Comparison

PetalFeed 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

PetalFeed

Features
Read full description

An RSS reader built for VoiceOver from day one. Follow blogs, Reddit, Mastodon, Bluesky and YouTube in one place, then listen to it all like a personal news broadcast. No ads, no tracking, no subscription. Every screen is fully labeled for VoiceOver, every swipe has a named custom action, related details are grouped so you hear them in one stop, and all text scales with Dynamic Type. Follow everything you read: - RSS and Atom feeds from any blog or news site - Subreddits, just by name - Your Mastodon and Bluesky timelines - YouTube channels, with videos that play right inside the app - A Discover tab of hand-picked feeds, subreddits and channels by topic Listen hands-free. Have any article, or a whole queue of them, read aloud in any voice installed on your device. Control playback from the Lock Screen, Control Center or the mini player that follows you through the app. The Hive turns your headlines into a short podcast-style show, written by Apple Intelligence and read aloud by distinct voices. Hawk Eye gives you a digest of the topics in your unread articles. Summaries give you the gist of any article in a few sentences. All of it runs privately on your device. Stay organized your way: - Petals are your feeds, Flowers are your folders - Smart Flowers fill themselves using rules you set - Bees filter out keywords, spoilers and topics you would rather skip - Similar articles are grouped, so one story is one stop - Rapid Review lets you triage a busy feed one card at a time - Full-text extraction gives you the whole article without the clutter Bring your library with you. Sync feeds, folders and read state two ways with Feedbin, Inoreader, FreshRSS or Miniflux, or import and export OPML anytime. Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets show your unread counts and latest headlines. Siri and Shortcuts can open an article, read your unread articles aloud, play The Hive, build a Hawk Eye digest or mark everything read. PetalFeed works on iPhone, iPad and Mac. Free 14-day trial, then one-time purchase. Free forever, even after the trial: - Reading RSS and Atom feeds - OPML import and export - Up to 10 Petals - Text-to-speech read aloud - Every accessibility feature PetalFeed Lifetime is a single purchase with no renewals. It unlocks: - Unlimited Petals - Sync with Feedbin, Inoreader, FreshRSS and Miniflux - The Hive, Hawk Eye and summaries - Bees and Smart Flowers - Widgets, Siri and Shortcuts - Refresh as often as every 5 minutes Already bought PetalFeed? You keep everything automatically. Enjoying it? An optional tip jar lets you say thanks. Private by design. Your feeds, articles and reading history stay on your device. All AI runs on the device: no servers, no PetalFeed account, no tracking, no ads. Sync happens only with a service you choose to connect, and your sign-in details stay in the device Keychain. AI features require an Apple Intelligence–capable device.

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

PetalFeed4 screens
Tessera News4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Tessera News at every 5 days against PetalFeed's every 2 weeks. Tessera News also leads on iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.1). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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

Both are free to download. PetalFeed sells 5 one-off in-app purchases and Tessera News sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

PetalFeed ships an update every 2 weeks, Tessera News every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
PetalFeed versus Tessera News: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPetalFeedTessera News
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
Monetization—Free with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS26.116.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB13 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperDoxie Media LLCThe Moonshot Lab

In-app purchases

5 purchases

PetalFeed

One-time5
  • 14-Day Free TrialFree
  • Small Tip$1.99
  • Medium Tip$4.99
Show 2 more
  • PetalFeed Lifetime$9.99
  • Large Tip$9.99
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 PetalFeed free?
PetalFeed is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Tessera News free?
Tessera News is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do PetalFeed or Tessera News have ads?
Neither PetalFeed nor Tessera News shows ads.
Which is updated more often, PetalFeed or Tessera News?
PetalFeed ships an update every 2 weeks, and Tessera News every 5 days. Most recently, PetalFeed was updated on October 26, 2026 and Tessera News on October 23, 2026.

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