Top 8 Best Google Reader Alternatives That You Can Use

Many of us are very familiar and used to Google reader. The way it enabled us to read all news and other items published by people, the ease of navigating between folders, sharing between readers, etc led to a number of people adapting to this way of reading.

However, when Google announced it was going to shut down this service in 2007, due to the declining number of users, affected more than just the readers.

There were a number of Apps that depended on this service. Google Reader was used for syncing and maintaining subscriptions of these Apps. Eventually, they had no other choice than to look for alternatives.

Though it was a dwindling market, there was a lot of scopes and many players decided to enter the market to fill this void created by Google reader shutting down.

Alternative Options:

Today, there are a number of substitutes for the Google reader with similar and sometimes even better features. Here are 8 such alternatives:

1. Feedly

This is a free RSS reader service that is compatible with websites, iOs as well as Androids. It can be used on both Safari and Chrome extension when one wants to use it on the web.

This was the most sought after and preferred service after Google Reader shut down as people could migrate seamlessly and data was stored safely.

This service offers recommendations based on your current reading activity, thus reducing your need to search for similar stories also ensuring you don’t miss out on articles that are in your line of interest.

2. Newsblur

Another free service, but with limitations. One can follow only up to 12 sites at a time and can be expanded by paying a marginal subscription charge. This can be used with both iOs and Android and on the web as well.

Though the web-based version is not as easy or appealing as the versions for iOs and Androids, it is easy to use.

A little patience is required as adding sites to the feed can take some time. However, the intelligence trainer shows recommendations based on your reading activity, ensuring you read more of what you like and see less of what you don’t.

This comes very handy when you want to read up on everything related and not waste time digging through unwanted items.

3. Netvibes

This is a free RSS reader that caters to businesses that require social media analytics. This is compatible only with the web and not with the smartphones’ software.

This reader is interesting and convenient as it allows you to see your searches and other RSS feeds in a deck style, in its widget-based display. It has the traditional reader view as well which is convenient when you want to read something in detail.

With both these options available, one can just keep an eye on the feeds and go in when they find it interesting. Also, the traditional reader is quite fast, thus removing the need to wait for long.

4. Pulse

This is a free magazine style App that gives you a nice layout and makes your screen look fancy and interesting. This is free and is compatible with all web, Android as well as iOs. Your screen looks neat, different and just plain pretty.

This service also provides suggestions or recommendations based on your search. However, rather than just looking through the web, it looks through social media pages too.

Tumbler, Facebook as well as Flickr groups are perused through as well, to see if anything suiting your interests is available. This ensures you get to read almost everything in your line of interest and you do not miss out even those articles on social media.

There is a personalizing option that allows all your RSS feeds and websites to come together in a different and appealing style.

5. Fever

This is a self-hosted RSS reader that requires you to have your own web space. It is not free either. The USP this provider is aiming at is, just like Google Reader other service providers can shut down anytime too.

Hence in order to avoid such a situation and transformation again, one can have their own space which will be in their control at all times.

This is a solid RSS reader that delivers in a smart fashion. Yes, it is expensive when compared to the previously listed free readers, but here the risk of shutting down is removed. This means one need not worry about shifting everything to another reader again.

Though it is a web-based App, it is supported by Reeder iOS Apps as well.

6. Digg reader

This service provider is set out to enable a clean reading experience for the old Google Reader users. All the feeds, preferences, favorites, etc were easily portable from Google Reader to this one, making the transition for users, very smooth and quick.

While iOS version is a hit, the Beta version has had a few hiccups in the past.

7. Curate Reader

While previously mentioned RSS readers give you a lot of content on one page, this reader is clean and displays only a few lines as separators.

For those who like their reading screen to be clean and presentable, this could be a good option. It also offers typefaces that are attractive, roll over animation options and intuitive icons.

When it comes to features, this reader lacks in comparison to other. Many of us have the habit of reading a few posts and leaving the rest for later. In such cases, the unread tab or counter is very useful and helps us keep track of what is left to read.

This reader does not have this feature. This will not only cause you to miss out on certain posts but will show the already read ones too when you search for something specific.

Also, this can be used only on a web browser and not on your smartphones.

8. Your Take

There are a number of alternatives available for avid readers who love to keep a tab on their reading and never miss out on topics of their interests. One can always give the free Apps a try and decide which suits them better, before opting for the paid options.