Comparison

Wave Reader vs Tessera News

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

Head to head
About

Wave Reader

This app provides a focused RSS reading experience without algorithmic feeds or ads. It delivers full articles, customizable reading themes, and offline access, keeping your data private and on your device.

Highlights
  • Ad-free reading experience
  • Full article delivery
  • Customizable reading themes and fonts
  • Offline reading capabilities
  • Private, local-first data storage
  • iCloud sync across Apple devices
Currently charting
Read full description

Wave – read calmly, stay private. Wave is an RSS reader for iPhone and iPad. Follow the blogs, newspapers, and magazines that matter to you – no account, no subscription, no ads, and no algorithm deciding for you. Wave gathers your sources in one place and presents them calmly and beautifully. PRIVATE BY DESIGN • Wave collects no data. No tracking, no profiles, no ads. • Articles, reading progress, and reading stats stay on your device. • Just start as a guest. If you like, sign in with Apple – your feeds and folders then sync privately across your devices via your iCloud. READING COMES FIRST • Full articles instead of truncated previews: when a feed only offers a teaser, Wave fetches the complete text and formats it cleanly. • Images, tables, videos, and quotes appear exactly where they belong. • Six reading themes from light through sepia to dark, and five fonts. • Once loaded, readable offline. Plus Read Later and Favorites. • If an article sits behind a paywall, Wave tells you instead of showing half a page. SMART HELPERS WHEN YOU WANT THEM • Summaries: the key point and main takeaways of an article at a glance. On devices with Apple Intelligence they are created right on your device; elsewhere Wave shows the article's central sentences. • Translation: read articles in other languages with Apple's built-in translation. • Siri, Shortcuts, and Spotlight: show what's unread, summarize an article, or add a new feed. QUICK START, EASY MOVE • Recommended sources by topic make getting started easy. • Bring your subscriptions over from your previous reader via OPML import – and take them with you anytime via export. • Folders, unread counts, and search keep things tidy. FOR IPHONE AND IPAD • Multiple columns on iPad: sources, article list, and text side by side. • Reading stats that show what and how much you read – just for you. • Dynamic Type and VoiceOver are supported. • Available in English, German, Spanish, and French. Wave is an indie project from Dortmund, Germany. Feedback and ideas are always welcome.

About

Tessera News

Consolidate all your news, videos, and podcasts into a single, elegant feed. Extract full article text, set custom alerts, and enjoy offline reading. Follow any source, including blogs, YouTube, and Reddit.

Highlights
  • Full text article extraction
  • Home screen widgets
  • Customizable notifications
  • Offline reading mode
  • Support for any source (blogs, YouTube, Reddit, podcasts)
  • Integrated podcast player
  • OPML import and cross-device sync
Features
Read full description

Stop jumping between dozens of apps! Tessera is the all-in-one RSS feed reader that brings news, videos, and podcasts into one beautifully designed space. • READ FULL TEXT: Say goodbye to cut-off articles. Tessera extracts full text with images, videos, and Reddit/YouTube embeds. • WIDGETS (NEW): Bring your timeline to your home screen! Add beautiful widgets for headlines, weather, and sports. • NOTIFICATIONS (NEW): Never miss an update. Set custom alerts for your favorite feeds and breaking news. • OFFLINE MODE: Download articles with a tap and read anywhere without internet. • ADD ANY SOURCE: Follow news sites, blogs, YouTube, Reddit, and podcasts. • PODCAST PLAYER: Listen in the background while scrolling. • OPML & SYNC: Import feeds instantly. Sync progress across your iOS devices and the web. • SOCIAL: React, vote, and comment with the community. Take back control of your content. Download Tessera today!

Screenshots

Wave Reader4 screens
Tessera News4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Wave Reader at 100% against Tessera News's 0%. Wave Reader also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 4) and chart position (#158 vs unranked). Tessera News's advantage is price (Free vs $0.99) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 18.6). On update cadence, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Tessera News is free to download; Wave Reader costs $0.99 up front. Tessera News sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Wave Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Wave Reader ships an update every 4 days, Tessera News every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Wave Reader versus Tessera News: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWave ReaderTessera News
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 5 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#158 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS18.616.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size21 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBartos Martin GwozdzThe Moonshot Lab

Customer experience

Wave Reader

Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Tessera News

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

None

Wave Reader

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Tessera News

One-time4
  • Tessera Silver$3.00
  • Tessera Gold$9.00
  • Tessera Black$17.00
Show 1 more
  • Tessera Black$24.90

Questions

Is Wave Reader free?
Wave Reader costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Tessera News free?
Tessera News is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Wave Reader or Tessera News have ads?
Neither Wave Reader nor Tessera News shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Wave Reader or Tessera News?
Wave Reader ships an update every 4 days, and Tessera News every 5 days. Most recently, Wave Reader was updated on November 5, 2026 and Tessera News on October 31, 2026.

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