Comparison

Surfboard vs Flit

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

Head to head
About

Surfboard

This app acts as a personalized news aggregator, allowing users to easily organize and curate content from various online sources into a single, streamlined feed. It offers a customizable reading experience with features like dark/light mode adaptation and respects system text size settings for accessibility.

Highlights
  • Effortless URL management
  • Customizable content curation by topics
  • Streamlined single feed
  • SwiftUI interface
  • SwiftData for reliable data handling
  • System setting adaptation (dark/light mode)
  • Accessibility-focused design
Currently charting
Read full description

Surfboard - RSS Reader is not just an app; it's your personalized news concierge. Designed for the savvy, on-the-go individual, Surfboard transforms how you interact with the online world of news, blogs, and stories. Effortless Organization: Easily add and manage URLs with our Feeds feature. No more jumping between sites - get all your favorite content in one streamlined feed. Customized Content Curation: Our Topics feature allows you to categorize your feeds, ensuring you only see what interests you. Tailor your news experience to your personal tastes and preferences. State-of-the-Art Technology: Enjoy a smooth, responsive interface crafted with SwiftUI. Experience quick, reliable data handling thanks to SwiftData - all leading to a more enjoyable reading experience. A Reading Experience Tailored to You: Surfboard automatically adapts to your preferred system settings. Whether you're a fan of dark mode or prefer light mode, the app adjusts to your choice, ensuring a comfortable reading environment. Accessibility-First Design: We recognize the importance of accessibility. That's why Surfboard respects your device's text size settings, making it easier for everyone, including users with visual impairments, to read and enjoy content. Why Choose Surfboard? In a world overloaded with information, Surfboard is your personal filter, bringing you directly to what matters most. It's not just about staying updated; it's about staying informed in the most convenient, personalized way possible. With Surfboard, you control the waves of information. Dive into a world where content meets convenience. Welcome to Surfboard - RSS Reader. Your news, refined and defined by you.

About

Flit

This app delivers news, blogs, and podcasts directly from your chosen sources without an algorithm. Manage your content with intuitive swiping gestures, save articles for later, and enjoy a clutter-free reading experience. It supports offline reading and offers on-device AI summaries.

Highlights
  • RSS feed aggregation
  • Intuitive swipe gestures for content management
  • Offline reading capabilities
  • On-device AI article summarization
  • Customizable content filtering
  • Cross-device synchronization via iCloud
  • Support for YouTube channels and podcasts
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Flit is an RSS reader for the sites, blogs and podcasts you follow. Every new article lands in your Inbox as a card, and you go through them one at a time. Swipe right to save it for later, swipe left if it's not for you, or tap to read it now. Swiped the wrong way? Undo brings it back. No cards left means you've seen everything new. There's no algorithm deciding what you see. Flit works with RSS, the open format behind most blogs, news sites and magazines, so you follow exactly the sources you choose. FIND YOUR SOURCES Search for a site by name or topic, paste any web address, or move over from another reader: Flit brings your sources from Feedly, Inoreader, NewsBlur, Feedbin and any app that exports OPML. DISCOVER The day's top stories from the countries you pick, by category, and a search across the news. Follow a source you like with one tap. READ WITHOUT THE CLUTTER Articles open in a clean reader with the text size you prefer. Select any passage to share it as a quote, or as a share card with the article's picture. Everything you keep waits in your Library, in Unread, Later, Saved and Read. Write a note on any saved article. READ ANYWHERE Download your Inbox, Later and Saved, text and pictures, to read on a flight or underground. VIDEOS AND PODCASTS Follow YouTube channels and podcasts next to your sites. They arrive as cards like everything else. YOUR RULES Block words or phrases, and articles with them in the title skip your Inbox. Organise your sources in folders, each with its own icon, colour and page. Get notified only for the folders or sources you care about. SUMMARIES Hold a card and Siri AI sums it up in a few lines, on the device. ON EVERY DEVICE iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch, in step through iCloud Sync. On iPhone Duo, the Inbox and the article sit on either side of the fold. Widgets bring the latest headlines or your Read Later list to the Home Screen, the Lock Screen and StandBy. IN YOUR LANGUAGE English, Italian, Spanish, German, French, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean and Turkish. PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account, no ads, no tracking. Your subscriptions and reading stay on your devices and in your own iCloud. Flit only sends anonymous usage statistics, which never include what you read. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://www.heterochromia.studio/flit-privacy

Screenshots

Surfboard3 screens
Flit4 screens

Verdict

The call

Surfboard and Flit both sit at 5.0 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Flit's written reviews are positive against 0% of Surfboard's. Flit also leads on price (Free vs $4.99) and update cadence (daily vs fortnightly). Surfboard's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and iOS requirement (18.0 vs 26.0). On rating, ads, chart position 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Flit is free to download; Surfboard costs $4.99 up front. Flit sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Surfboard asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Surfboard against 5.0 for Flit. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 9 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 0% of Surfboard's written reviews are positive against 100% of Flit's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Surfboard ships an update fortnightly, Flit daily. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Surfboard versus Flit: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSurfboardFlit
Price$4.99Free — better
Rating5.0 (2 ratings)5.0 (9 ratings)
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings29 — better
Update frequencyFortnightlyDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFreemium — better
Best chart rank#120#99 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro — betteriPhone, iPad, Apple Watch
Requires iOS18.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB72 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperIan LeonEdoardo Galati

Customer experience

Surfboard

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Flit

All ratings9 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Surfboard

No in-app purchases

6 purchases

Flit

Subscriptions2
  • Flit Pro Monthly$1.991 Month
  • Flit Pro Annual$12.991 Year
One-time4
  • Flit$0.99
  • Flit$3.99
  • Flit$8.99
Show 1 more
  • Flit Pro Lifetime$44.99

Questions

Is Surfboard free?
Surfboard costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Flit free?
Flit is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Surfboard or Flit?
Surfboard and Flit are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 2 and 9 ratings respectively.
Do Surfboard or Flit have ads?
Neither Surfboard nor Flit shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Surfboard or Flit?
Surfboard ships an update fortnightly, and Flit daily. Most recently, Surfboard was updated on November 8, 2026 and Flit on November 10, 2026.
Which is more popular, Surfboard or Flit?
Surfboard currently peaks at #120 in the App Store charts, and Flit at #99. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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