NetNewsWire vs StarCat
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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
StarCat
Stay updated on global rocket launches with real-time information and detailed mission specifics. Receive launch reminders and access a dedicated news section for spaceflight updates. Features Dynamic Island integration for live tracking.
- Live Activity tracking on Dynamic Island
- Detailed mission information
- Launch reminders and notifications
- Spaceflight news section
- Starship development updates
- Reusable rocket landing info
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Track your favorite rockets with StarCat - your ultimate companion for staying in the loop on rocket launches worldwide. Whether you're a seasoned space enthusiast or just curious about the wonders of space exploration, StarCat brings you real-time information and comprehensive details about upcoming rocket launches. 1. Live Activity - Track every launch leveraging your Dynamic Island, best way to receive latest updates on tracked launch, regardless if it's a scrub or delay. 2. Mission Details - Dive deep into the specifics of each mission. Learn about the payload, launch vehicle, mission objectives, orbit information, location of the launch pad and landing information of reusable rockets, such as Falcon 9. 3. Launch Reminders - Never miss a launch again! Get notified before every launch with push notifications (customizable notifications coming in the future). 4. News Section - Get access to latest and featured articles about world of spaceflight with option to save articles you liked. 5. Starship Section - Latest news about Starship and Starbase with specially selected articles about development of our favorite spacecraft. Discover list of all prototypes developed at Starbase and list of all launches up to date - both orbital and sub-orbital - with respective information about their outcomes.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: NetNewsWire at Free against StarCat's $1.99. NetNewsWire also leads on rating (4.7 vs 1.0) and ratings volume (882 vs 1). StarCat's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.0). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and chart position 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
NetNewsWire is free to download; StarCat costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
NetNewsWire holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: NetNewsWire has 882 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
NetNewsWire ships an update monthly, StarCat every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | NetNewsWire | StarCat |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $1.99 |
| Rating | 4.7 (882 ratings) — better | 1.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 84.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 882 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 5 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #147 | #112 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 27 MB | 52 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Brent Simmons | Hubert Jozwiak |
Customer experience
NetNewsWire
StarCat
In-app purchases
NetNewsWire
No in-app purchases
StarCat
No in-app purchases
