RSS stands for “Really Simple Syndication” or “Rich Site Summary.” It’s a document specification that allows you to easily collect and organize web-based news and information from websites. RSS reader applications allow you to follow your favorite websites without having to visit each one separately. For more information about RSS, see our article defining RSS and describing how you can benefit from using it.
We’ve collected some good desktop and web-based, free RSS applications.
Digg Reader
Digg Reader is a free online RSS reader that has a clean user interface and all the features you need for reading and managing your RSS feeds. This RSS reader integrates with other web services such as Instapaper so that you can bookmark posts that you want to read later.
The Old Reader
The Old Reader may be in beta, but it was built to be a suitable replacement for Google Reader. And not just Google Reader as we know it now, the old Google Reader, that still had plenty of tools for sharing and organization. You can log in via Google or Facebook, and import your feeds from Google Reader or any other service via OPML. If the interface looks familiar, it should: it looks a lot like Google Reader, complete with folders down the left side, your list of stories in the main pane (click any to read), and one-click subscription to new feeds. You get many of the same keyboard shortcuts, and even get the same ability to follow other Old Reader users and share interesting stories with them—the way you used to be able to with Google Reader. The Old Reader is fast, free, and super simple to use. There are no mobile apps yet, but the web site works well on mobile devices, and the developers behind it note they're working on it. There are, however, Chrome and Safari extensions for it.
FeedDemon
FeedDemon is a very popular RSS reader for Windows, that allows you to easily stay up-to-date with the latest news and information from your favorite websites. It synchronizes with Google Reader so you can sync your information among various locations. Use keywords to tag items, marking them as read. FeedDemon will also notify you when your keywords appear in any feed to which you are subscribed or even feeds to which you are not subscribed. You can also subscribe to secure feeds that require a username and password. FeedDemon also allows you to automatically download podcasts and transfer them to a media device.
Google Reader
One of the best-known web-based RSS readers, Google Reader has been available since 2005. Because of its age, there are some benefits to using it — not only has Google continued developing it, but there are many user-created plugins that can transform Google Reader, especially if used in Firefox. Google has also made it possible to read Google Reader on a number of platforms, including the Wii.
Feedly
Feedly does not support OPML files, and that may be it's one black mark because this Web-based feed reader is exceptional by almost every other measure. Feedly recently switched to using a cloud-based method of saving your account data, so it syncs between whichever devices you use to read your RSS content. The tools for organizing your feeds, meaning changing the order and grouping them into folders, are tops. It has a clean design that's customizable (with options to see a list, preview, or expanded entries), and Feedly suggests other content that may be of interest to you.
FeedReader
FeedReader is a simple, straightforward program that easily handles a large number of feeds. FeedReader is not as powerful as FeedDemon but it has most of the important options, and not a lot of confusing ones. It does not require Java either (many readers do for some reason). FeedReader provides the important option to open links in an external browser (but not the post itself as FeedDemon does). It does not sync with Google Reader, but imports or exports OPML files that are compatible with Google Reader.
"Feedreader provides cutting-edge features in an intuitive, user-friendly environment. Even non-technical users can view comprehensive, consolidated information from across the Internet – faster and easier than ever before."
QuiteRSS
QuiteRSS is a full blown RSS reader for Windows that is in active development. The program ships with all the bells and whistles you'd except it to. You can import individual feeds or OPML files, define how and when feeds are updated, use filters or notifications, and customize how contents are displayed to you.
What makes QuiteRSS attractive is the impressive set of features that it offers and the fact that it works fine out of the box. While you can customize the program to your liking, for instance by configuring it to automatically clean the database and old entries on exit or modifying font styles, it is not mandatory to do so. Many users will however appreciate that options are provided to do so.
Bloglines
Bloglines is a free online service for searching, subscribing, creating and sharing news feeds, blogs and rich web content. With Bloglines, there is no software to download or install - simply register as a new user and you can instantly begin accessing your account any time, from any computer or mobile device. It provides you with the tools you need to begin creating your own clip blogs and blogrolls.
BlogBridge
Requirements: Java: 1.5 or later, OS X 10.3 or later, Windows XP or any Linux with a system GUI
Thoughts: Here’s how I’ll put a positive spin on BlogBridge – it’s the best RSS reader for Linux that I’ve seen so far. If you’re a Windows or OS X user, you may want to try another (but maybe not – BlogBridge is pretty darn good). There are some interesting features – Expert Guides being the one that stands out most. Per BlogBridge, Expert Guides are a collection of feeds around a specific topic that have been selected by someone who has real expertise in that area. BlogBridge is free and open source, there are some additional features that aren’t free (for commercial use). Feed Library (the software you can use to create your own Expert Guide directory) is one of them. Again, if you’re a Linux user, give this one a shot.
NetVibes
Netvibes is actually a social aggregation and dashboarding service, but that doesn't stop it from being a robust RSS news reader. Basic accounts at Netvibes are free (note that Premium and Pro accounts are available but expensive—you don't need any of the services they offer just to read RSS feeds), and that's all you really need to keep track of your feeds. You can take the suggested feeds they start you off with, or you can import your own via OPML or subscribe to specific blogs by pasting in their URL. Signing up is quick and easy, and once you're set up, you can even use Netvibes as a bit of a dashboard/homepage replacement. Add widgets for weather, finance, and top news stories to your dashboard and you get a pretty useful homepage that also shows you the new stories from your favorite sites. Don't look for mobile apps in this case though—Netvibes doesn't have any. They do have a mobile site designed for smart and dumb phones alike (it auto-detects which one you're using and sends you to the right place.) It'll let you read the news, but it won't let you edit anything.
RSSOwl
RSSOwl is a free, platform-independent RSS reader that allows you to gather, update, store, and organize information from your favorite websites that support RSS. You can save selected information in various formats for offline viewing and sharing. RSSOwl allows you to synchronize your RSS subscriptions and articles with your Google Reader account. News feeds can be viewed side-by-side using multiple tabs, and you can open as many tabs as you like. The internal browser allows you to open the full content of an article from a feed.
Easily organize your feeds by grouping them by based on a specific attribute, such as by date, author, category, feed, and more. RSSOwl runs on Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X and supports many languages.
Recommendation
The feed reader that I favor right now is QuiteRSS. It has been the main feed reader on my Windows system for quite a while. What I like about it is that it offers everything that I require. This includes a great interface that lets me browse feeds fast as well as excellent filter and search options.
It gets my vote but may be too barebones for some. If you require synchronization, you may want to pick another client supporting that for instance.