With the news that
Google is killing off Google Reader as of July 1, 2013, users everywhere are on the lookout for potential replacements.
Replacing Google Reader isn't easy; the service isn't just an RSS
reader — it's also the de facto cloud-based RSS syncing service. Many
Google Reader users don't even use the web app as their primary feed
reader, instead using the service to offer subscription, read, unread
and folder information to other RSS clients such as Reeder, NetNewsWire
and FeedDemon.
And while services and apps such as Pulse and Flipboard are a great
way to visualize news and information, those services are not conducive
to the needs of the power Google Reader user.
Here are some options you might want to consider if you’re a Google Reader user:
1.) Newsblur
This is a
top choice
from one of our corresponding editors, Gary Price. It’s accessible via
the web and also appears to have iOS and Android versions. There’s even a
Google Reader import tool that will no doubt prove popular.
Newsblur has a basic version that’s free, but limits how many feeds
you can follow and news stories show up in the reader. The premium
version is only $1 per month and has no such limits.
The site may be down or slow when you visit. As founder Sam Clay
said on Twitter not long ago, “this is definitely a third cup of tea kind of day.”
See Gary’s full review on our sister site, Search Engine Land:
Need A Google Reader Alternative? Meet Newsblur.
2.) Feedly
Feedly
moved quickly in the wake of Google’s announcement; unfortunately the
thing it did fastest was collapse under the sudden influx of users
looking for somewhere new to keep their RSS feeds. Still, it’s recovered
now, and offers perhaps the most straightforward transition from Google
Reader of any service. Add its browser app to Chrome, Firefox or Safari
(Internet Explorer users are left strangely in the lurch), allow it to
access your Google account and it pulls in all of your feeds, including
their read status as well as any folders you’ve sorted them into.
Feedly’s interface is slick and minimalist, and its Titles view most
closely approximates the Google Reader interface you know and love.
3. Flipboard
Flipboard
is no substitute for the pared-back, data-heavy mass of headlines and
standfirsts we love Google Reader for, but that isn’t necessarily a bad
thing. It will still gather up your Google Reader feeds, but presents
them as a glossy, animated faux-magazine, better designed for leisurely
flipping than speed-reading. Free, but only available on iOS, Android,
Kindle Fire and the Nook.
4) thru 7.) Magazine-style readers
There are several magazine-style services that function as a sort of RSS reader. The list includes
Flipboard,
Pulse,
Google Currents (if it doesn’t get shut down, too!),
Zite,
Taptu
and others. Generally speaking, these let you subscribe to either
topics, specific sites, or both. Some only function on mobile devices.
8.) FeedReader
This is a free service that offers both a desktop Windows client and an online version.
9.) FeedDemon
FeedDemon claims to be the “most popular RSS reader for Windows.” The
tool offers synchronization with Google Reader, which could be nice in
the short term, but may not be a long-term solution unless it actually
imports feeds while synchronizing.
There appears to be a cost for FeedDemon, though the website makes no mention what it is.
Update: As Thomas Ally points out in the comments below, FeedDemon’s creator has announced that Google Reader’s shutdown means his product will also shutdown. Cross this one off the list.
10.) NetNewsWire
This is a long-running RSS reader for Mac users. Never used it
myself, but it gets mentioned fairly frequently on the Mac sites and
magazines that I read.
11.) Bloglines
Seriously. Bloglines. The once-popular RSS reader still has a product
called “Reader” that lets you track news from your favorite sites.
Bloglines was
thought to be dead a couple years ago, but now we have the irony of listing it as an option to the soon-to-be-dead Google Reader.
12.) NewsIsFree
This is a primarily web-based news aggregator that doesn’t even
require an account to use — you can go and read current news right now
if you want.
NewsIsFree also offers an
RSS service
with almost 36,000 sources at the moment that you can subscribe to. But
it looks like the premium services are required if you want to be able
to add your own RSS feeds to NewsIsFree.
13)
Netvibes

More than a little daunting to the newcomer,
Netvibes
bills itself as a kind of dashboard for the entire web, but there’s a
capable RSS reader under there. The two-pane RSS reader – with folders
on the left and content on the right – will be comforting to Google’s
outcasts. Although it doesn’t offer as straightforward an import process
as other services, once you’ve exported your Google Reader feeds with
Google Takeout, importing them is the work of but a few clicks.
14) http://www.skimr.co/
No doubt there are other Google Reader alternatives out there that
we’re not aware of. Feel free to let us know if you have a favorite in
the comments below.