# Beacon vs Lede

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Lede at none against Beacon's 3. Beacon's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Beacon sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month. Lede asks for nothing beyond the download.

Beacon ships an update every 3 days, Lede every 2 days. Both last shipped on November 8, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Beacon | Lede |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lede-rss-reader/id6817510680/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | — | **3** |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Size | 57 MB | 4 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 17+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Wells Code Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1886478343) | [Steve Shreeve](https://appshunter.io/developer/6817510682) |

## What reviewers say

### Beacon

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beacon-calm-rss-reader/id6804769501)

**Features:** Family Sharing, iPhone Duo support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Beacon — Monthly | $1.49 | per month |
| Beacon — Annual | $11.99 | per year |
| Beacon — Pay Once | $29.99 | one-time |


### Lede

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lede-rss-reader/id6817510680)

A fast and clean RSS reader that allows you to follow your favorite websites and read articles in a distraction-free native interface. It offers control over your reading experience with features like daily limits and customizable article retention.

**Highlights:** Clean native reader interface, Automatic full text fetching, Swipe navigation for articles, Starred, Unread, and All filters, Daily article limits per feed, OPML import/export, Private by design, no tracking

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Beacon free?

Beacon is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Lede free?

Lede is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Beacon or Lede have ads?

Neither Beacon nor Lede shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Beacon or Lede?

Beacon ships an update every 3 days, and Lede every 2 days. Most recently, Beacon was updated on November 8, 2026 and Lede on November 8, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*