread's 72%. Flyleaf also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.6). Unread's advantage is update cadence (every 8 days vs every 5 weeks) and ratings volume (442 vs 88). 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 Flyleaf sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.00 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Flyleaf holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Unread has 442 ratings behind it against 88, 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 99% of Flyleaf's.

Unread ships an update every 8 days, Flyleaf every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Unread | Flyleaf |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (442 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/unread-an-rss-reader/id1363637349/reviews) | **[4.9 (88 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/flyleaf-read-later/id6475200381/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **442** | 88 |
| Positive reviews | 72.4% of reviews | **98.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 8 days** | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 39 MB | 33 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) | [Maximilian Melzer](https://appshunter.io/developer/1536263191) |

## 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


### Flyleaf

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/flyleaf-read-later/id6475200381)

Save articles from the web and read them later in a distraction-free, magazine-like format. Customize your reading experience with themes and typography, and organize your content with tags. Syncs seamlessly across devices via iCloud.

**Highlights:** Save articles from the web, Distraction-free reading view, Book-like pagination, Customizable themes and typography, iCloud sync, Article tagging, Archive.today integration

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly renewal | $2.00 | per month |
| Yearly renewal | $17.00 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- ✨ Clean and beautiful design
- 📖 Excellent reading experience
- 🚀 Fast and smooth performance
- 🔄 Seamless cross-device sync
- 🆓 Usable and generous free tier

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💡 Missing highlighting functionality
- 💡 Missing note-taking functionality
- 💡 No one-time payment option
- 💡 No device AI summarization
- 💡 No bulk actions for managing articles

**Reported bugs**

- Tagging feature bug on iPhone (iOS 18.3.2)
- Paywalled articles sometimes not saved (e.g., FT)
- "Read now" option in Share Sheet not working (fixed in 2.1.0)

**Requested features**

- Highlighting function
- Note-taking functionality
- One-time payment option
- Device AI summarization
- Bulk actions for managing articles


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Unread free?

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

### Is Flyleaf free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Unread or Flyleaf?

Flyleaf is rated higher. Unread averages 4.6 out of 5 from 442 ratings, while Flyleaf averages 4.9 from 88 ratings.

### Do Unread or Flyleaf have ads?

Neither Unread nor Flyleaf shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Unread or Flyleaf?

Unread ships an update every 8 days, and Flyleaf every 5 weeks. Most recently, Unread was updated on September 21, 2026 and Flyleaf on September 22, 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.*