# NewsBlur vs NetNewsWire

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: NetNewsWire at none against NewsBlur's 3. NetNewsWire also leads on review sentiment (84% vs 57%) and chart position (#199 vs unranked). NewsBlur's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs monthly). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. NewsBlur sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $29.99 per month. NetNewsWire asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for NewsBlur against 4.7 for NetNewsWire. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 513 and 890 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 57% of NewsBlur's written reviews are positive against 84% of NetNewsWire's.

NewsBlur ships an update weekly, NetNewsWire monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | NewsBlur | NetNewsWire |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (513 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/newsblur-rss-news-reader/id463981119/reviews) | **[4.7 (890 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/netnewswire-rss-reader/id1480640210/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 513 | **890** |
| Positive reviews | 56.7% of reviews | **83.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Freemium | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | — | **#199** |
| Size | 33 MB | 27 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **17.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [NewsBlur, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/463981122) | [Brent Simmons](https://appshunter.io/developer/1480640209) |

## What reviewers say

### NewsBlur

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

Consolidate all your favorite news sources, blogs, and newsletters into one personalized feed. Customize your reading experience with themes, text adjustments, and offline access. Train the app to highlight important stories and hide irrelevant ones.

**Highlights:** Personalized RSS news feed, Offline reading, Customizable themes and text, Story filtering and training, Home screen widgets, Article summarization with AI, Text-to-speech for articles

**Features:** Vision Pro support, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| NewsBlur Premium Pro | $29.99 | per month |
| NewsBlur Premium | $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


### NetNewsWire

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

**Currently charting:** #199 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 NewsBlur free?

NewsBlur 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, NewsBlur or NetNewsWire?

NetNewsWire is rated higher. NewsBlur averages 4.7 out of 5 from 513 ratings, while NetNewsWire averages 4.7 from 890 ratings.

### Do NewsBlur or NetNewsWire have ads?

Neither NewsBlur nor NetNewsWire shows ads.

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

NewsBlur ships an update weekly, and NetNewsWire monthly. Most recently, NewsBlur was updated on November 1, 2026 and NetNewsWire on November 3, 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.*