Comparison

Harbor vs Amethyst

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

Amethyst

A streamlined RSS reader designed for Apple devices, offering customizable feed organization, real-time notifications, and article bookmarking. It supports RSS, Atom, and JSON feeds, syncing seamlessly across your Apple ecosystem.

Highlights
  • RSS, Atom, JSON feed support
  • Feed grouping and sorting
  • Real-time push notifications
  • Article bookmarking
  • iCloud sync across Apple devices
  • OPML import/export
Features
Read full description

Amethyst is the ultimate RSS reader for iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Vision Pro. Built by a writer, for writers. It support RSS, Atom, and JSON feeds. It offers in depth customization, group sorting, real time push notifications, recaps, and much more. It feels right at home on your Apple device, being optimized for larger screen layouts - and truly makes RSS feel painless. Your feeds sync across iCloud, providing a unified experience across all of your Apple devices. Stay organized - Group feeds into folders and reorder them however you like - Mark your key sources as favorites - Bookmark articles to read later - Unread indicators quickly show you whats new - "Here's what you missed" summary when you're away for a little while - Keep up with your reading stats on your profile Real-time push notifications - Get notified the moment your favorite publications post new articles - Dial in your notifications per feed, so you only see what's most important - Never miss key stories, even when the app is in the background - Set certain feeds as Time Sensitive, so they always show up despite your Focus mode - Free users get up to 4 notification sources, Plus users gain unlimited Deep integration - View articles on your Apple Watch through complication or notifications, beam it to your iPhone to read later - Home and Lock Screen widgets to keep up with the news without checking the app - Mac keyboard shortcuts for easy navigation without lifting a finger - Share sheet extension to bookmark articles or add new sources, straight from Safari Discover new sources - Browse curated feeds organized by topic for added variety - Preview any source before adding it to your library - Import and export your feed collection with OPML, making it easy to switch in or out Amethyst Plus - Customize your folder icons, theme color, and app icon - Follow writers, so you can keep up with your favorite sources - Unlimited real time push notifications, instead of just 4 Thanks for using Amethyst! Feel free to share any feedback with me at feedback@amethyst.news. Subscription Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Harbor4 screens
Amethyst4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Harbor at 60% against Amethyst's 0%. Harbor also leads on update cadence (daily vs monthly) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). Amethyst's advantage is monetization model (free vs freemium). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Harbor sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Amethyst sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Harbor ships an update daily, Amethyst monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Harbor versus Amethyst: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHarborAmethyst
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.1 (9 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews60.0% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings9 — better—
Update frequencyDaily — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, MaciPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — better
Requires iOS13.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB63 MB
Age rating17+12+
DeveloperPixel Foundry, LLCMBRKHRDT LLC

Customer experience

Harbor

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

Amethyst

Written reviews6 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Harbor

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

Amethyst

Subscriptions2
  • Amethyst Plus - Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
  • Amethyst Plus - Annual14 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Amethyst Plus - Lifetime$49.99

Questions

Is Harbor free?
Harbor is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Amethyst free?
Amethyst is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Harbor or Amethyst have ads?
Neither Harbor nor Amethyst shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Harbor or Amethyst?
Harbor ships an update daily, and Amethyst monthly. Most recently, Harbor was updated on November 3, 2026 and Amethyst on November 5, 2026.

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