Comparison

Simple RSS Reader vs Amethyst

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

Head to head
About

Simple RSS Reader

Manage your news feeds with an intuitive interface. Organize articles into categories, customize your views, and access over 100 suggested feeds. Enjoy a clean reading experience with an optional ad-free subscription.

Highlights
  • Create, edit, and delete RSS categories
  • Add, edit, and delete RSS feeds
  • Intuitive user interface
  • Refreshable RSS categories
  • Card and tile view options
  • Over 100 suggested RSS feeds
Features
Read full description

Simple RSS Reader has the following features: 1) Create, Edit and Delete RSS Categories. 2) Add, Edit and Delete RSS Feeds. 3) Intuitive UI. 4) Refreshable RSS Categories. 5) Re-order RSS Categories. 6) Expand & Collapse RSS Categories. 7) Card and Tile Views. 8) Over 100 Suggested RSS Feeds. 9) Best of all it's ALL FREE!! 10) Comes with a yearly subscription to remove all ads! We hope you enjoy it! Privacy Policy: https://www.privacypolicies.com/privacy/view/f305e8c16cd604145072daa15c9b408f Terms of Use: https://www.privacypolicies.com/terms/view/73ecc2b1aba4752a1caee940de0f2977

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

Simple RSS Reader4 screens
Amethyst4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Amethyst at free against Simple RSS Reader's free with in-app purchases. Amethyst also leads on device support (5 vs 3). Simple RSS Reader's advantage is iOS requirement (9.0 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. Simple RSS Reader sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per year 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

Simple RSS Reader ships an update every 2 weeks, Amethyst monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 12, 2026 and September 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Simple RSS Reader versus Amethyst: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSimple RSS ReaderAmethyst
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews—0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — better
Requires iOS9.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size164 MB52 MB
Age rating4+12+
Developersachin kanadiaMBRKHRDT LLC

Customer experience

Simple RSS Reader

All ratings1 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Amethyst

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

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Simple RSS Reader

Subscriptions1
  • Go Ad Free!$4.991 Year
3 purchases

Amethyst

Subscriptions2
  • Amethyst Plus - Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Amethyst Plus - Annual14 Days trial$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Amethyst Plus - Lifetime$49.99

Questions

Is Simple RSS Reader free?
Simple RSS Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Amethyst free?
Amethyst is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Simple RSS Reader or Amethyst have ads?
Neither Simple RSS Reader nor Amethyst shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Simple RSS Reader or Amethyst?
Simple RSS Reader ships an update every 2 weeks, and Amethyst monthly. Most recently, Simple RSS Reader was updated on September 12, 2026 and Amethyst on September 14, 2026.

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