Comparison

NetNewsWire vs Principal AI

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Direct feed downloading
  • iCloud and third-party syncing
  • Customizable article themes
  • Reader view
  • Starred articles
  • Smart feeds
  • Home screen widgets
Currently charting
Read full description

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

About

Principal AI

Visualize GitHub activity with a unique 2D representation of your repository's structure. Track commits, view file changes, and explore project history in an engaging, visual format. Designed for developers who appreciate code as an art form.

Highlights
  • Live Activity Feed
  • File City visualization
  • Commit details
  • Commit timeline
  • Pull-to-refresh
  • Swipe navigation
Features
Read full description

Principal AI transforms GitHub activity into a visual experience. Watch commits come to life through File City — a two dimensional visualization that turns your repository's structure. WHAT YOU'LL SEE • Live Activity Feed — Recent commits from featured repositories, grouped by hour • Change Visualizations — Changed Files Highlighted • Commit Details — Author, message, timestamps, and code stats at a glance • Commit Timeline — Swipe through commits and watch the city change with each one DESIGNED FOR DEVELOPERS Built for those who appreciate code as craft. Whether you're tracking your favorite open source projects or just want a beautiful way to see what's happening in the developer world, Principal AI brings GitHub activity to your pocket. FEATURES • Pull-to-refresh to see the latest commits • Swipe vertically between repositories • Swipe horizontally between commits • Tap the commit timeline to jump between changes No account required to browse the activity feed. From Noetic Labs — building tools for developers who see code differently.

Screenshots

NetNewsWire4 screens
Principal AI3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: NetNewsWire at 890 against Principal AI's 3. NetNewsWire also leads on chart position (#183 vs unranked). Principal AI's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Principal AI holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: NetNewsWire has 890 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NetNewsWire ships an update monthly, Principal AI every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
NetNewsWire versus Principal AI: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNetNewsWirePrincipal AI
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (890 ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews83.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings890 — better3
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 4 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank#183 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB44 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperBrent SimmonsFernando Ramirez

In-app purchases

None

NetNewsWire

No in-app purchases

None

Principal AI

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is NetNewsWire free?
NetNewsWire is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Principal AI free?
Principal AI is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, NetNewsWire or Principal AI?
Principal AI is rated higher. NetNewsWire averages 4.7 out of 5 from 890 ratings, while Principal AI averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do NetNewsWire or Principal AI have ads?
Neither NetNewsWire nor Principal AI shows ads.
Which is updated more often, NetNewsWire or Principal AI?
NetNewsWire ships an update monthly, and Principal AI every 4 weeks. Most recently, NetNewsWire was updated on November 3, 2026 and Principal AI on October 31, 2026.

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