Sylfeed vs Byline 5
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Sylfeed
A streamlined RSS reader designed for efficient article consumption with minimal finger movement. Offers features like iCloud and Feedly sync, image preloading, and advanced filtering by keyword or tag. Supports offline reading and integration with popular services like Pocket and Evernote.
- iCloud and Feedly sync
- Image and webpage preloading
- Article filtering by unread, starred, keyword
- Tagging support
- Offline reading and actions
- Integration with Pocket, Evernote, Buffer
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Sylfeed is a RSS Reader. This app is designed to be able to perform all operations with less finger movement. Therefore, you can read the article comfortably. also this app has unique features such as tagging or keyword search. §Features - Sync with iCloud (Stand-alone) - Sync with Feedly - Image preloading - Multi accounts support - Landscape mode support - Filtering articles unread, starred, and keyword - Tagging support - Offline support (reading, starring, tagging, more actions) - Read Later - Webpage Preloading - Multiple Post - Instant Post §Unread button - Unread button shows number of unread articles - Unread button has several roles by situation In list view - Tap to show the earliest unread article - Long press to mark all as read - Slide left to mark as read - Slide right to read now (or read later) - Slide up to undo In article view - Tap to next, Double tap to previous - Long press to scroll (and slide to accelerate) §External Services - Twitter - Buffer - HatenaBookmark - Evernote - Instapaper - Pocket
Byline 5
Access your favorite news sources and blogs, even without an internet connection. Subscribe to thousands of RSS feeds and stay updated with automatic syncing across all your devices. Enjoy a streamlined reading experience with offline access and quick navigation.
- Offline reading with cached content
- Syncs across devices and web
- Quick article navigation
- Background app refresh for syncing
- Discover new feeds and search articles
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Read the latest news from the websites that matter to you most, even when you’re offline. Simply sign in with a free Feedly account and subscribe to your favourite blogs, magazines, and news sources. Byline automatically stays in sync and brings you new content, putting thousands of RSS feeds at your fingertips. FEATURES: - Stay in sync across devices and the web via feedly.com. - Move between articles quickly with a simple swipe gesture. - Read offline with cached images and (optionally) full web pages. - Find new feeds and search for articles in the app or with Spotlight. - Sync and cache articles automatically with Background App Refresh.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Byline 5 at Free against Sylfeed's $2.99. Byline 5 also leads on ratings volume (73 vs 3) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 18.2). Sylfeed's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and review sentiment (70% vs 41%). On ads 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
Byline 5 is free to download; Sylfeed costs $2.99 up front. Byline 5 sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Sylfeed asks for nothing beyond the download.
Sylfeed holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Byline 5 has 73 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 70% of Sylfeed's written reviews are positive against 41% of Byline 5's.
Sylfeed ships an update every 5 weeks, Byline 5 every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Sylfeed | Byline 5 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.7 (3 ratings) — better | 4.3 (73 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 70.0% of reviews — better | 40.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 3 | 73 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 weeks — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Best chart rank | #46 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.2 | 9.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 6 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | GACHANET | Phantom Fish |
Customer experience
Sylfeed
Byline 5
Bugs and requests
Sylfeed
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Byline 5
Reported bugs
20 issues- App freezes after opening articles
- App attempts to paste from clipboard on opening
- Paid version still shows ads
- Unable to sign in via Google account
- Google login error: 'This browser or app may not be secure'
Show 15 moreShow fewer
- Cannot login to Feedly
- App freezes when initiating sync
- Offline page caching broken
- Offline reading only works for text, no images/diagrams
- Cannot link into websites when offline
- Cached items number in settings seems static
- Syncing is too slow
- Swipe sensitivity decreased
- Swipe gestures are difficult to use
- Swipe to mark as read is slow
- Mark all as read function moved to categories
- Cannot open items to Chrome
- Offline saving of web pages not working
- App crashes when trying to sign in with Feedly
- Doubling of some headlines
Requested features
12 requests- Add progress indicator for downloads
- Add dark mode
- Add widgets
- Improve swipe sensitivity
- Allow reordering of feeds
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- Add 'mark all as read' when scrolling
- Improve offline caching for images/diagrams
- Add option to expand groups to see sites within them
- Add font size adjustment
- Make scrolling mark as read
- Move to top article after manual refresh
- Allow opening items in Chrome
In-app purchases
Sylfeed
No in-app purchases
Byline 5
- Byline Premium$2.99
- Byline Premium$5.99
