Reviewing Reeder 2: the Best RSS Client for iOS and Mac

Apps like Flipboard, Circa News and Facebook’s Paper seem to have taken over the news reading space. These apps attempt to create personalized newspapers based on your interests, and they tend to do a pretty good job. I’ve tried five or six of them, but in the end, I’ve never been satisfied. Maybe I prefer full control over which websites I’m getting my news from, or maybe I’m just set in my ways. Either way, I’ve never been able to completely leave RSS. I don’t intend to argue the benefits of RSS in this post. That can be saved for another time, but if you like RSS, you should be using Reeder 2.

Purpose & Functionality

iPhone

Reeder is a newsreader app for iOS and Mac that works with 3rd party RSS services. I personally use Feedly, but Reeder supports ten other services as well—Feedbin, Feed Wrangler, FeedHQ, NewsBlur, The Old Reader, Inoreader, Minimal Reader, BazQux Reader, Fever and Readability.

Rating: simplicity, usefulness, beauty and necessity

  • Simplicity. (9/10) Setup and use is a breeze with Reeder 2. Simply sign into your RSS service account and your feed will begin to appear.
  • Usefulness. (8/10) Reeder 2 is integrated with a wide range of popular apps and services—Safari, QUOTE.fm, QUOTE.fm Read, Readability, Instapaper, Pocket, Reading List, Evernote, Inboard, Delicious, App.net, Twitter, Facebook, Buffer, Mail and Messages. I’ve found that this type of integration (well before iOS 8’s share sheet extensions) to be key in distinguishing Reeder from it’s competitors.
Reeder Mac Screenshot
  • Beauty. (10/10) I’m picky when it comes to UI, but I can’t think of anything I would change about Reeder 2. The UI is meticulously consistent. Gestures are natural, and the intricate controls over reading modes (and nearly everything else) makes it perfect for varying circumstance.
Reeder Mac Screenshot
Reeder iOS Screenshot
Reeder Mac Screenshot
  • Necessity. (6/10) If you’re using an RSS service like Feedly, you don’t need Reeder 2. For example, the Feedly apps and website work very well, but Reeder provides a user experience on another level entirely.
  • Stickiness. (9/10) I’ve been using Reeder since well before the Google Reader shutdown. I’ve tried countless other apps on Mac and iOS, but none have provided a superior experience to Reeder 2. For me Reeder has been remarkably sticky.

Alternatives

You can download Reeder 2 for Mac and iOS.

ReviewsTimothy BuckGeneral