Michal Marek July 1st is approaching and with it the previously announced end of Google Reader. Many fans and users of RSS have certainly mourned this service, and many of them have also thrown a few unflattering words at Google, which mercilessly blasted its Reader for allegedly insufficient interest from the general public. Fortunately, developers from all over the world have had enough time to prepare alternatives to this service. Google Reader may be coming to an end, but its end has also allowed for some new beginnings. So it's time to decide who to entrust with the management of your online information sources now. There are more options and we bring you a general overview.
Feedly
The first possible alternative to the ending solution from Google is Feedly. This service is even one of the main favorites, it is functional, has a long history, supports popular RSS readers and is free. The developers practically copied Google Reader's API to make integration easier for third-party developers. Feedly also has its own free app for iOS. It is very colourful, fresh and modern, but in places at the expense of clarity. Feedly still lacks a Mac app, but thanks to the new "Feedly Cloud" service, it can be used in a web browser. The web version is very similar to Google Reader and offers several options for displaying content, from a simple Reader list to a magazine column style.
The web application does not have extensive functions, you can save your favorite articles, share them on Twitter or the lesser-known Buffer service here, or open the given article in a separate tab on the source page. There is no shortage of sharing to most social networks, in addition, individual articles can be labeled for greater clarity. The user interface is very minimalistic, clear and pleasant to read. Feedly is so far the most complete replacement for Google Reader, both in terms of features and support for third-party applications. The service is free for now, the developers plan to divide the service into free and paid in the future, probably with the fact that the paid one will offer more functions.
Supported applications: Reeder (in preparation), Newsify, Byline, Mr. Reader, gReader, Fluid, gNewsReader
Newcomers - AOL and Digg
The new players in the RSS field are AOL a Digg. Both of these services look very promising and could stir things up a lot with the market situation. Digg announced its product not long after announcing the end of Google Reader, and the first version has been available to users since June 26. He managed to release an app for iOS, which is clear, fast and much more conservative than the official Feedly client mentioned above. So if you're switching from, for example, the very popular Reeder app, you might like Digg more at first glance. In addition to the application, there is also a web client that is very similar to Google Reader, which will be recommended in a few days.
Digg has managed to create a great looking service in a short amount of time that is functional, albeit lacking in many features. They should appear only in the following months. The number of sharing services is limited and there is no search option. The advantage is the connection directly to the Digg service (which, however, is not so well known in our country), and the tab of popular articles is also nice, which filters out the most read articles from your selections.
With AOL, the situation is slightly different. The development of the service is still only in the beta stage and there is no iOS app. It is said to be in the works, but it is not known if it should appear in the App Store. So far, the users of this service have only one possibility of use - through the web interface.
We don't know if there are APIs available for either service at this time, although Digg previously stated on its blog that it is considering them in its service. However, neither Digg nor AOL currently support any third-party apps, which is understandable given their recent launch.
Feed Wrangler
A paid service for managing RSS feeds is, for example Feed Wrangler. There is a free app for iOS that also allows you to import data from Google Reader. But the service itself costs $19 per year. The official app is fast and simple, but given the quality and number of its free competitors, it will have a tough time in the market.
Feed Wrangler approaches news management in a slightly different way than its competitors. It does not work with any folders or labels. Instead, it uses so-called Smart Streams to sort content, so individual posts are automatically sorted according to various criteria. Feed Wrangler also ignores the sorting of imported data, so the user has to get used to the new system, which may not suit everyone. It is pleasing that Feed Wrangler will also provide its API to the popular Reeder in the future.
Supported applications: Mr. Reader, ReadKit, Slow Feeds
Feedbin
It is also worth noting Feedbin, which, however, has a price set a little higher. The user pays $2 per month for this alternative. As was the case with the mentioned Feedly, the developers of the Feedbin service also provide its API competition. If you decide for this service, you will also be able to use it through, for example, the extremely popular Reeder for iPhone. The Mac and iPad versions of Reeder are still waiting for updates, but they will also receive support for the Feedbin service.
The web interface of the Feedbin service is similar to the one we know from Google Reader or Reeder. Posts are organized into folders and also sorted separately. The left panel allows you to click on individual sources, all posts or just unread ones.
Supported applications: Reeder, Mr. Reader, ReadKit, Slow Feeds, Favs
Alternative providers
A replacement for Google Reader and applications that used it can also become Press. This service/app has a long tradition. Pulse is a kind of personal magazine in the style of popular competitors Zite and Flipboard, but it can also be used as an ordinary RSS reader. In accordance with general practice, Pulse offers the possibility of sharing articles via Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin and postponing them for later reading using the popular services Pocket, Instapaper and Readability. It is also possible to save the text to Evernote. There is no native Mac app yet, but Pulse has a very nice web interface that goes hand in hand in design with the iOS version. In addition, the content between the app and the website is synchronized.
Another alternative is Flipboard. You can also use this service to access your subscriptions from the defunct Google Reader. Flipboard is currently the most popular personal magazine for iOS, it offers its own management of RSS feeds and the ability to import Google Reader content, however, it lacks a web client. However, if you can make do with the iPhone, iPad, and Android app and are comfortable with a magazine-style display, Flipboard is another possible option.
And which alternative to Google Reader will you choose?
I miss the combination of The Old Reader and Feedler.
g2reader.com
and it's a Czech application!
For me, it's definitely feedly, and once the feedly support is operational in the reeder app, it will be great! :)
Feedly has no competition.
In my opinion, the Newsify app is excellent
For a long time, I personally have been satisfied with the NewsBar RSS reader, which is available for both Mac and iOS :))