Heaps Reader vs Tessera News
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
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.
- 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
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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
Verdict
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
Both are free to download. Tessera News sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Heaps Reader asks for nothing beyond the download.
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.
| Parameter | Heaps Reader | Tessera News |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | — | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 3 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 days — better | Every 5 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 28 MB | 13 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Zachary Brown | The Moonshot Lab |
Customer experience
Heaps Reader
Tessera News
In-app purchases
Heaps Reader
No in-app purchases
Tessera News
- Tessera Silver$3.00
- Tessera Gold$9.00
- Tessera Black$17.00
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- Tessera Black$24.90







