# NewsBlur vs Unread

NewsBlur and Unread both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 72% of Unread's written reviews are positive against 57% of NewsBlur's. Unread also leads on iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. NewsBlur sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $29.99 per month and Unread sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for NewsBlur against 4.6 for Unread. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 502 and 442 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 57% of NewsBlur's written reviews are positive against 72% of Unread's.

NewsBlur ships an update every 9 days, Unread every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | NewsBlur | Unread |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (502 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/newsblur/id463981119/reviews)** | [4.6 (442 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/unread-an-rss-reader/id1363637349/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **502** | 442 |
| Positive reviews | 57.3% of reviews | **72.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | **Every 8 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 26 MB | 39 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **18.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [NewsBlur, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/463981122) | [Golden Hill Software](https://appshunter.io/developer/404445480) |

## What reviewers say

### NewsBlur

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/newsblur/id463981119)

This app is a personal news reader that allows users to follow unlimited RSS subscriptions, share stories with friends, and discover new people with shared interests. It offers offline reading, full text extraction, and customizable reading preferences.

**Highlights:** Unlimited RSS subscriptions, Offline story and image support, Full text story extraction, Share and comment on news, Meet people with shared interests, Autoscrolling for hands-free reading, Saved stories with tagging

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| NewsBlur Premium Pro | $29.99 | per month |
| NewsBlur Premium Subscription | $35.99 | per year |
| NewsBlur Premium Archive | $99.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Fast and reliable
- 👍 Excellent news reader
- 🔒 Great privacy policy
- 💡 Useful training and filtering features
- 👍 Seamless sync across devices

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and bugs, especially on iPad
- 👎 Paywall for basic features
- 👎 Outdated and cluttered UI
- 👎 Difficult to manage feeds and folders

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes on launch for some users
- Incorrect feed display and article loading issues
- Syncing problems between web and mobile apps

**Requested features**

- Customizable font sizes
- Offline reading mode
- Improved sharing options
- Ability to delete feeds and folders


### Unread

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/unread-an-rss-reader/id1363637349)

This app is a beautifully designed RSS reader that focuses on a clean reading experience with customizable typography and themes. It offers seamless syncing across devices and integrates with various read-later services, allowing for offline access to cached content.

**Highlights:** Gesture-based navigation, Customizable color themes, Cross-device syncing, Automatic webpage text display, Offline access with caching, Integration with read-later services, Widgets for unread counts

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unread Monthly Subscription | $4.99 | per month |
| Unread Annual Subscription | $29.99 | per year |
| Unread: Free first year | $29.99 | per year |
| Unread: Discounted first year | $29.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Elegant and intuitive UI
- 🚀 Fast and responsive
- 🔒 Secure login integration
- 📚 Excellent article formatting and readability
- 💡 Automated full-text article retrieval

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Subscription model seen as too expensive
- 🔀 Inconsistent experience between iOS and iPad versions
- 🔍 Difficult to discover certain features
- 🔠 Lack of customization options (e.g., font, theme)

**Reported bugs**

- Occasional article duplication
- Issues with 'Keep Unread' feature
- Text formatting problems in dark mode

**Requested features**

- Add support for more RSS providers (e.g., Miniflux, FreshRSS)
- Implement keyboard shortcuts and power-user features
- Improve information density on iPad layout
- Introduce a one-time purchase option


## Frequently asked questions

### Is NewsBlur free?

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

### Is Unread free?

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

### Which has better reviews, NewsBlur or Unread?

NewsBlur is rated higher. NewsBlur averages 4.7 out of 5 from 502 ratings, while Unread averages 4.6 from 442 ratings.

### Do NewsBlur or Unread have ads?

Neither NewsBlur nor Unread shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, NewsBlur or Unread?

NewsBlur ships an update every 9 days, and Unread every 8 days. Most recently, NewsBlur was updated on September 22, 2026 and Unread on September 21, 2026.

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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.*