Comparison

STAR RSS Reader vs RSS Reader

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

Head to head
About

STAR RSS Reader

Features
Read full description

STAR RSS Reader is an iOS RSS reader for news, blogs, and tech updates. AI summaries, unread tracking, and favorites keep daily information intake simple and fast. [AI article summaries (paid plan)] - When article text is available, AI summarizes it when you open the article - Catch up on key points in seconds - Read the full text only for articles that matter - Some articles cannot be summarized when their content cannot be retrieved [Designed for daily reading] - Switch between Unread / Favorites / All quickly - Read in chronological order and find what matters fast - Toggle read/unread status with simple gestures - Mark all below as read to clean up quickly - Open and share articles from the detail view [Easy feed subscription] - Add any RSS URL to start - Duplicate feed detection - Unread count by feed - Sort options for your workflow - Site icons for easier scanning [Smooth migration and extension] - OPML import to migrate from other readers - Supports many genres: news, blogs, tech, comics, and more - Sync across iPhone / iPad / Web (web app for paid users) [More with the paid plan] - AI summaries for automatic catch-up - Full-text search across titles, article text, and AI summaries - Ad-free reading - Higher feed limit (10 free -> 300 paid) - Higher favorite limit (10 free -> 100 paid) - Hybrid server fetch to reduce misses - Server-only mode to save data usage [Recommended for] - People who want one place for news and blogs - People who want AI to shorten daily reading time - People who want to keep up daily without backlog - People migrating from other feed readers - People looking for a simple RSS app on iPhone - People who also want a web app for information tracking STAR RSS Reader keeps improving for a fast, simple, and sustainable RSS experience. Terms of Use: https://rssreader-star.web.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://rssreader-star.web.app/privacy

About

RSS Reader

Features
Read full description

One calm feed reader for every RSS and Atom source you care about. Paste a link and Tidings pulls in the blogs, news sites and podcasts you follow, so the whole open web lands in a single, quiet timeline instead of scattered across a dozen apps and inboxes. No algorithm decides what you see. You choose the sources, group them into your own categories, and read them in order โ€” full articles, picture posts and podcast episodes side by side, in a distraction-free reader that strips away the clutter of the original page and respects Dark Mode. WHAT YOU GET - Follow any RSS or Atom feed just by pasting its URL โ€” blogs, magazines, newsrooms and creators - One timeline that merges articles, picture posts and podcast episodes from every source you follow - A clean reader view with proper typography, images and links โ€” no clutter, no popups - A built-in podcast player with variable speed (0.8x to 2x), skip, scrub and lock-screen controls - Star posts to save them for later, plus Unread and Starred smart lists so nothing slips past - Fetched posts stay readable offline, and a three-pane iPad layout with swipe-to-star and swipe-to-read PERFECT FOR - News readers who want headlines from their own trusted sites, not an algorithm's feed - Podcast listeners who'd rather subscribe by feed than hunt through a directory - Writers and researchers tracking blogs and publications in one place - Anyone escaping social scrolling who wants to choose their own sources WHY NOT JUST USE A BROWSER? Bookmarks go stale and you have to check every site by hand. Here each source refreshes on its own, unread counts tell you what's new, and articles and episodes sit side by side in one timeline you actually finish. PRIVACY Your feeds, categories and starred posts stay on your device. No account to create, no ads, no reading history sold, no tracking of what you open. FULL ACCESS Tidings unlocks with a single membership that opens unlimited feeds, the full reader, offline reading and the podcast player. Choose the plan that fits: a Weekly or Yearly auto-renewing subscription, or a one-time Lifetime purchase. Payment is charged to your Apple ID; subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the period ends, and you can manage or cancel anytime in App Store settings. Add your first feed today and bring the whole open web into one calm place. Terms of Use (EULA): https://web-levi.web.app/terms Privacy Policy: https://web-levi.web.app/privacy-policy Questions? tphuc.work@gmail.com

Screenshots

STAR RSS Reader4 screens
RSS Reader4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: RSS Reader at none against STAR RSS Reader's shown. RSS Reader also leads on iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). STAR RSS Reader's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. STAR RSS Reader sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $6.99 per month and RSS Reader sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

STAR RSS Reader ships an update weekly, RSS Reader every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 31, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences ยท 3 level
STAR RSS Reader versus RSS Reader: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSTAR RSS ReaderRSS Reader
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyWeekly โ€” betterEvery 3 weeks
AdsYesNo โ€” better
In-app purchasesYesYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS26.017.0 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size15 MB8 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKensuke HoshikawaPhuc Pham

In-app purchases

2 purchases

STAR RSS Reader

Subscriptions2
  • Monthly paid plan7 Days trial$6.991 Month
  • Yearly paid plan7 Days trial$59.991 Year
3 purchases

RSS Reader

Subscriptions2
  • RSS Reader Weekly$3.997 Days
  • Premium Yearly$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Lifetime Pro$39.99

Questions

Is STAR RSS Reader free?
STAR RSS Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is RSS Reader free?
RSS Reader is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do STAR RSS Reader or RSS Reader have ads?
STAR RSS Reader shows ads; RSS Reader does not.
Which is updated more often, STAR RSS Reader or RSS Reader?
STAR RSS Reader ships an update weekly, and RSS Reader every 3 weeks. Most recently, STAR RSS Reader was updated on October 31, 2026 and RSS Reader on October 31, 2026.

Other comparisons