Comparison

Heaps 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

Heaps Reader

Organize and consume RSS feeds and podcasts with a unique swipe-based interface. Enjoy distraction-free reading, article summaries, and offline podcast playback. Seamlessly manage subscriptions and discover content.

Highlights
  • Swipe-based article triage
  • Reader mode for distraction-free reading
  • Article summaries with Apple Intelligence
  • Podcast player with offline downloads
  • Organize feeds into colorful collections
  • iCloud sync across devices
Features
Read full description

Heaps is an RSS and podcast reader for iPhone built around one idea: getting through your feeds should feel good. Organize your subscriptions into colorful collections called Heaps. Pick from 40 colors and custom icons to make each one yours. Then swipe through articles like a deck of cards — left to skip, right to save, up to mark as read. Or simply tap to read now. A progress bar shows how far you've got to go, haptic feedback keeps every gesture satisfying, and an undo stack means you'll never accidentally lose something. When you tap into an article, you choose how to read it. Reader mode strips away ads and trackers while giving you a clean, formatted experience. Browser mode loads the full site and keeps you logged in to paywalled publishers, so you don't re-enter credentials every visit. If you're short on time, article summaries powered by Apple Intelligence give you the gist in seconds. Podcasts live alongside your feeds, too!. Search, subscribe, adjust playback speed, queue up episodes, and download for offline listening — all without leaving the app. Oh, and Ben the Sheep lives in the app too! He's always there to show you around and cheer you on. Key features: Swipe-based card interface for fast article triage Reader mode for clean, distraction-free articles Browser mode with persistent logins for paywalled sites Article summaries powered by Apple Intelligence Podcast player with speed controls and offline downloads Save articles and clips to a personal library Mute words to hide topics you don't care about iCloud sync across devices with no accounts needed Background refresh so new articles are ready when you open the app Import and export via OPML Subscribe to RSS, Atom, and JSON feeds. Follow your favorite blogs, newspapers, and indie publishers. Keep your podcasts in the same place. Heaps makes all of it feel like one smooth workflow.

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

Heaps Reader4 screens
Tessera News4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Heaps Reader at none against Tessera News's 4. Heaps Reader also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 5 days). Tessera News's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). On price and ads 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. Tessera News sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Heaps Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Heaps Reader ships an update every 2 days, Tessera News every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Heaps Reader versus Tessera News: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHeaps ReaderTessera News
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (3 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews—0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 5 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS26.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size28 MB13 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperZachary BrownThe Moonshot Lab

Customer experience

Heaps Reader

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Tessera News

Written reviews2 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

None

Heaps 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 Heaps Reader free?
Heaps Reader is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Tessera News free?
Tessera News is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Heaps Reader or Tessera News have ads?
Neither Heaps Reader nor Tessera News shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Heaps Reader or Tessera News?
Heaps Reader ships an update every 2 days, and Tessera News every 5 days. Most recently, Heaps Reader was updated on October 9, 2026 and Tessera News on October 6, 2026.

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