Comparison

Harbor vs Headlines

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

Head to head
About

Harbor

This app aggregates content from various sources into a unified timeline. It allows users to customize their reading experience with a unique feed rating system and discover new content through a curated directory. An optional subscription unlocks advanced features for power users.

Highlights
  • Unified timeline aggregation
  • Customizable feed rating system
  • Curated feed directory
  • Add feeds by URL
  • Ad-free and algorithm-free experience
  • Optional premium subscription
Features
Read full description

Harbor is the modern feed reader you didn’t know you needed. Follow the people, blogs, and feeds you care about, with no ads and no algorithms. It’s a feed reader you can browse casually, with the ability to aggregate from hundreds of sources without feeling too overwhelming. Harbor keeps its unified timeline manageable with a unique feed rating system. When you subscribe to a feed, you can tell Harbor you’re a “casual reader” or a “completionist” for that feed. Harbor then tries to ensure that you won’t miss a post from that blog you love that only posts once a month, while still allowing you to subscribe to feeds that post dozens of times per day. New to RSS, or newly returning to RSS? Harbor’s built-in and finely curated feed directory is the best way to find new blogs, newsletters, and websites to follow. Of course, you can always add new websites and blogs by their URL. Harbor Premium is an optional paid subscription for power users who subscribe to more than five feeds. Terms of Use: https://harbor.page/terms/ Privacy Policy: https://harbor.page/privacy-policy/

About

Headlines

Follow your favorite websites and read their latest content in a clean, ad-free reader. Organize articles into collections, save them for later, and receive daily reminders. Discover new content and enhance your reading with summarization and note-taking tools.

Highlights
  • Ad-free reading experience
  • Chronological content feed
  • Organize content into collections
  • Save articles for later
  • Summarize and take notes on articles
  • Discover new content and sites
Features
Read full description

Headlines is an app that allows you to follow your favourite websites and read content in an ad-free reader that is designed to let you focus. It’s the best way to keep up with the content you love to read online, like news sites, blogs, newsletters, and more. Headlines gives you a chronological feed of the latest content from the sites you follow instead of an algorithm telling you what to read. FEATURES: - Follow sites and writers (just like you follow people on social media) - Beautiful ad-free reader designed to help you focus without distracting ads - News Flash: Receive a morning, afternoon and evening roundup of what’s going on in your world. - Detox Mode: Need to take a break from specific topics or sites? Detox mode makes it easy. - Set your reading time routine in the app and get reminded when it’s time to read - Add anything to your saved list to read later, including pages from around the web from the Safari extension - Organize your content into collections, including sites, articles, and links from around the web. Great for organizing content around a given topic! - Powerful reading tools: enhance your reading experience with summaries, notes, highlighting and more. - Discover: find new content by exploring tags, featured sites, and suggestions based on your interests - Available on the web and iOS! Experience the full-featured web app on your desktop or from anywhere. Headlines is free to use with reasonable limitations that are lifted with a subscription to Headlines Pro. Made in Toronto by a human! Terms of Service: https://headlines.fm/terms\ Privacy Policy: https://headlines.fm/terms

Screenshots

Harbor4 screens
Headlines4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Headlines at 5.0 against Harbor's 4.1. Harbor's advantage is update cadence (daily vs weekly) and ratings volume (9 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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. Harbor sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Headlines sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Headlines holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Harbor has 9 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Harbor ships an update daily, Headlines weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Harbor versus Headlines: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHarborHeadlines
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (9 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews60.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings9 — better1
Update frequencyDaily — betterWeekly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB43 MB
Age rating17+17+
DeveloperPixel Foundry, LLCBradley Purchase

Customer experience

Harbor

All ratings9 ratings
Positive77.8%
Neutral0.0%
Negative22.2%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive60.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative40.0%

Headlines

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Harbor

Subscriptions2
  • Harbor Premium Monthly7 Days trial$0.991 Month
  • Harbor Premium Yearly7 Days trial$9.991 Year
2 purchases

Headlines

Subscriptions2
  • Headlines Pro (Monthly)$3.991 Month
  • Headlines Pro (Yearly)1 Year trial$44.991 Year

Questions

Is Harbor free?
Harbor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Headlines free?
Headlines is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Harbor or Headlines?
Headlines is rated higher. Harbor averages 4.1 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while Headlines averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Harbor or Headlines have ads?
Neither Harbor nor Headlines shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Harbor or Headlines?
Harbor ships an update daily, and Headlines weekly. Most recently, Harbor was updated on September 30, 2026 and Headlines on October 1, 2026.

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