Google has shown that it most certainly isn’t afraid to pull the plug on services that aren’t making money. More than one out of every three Google products ends up being shuttered, and the company’s popular Google Reader RSS reader will be added to the list of dearly departed Google services in less than two weeks. Now that we have all had some time to get the panic and despair out of our systems, the rebuilding process can begin. There are plenty of options out there when it comes to finding a solid service to replace Google Reader, and it can get overwhelming. As such, we’ve narrowed it down to our five favorites and here they are in no particular order:
NewsBlur
Web, iPhone, iPad and Android versions of this great freemium RSS reader are all available for free. The free service that comes along with the apps includes several restrictions though, and then a paid premium option for $24 per year.
Choosing a paid service is a good option because monetizing RSS readers is apparently quite hard if Google couldn’t even figure out how to do it. Switching to another free service could put you back where you are now, digging around for yet another new replacement reader when your new free option crashes and burns.
Feedly
Feedly offers a terrific reading experience on the Web, in a Chrome app, and on the iPhone, iPad and Android devices. The company makes its own gorgeous apps for iOS and Android, and it will be supported by several popular mobile reader apps like Reeder and Newsify for iOS, and Press and gReader for Android.
Feedly seems like the clear winner on the surface but the absence of a paid option is a drawback for the reason stated above — Feedly features integration with several popular mobile apps and the company seemingly isn’t making any money when users read in Reeder or other third-party apps.
UPDATE: Feedly has confirmed that a “Pro” account option will become available later this summer:
@josheh we will as a Feedly pro later this summer.
— feedly (@feedly) June 27, 2013
Feedbin
Feedbin sports a nice design and the service is simple and fast, though not as comprehensive as some other options. For those who read often on their mobile devices, Feedbin will be supported by Reeder, Press and several other popular mobile RSS reader apps.
This is a paid service that costs $2 per month.
Feed Wrangler
Feed Wrangler features a user interface that is very minimalistic on the Web and on iOS alike, and it is also supported by Reeder and other mobile apps. Users looking for the simplest possible option should look no further.
Service costs just $19 per year.
Feeder
Lat but not least, Feeder is a plugin for Safari and Chrome that is unlike any of the other services listed above in that it currently offers no mobile access to free users. This is a great simple option for light RSS users who really only browse while using a PC, though.
Pro account holders who pay a one-time $9.99 fee also have access to a Web version with a great UI, and a mobile site (native mobile apps are under development).
