NetNewsWire
NetNewsWire is a free, open-source RSS reader for following articles from blogs and news sites and keeping track of what you have read.
What NetNewsWire is
NetNewsWire is a free, open-source RSS reader for following articles from blogs and news sites and keeping track of what you have read. It supports RSS, Atom, JSON Feed, and RSS-in-JSON. Reading tools include customizable article themes, Reader view, starred articles, and smart feeds for All Unread and Today. Reader view sends pages to a Feedbin-hosted server for processing, but it cannot extract article text from every page. For feed management, the app supports folders, multiple accounts, search, and OPML import and export. Sync options include iCloud, Feedbin, Feedly, BazQux, Inoreader, NewsBlur, The Old Reader, and FreshRSS. A Safari extension helps add feeds, and sharing options include Mail, MarsEdit, Micro.blog, Notes, and Messages. Mac features include a customizable toolbar, multiple windows, and AppleScript support. The current site lists support for macOS 15 and newer and iOS 26 and newer. Its privacy policy says crash logs are collected only with user consent, while website traffic is logged and viewed in aggregate.
Good
- Free and open source
- Supports four feed formats
- Syncs with listed services including iCloud
- Includes OPML import and export
- Safari extension helps add feeds
Watch out
- Reader view cannot extract every page
- Listed support starts at macOS 15 and iOS 26
Who it suits
NetNewsWire suits readers who want to follow multiple feeds and organize them across supported Apple devices. It may also suit people who want a free, open-source reader with several sync options.
Verdict
NetNewsWire combines feed organization, reading tools, and a broad list of sync services in a free reader. Check the listed operating-system requirements and note the limits of Reader view before choosing it.
Plans and prices
From NetNewsWire's own pricing page, checked 7 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| NetNewsWire | Free | For Mac, iPhone, and iPad · Free and open source |
The facts
Each one read from NetNewsWire's own pages, with the date it was checked.
Where it runs
- Browser integration
- The app includes a Safari extension for easy feed adding.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Mac features
- Mac-specific features listed include a customizable toolbar, multiple windows, and AppleScript support.checked 7 Oct 2026
What it does
- Feed formats
- The project says NetNewsWire supports RSS, Atom, JSON Feed, and RSS-in-JSON formats.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Feed management
- The app supports folders, multiple accounts, searching, and importing and exporting OPML feed lists.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Open source
- NetNewsWire is free and open source.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Privacy
- The privacy policy says crash logs are collected only from users who opt in and website traffic is logged and viewed in aggregate.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- NetNewsWire is an RSS reader that shows articles from blogs and news sites and keeps track of what you have read.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Reader view limit
- Reader view cannot be guaranteed to extract article text from every page and calls a server hosted by Feedbin to process pages.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Reading features
- Features include customizable article themes, Reader view, starred articles, and All Unread and Today smart feeds.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Sharing
- The site lists sharing to Mail, MarsEdit, Micro.blog, Notes, Messages, and more.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Support
- The help page directs users to the NetNewsWire forum for questions and GitHub issues for bug reports and feature requests.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Supported systems
- The current site lists Mac support for macOS 15 and newer and iOS support for iOS 26 and newer.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Sync integrations
- The site lists syncing via iCloud, Feedbin, Feedly, BazQux, Inoreader, NewsBlur, The Old Reader, and FreshRSS.checked 7 Oct 2026
The company
- Founded
- 2002checked 28 Sep 2026
- Headquarters
- Seattle, Washingtonchecked 28 Sep 2026
- Maker
- The site credits Brent Simmons and says NetNewsWire is made in Seattle and around the world.checked 7 Oct 2026
Alternatives to NetNewsWire
- 1
NewsBlur
Free planOpen sourceAndroidiOSWebAPI8.5From $36 a year - 2
Feeder
Free planAndroidiOSWebAPI8.1From $7.99 a month - 3
FreshRSS
Free planOpen sourceAndroidiOSWebAPI7.9Free plan - 4
Inoreader
Free planAndroidiOSWebAPI7.9From €7.50 a month - 5
Feedreader
Free planWebLinuxSelf-hostedWindows7.5€29 one-time - 6
Feedly
Free planAndroidiOSWebAPI7.4From $1,600 a month