NetNewsWire vs Folo
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
Folo
This AI-powered tool scans the internet to find and present information relevant to your interests. It filters out noise, delivering only the knowledge you truly care about.
- AI-powered content filtering
- Surfaces relevant knowledge
- Cuts through internet noise
- Personalized information delivery
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The AI that reads the internet for you, cutting through noise to surface the knowledge you actually care about. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: NetNewsWire at 85% against Folo's 41%. NetNewsWire also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.0) and in-app purchases (none vs 6). On price, update cadence, ads and device support 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. Folo sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. NetNewsWire asks for nothing beyond the download.
NetNewsWire holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: NetNewsWire has 882 ratings behind it against 48, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 85% of NetNewsWire's written reviews are positive against 41% of Folo's.
NetNewsWire ships an update monthly, Folo fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | NetNewsWire | Folo |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (882 ratings) — better | 4.0 (48 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 84.7% of reviews — better | 41.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 882 — better | 48 |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #145 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 16.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 27 MB | 64 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Brent Simmons | Natural Selection Labs |
Customer experience
NetNewsWire
Folo
Bugs and requests
NetNewsWire
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Folo
Reported bugs
4 issues- Unable to open app on Mac
- Images not loading in articles
- Horizontal videos not playable
- Unresponsive click issues
Requested features
4 requests- Change text size option
- Add language support
- Improve notification system
- Enhance sharing functionality
In-app purchases
NetNewsWire
No in-app purchases
Folo
- Folo Basic (Monthly)7 Days trial$4.991 Month
- Folo Plus (Monthly)7 Days trial$9.991 Month
- Folo Basic (Annual)7 Days trial$49.991 Year
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- Folo Pro (Monthly)7 Days trial$99.991 Month
- Folo Plus (Annual)7 Days trial$99.991 Year
- Folo Pro (Annual)7 Days trial$999.991 Year
