Stream vs NetNewsWire
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Stream
Consolidate all your news feeds into a single, unified timeline. Offers a clean interface, easy import of existing lists, and support for open reading standards for a fresh user experience.
- Unified feed timeline
- Simple user interface
- Import existing lists
- Supports open reading standards
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With Stream all your feeds appear as a unified timeline. With its simple user interface, ability to import existing lists, and support for open reading standards, Stream is a great choice if you're looking for a different experience.
NetNewsWire
This app aggregates articles from your favorite blogs and news sites, offering a faster and more organized way to consume content. It provides control over your news feed, eliminating the need to visit multiple websites or rely on social media algorithms. Enjoy a streamlined reading experience with customizable features and syncing capabilities.
- Direct feed downloading
- iCloud and third-party syncing
- Customizable article themes
- Reader view
- Starred articles
- Smart feeds
- Home screen widgets
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It’s like podcasts, but for reading. NetNewsWire is a free and open source RSS reader. It shows you articles from your favorite blogs and news sites and keeps track of what you’ve read. It’s fast, stable, and accessible. If you’ve been going from site to site in your browser looking for new articles to read — or counting on the unreliable algorithms of corporate social media — let NetNewsWire bring you the news you want. It’s easy and fun. And it puts you, not billionaires, in control of your news. Features: * Direct feed downloading * Syncing via iCloud, Feedbin, Feedly, BazQux, Inoreader, NewsBlur, The Old Reader, and FreshRSS * Multiple accounts * Custom article themes * Reader view * Share sheet * Starred articles * All Unread and Today smart feeds * Folders * Importing and exporting OPML feed lists * Background refreshing * Searching * Hiding read articles * Timeline customization * Keyboard shortcuts * Context menus * Home screen widgets for today, unread, and starred articles * Share extension
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: NetNewsWire at none against Stream's 4. NetNewsWire also leads on ratings volume (882 vs 21) and update cadence (monthly vs every 3 months). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads 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. Stream sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. NetNewsWire asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Stream against 4.7 for NetNewsWire. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: NetNewsWire has 882 ratings behind it against 21, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 86% of Stream's written reviews are positive against 84% of NetNewsWire's.
Stream ships an update every 3 months, NetNewsWire monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Stream | NetNewsWire |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (21 ratings) | 4.7 (882 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 85.7% of reviews — better | 84.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 21 | 882 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | — | #135 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 16 MB | 27 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Rob Fahrni | Brent Simmons |
Customer experience
Stream
NetNewsWire
In-app purchases
Stream
- Small Tip$0.99
- Medium Tip$1.99
- Large Tip$4.99
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- Enormous Tip$9.99
NetNewsWire
No in-app purchases
