# Instapaper vs NetNewsWire

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: NetNewsWire at none against Instapaper's 2. NetNewsWire also leads on review sentiment (85% vs 64%) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). Instapaper's advantage is ratings volume (3.5K vs 882). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Instapaper sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. NetNewsWire asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Instapaper against 4.7 for NetNewsWire. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3.5K and 882 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 64% of Instapaper's written reviews are positive against 85% of NetNewsWire's.

Instapaper ships an update every 2 weeks, NetNewsWire monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Instapaper | NetNewsWire |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (3.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/instapaper/id288545208/reviews) | **[4.7 (882 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/netnewswire-rss-reader/id1480640210/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **3.5K** | 882 |
| Positive reviews | 64.1% of reviews | **84.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#109** | #141 |
| Size | 49 MB | 27 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Instant Paper, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/284942716) | [Brent Simmons](https://appshunter.io/developer/1480640209) |

## What reviewers say

### Instapaper

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/instapaper/id288545208)

**Currently charting:** #109 Top Grossing · News, #167 Top Free · News (US App Store)

Save articles from the web for later reading, with a clean, clutter-free experience. Access your saved content offline, anywhere, anytime. Features include text-to-speech narration and customizable reading options.

**Highlights:** Save web articles for offline reading, Clutter-free reading experience, Text-to-speech narration, Customizable fonts and themes, Highlighting and note-taking, Article organization with folders

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Instapaper Premium | $5.99 | per month |
| Instapaper Premium | $59.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Efficient reading experience
- 👍 Clean, minimalist design
- 💡 Useful features like highlighting and notes
- 🚀 Seamless integration with various platforms
- 👍 Reliable and stable app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and crashes
- 🔒 Concerns about data privacy and GDPR compliance
- 💰 Subscription price increase
- 🔍 Unreliable search functionality
- 🚫 Inability to delete account

**Reported bugs**

- Speak feature freezes on most articles
- Pagination issues causing text to be cut off
- Folders and archives disappearing
- Inability to save articles from certain websites
- Subscription not unlocking premium features

**Requested features**

- Add support for tables and charts
- Improve text-to-speech quality
- Implement a 'go back to beginning of article' feature
- Add support for EPUB files
- Introduce a 'random article' feature


### NetNewsWire

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/netnewswire-rss-reader/id1480640210)

**Currently charting:** #141 Top Free · News (US App Store)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Instapaper free?

Instapaper is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is NetNewsWire free?

NetNewsWire is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Instapaper or NetNewsWire?

NetNewsWire is rated higher. Instapaper averages 4.6 out of 5 from 3.5K ratings, while NetNewsWire averages 4.7 from 882 ratings.

### Do Instapaper or NetNewsWire have ads?

Neither Instapaper nor NetNewsWire shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Instapaper or NetNewsWire?

Instapaper ships an update every 2 weeks, and NetNewsWire monthly. Most recently, Instapaper was updated on September 25, 2026 and NetNewsWire on September 23, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Instapaper or NetNewsWire?

Instapaper currently peaks at #109 in the App Store charts, and NetNewsWire at #141. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*