# Byline 5 vs Pulse RSS

The clearest difference is update cadence: Pulse RSS at monthly against Byline 5's every 5 months. Byline 5's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Byline 5 sells 2 one-off in-app purchases and Pulse RSS sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Byline 5 ships an update every 5 months, Pulse RSS monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Byline 5 | Pulse RSS |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.3 (73 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/byline-5/id946110496/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **73** | — |
| Positive reviews | 40.9% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 8 MB | 20 MB |
| Requires iOS | **9.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Phantom Fish](https://appshunter.io/developer/284946776) | [Francisco de la Rosa Aguilar](https://appshunter.io/developer/1549661802) |

## What reviewers say

### Byline 5

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/byline-5/id946110496)

Access your favorite news sources and blogs, even without an internet connection. Subscribe to thousands of RSS feeds and stay updated with automatic syncing across all your devices. Enjoy a streamlined reading experience with offline access and quick navigation.

**Highlights:** Offline reading with cached content, Syncs across devices and web, Quick article navigation, Background app refresh for syncing, Discover new feeds and search articles

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Byline Premium | $2.99 | one-time |
| Byline Premium | $5.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great offline reader
- ✨ Sleek new design
- 🚀 Fast and efficient
- 👍 Easy to use
- 👍 Good for subway/plane reading

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Freezes frequently
- 🐛 Ads in paid version
- 🐛 Unable to sign in via Google
- 🐛 Swipe sensitivity issues
- 🐛 Offline caching broken

**Reported bugs**

- App freezes after opening articles
- App attempts to paste from clipboard on opening
- Paid version still shows ads
- Unable to sign in via Google account
- Google login error: 'This browser or app may not be secure'

**Requested features**

- Add progress indicator for downloads
- Add dark mode
- Add widgets
- Improve swipe sensitivity
- Allow reordering of feeds


### Pulse RSS

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pulse-rss/id6751121823)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 Month | $0.99 | per month |
| 1 Year Pro | $8.99 | per year |
| Lifetime | $9.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Byline 5 free?

Byline 5 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Pulse RSS free?

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

### Do Byline 5 or Pulse RSS have ads?

Neither Byline 5 nor Pulse RSS shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Byline 5 or Pulse RSS?

Byline 5 ships an update every 5 months, and Pulse RSS monthly. Most recently, Byline 5 was updated on October 22, 2026 and Pulse RSS on October 7, 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.*