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What is your Google Reader replacement? [POLL]

Finding out Google Reader is to be shut down felt like a punch in the stomach to hundreds of thousands of users. The service offers a clean, simple way to organize and read news. Many of us have never even thought about the idea of ever switching to another RSS reader, but now we simply have to get used to the idea and find a replacement by July 1st.

The decision has been made and odds are no petition will change that at this point. So it is about time we shake our heads for a second and snap out of our denial – We need to find a solution. At Phandroid, we religiously use Google Reader for work, so you are not alone in the search for the next best option!

Though many may not know about them, there are some great solutions out there. I (and hundreds of thousands of other users) like Feedly because it offers a very similar experience to Google Reader, but it also has a great design and awesome options for those looking for an more aesthetically pleasing experience. The “Today” section features images and descriptions of your top news. There are also many themes available and a series of social features.

The Old Reader and NewsBlur are also great as simple RSS feeds. If you prefer the more graphic-intense and shiny readers, you can go for options like Flipboard, Pulse and even Google Currents. The only problem with such options is that it is harder to go through a longer list of news. They are good if you only follow a few sources.

Many of you are also going with Feedly, but we would be interested to see how the numbers are looking. Participate in the poll and let us know what your favorite Google Reader replacement is, and why!




  • http://profiles.google.com/fraz1777 Ross Fraser

    I never used Google Reader, I’ve always used Pulse.

  • Sivan

    gReader Pro is not a valid choice yet. It syncs Google Reader…so how can this replace Google Reader?

    • collinpage

      It’s changing like every other app that syncs Reader

  • Tyler Walles

    i think im the only one in the world who has never done anything with rss

    • Matthew Merrick

      Nah, I’m with you there. Never seen much point to it IMHO.

      • bimsebasse

        Never seen much point in it? So if you follow dozens of blogs and websites with regularly updated content, it’s easier to monitor for news yourself by clicking through each site one by one? This is gonna come off harsh, but rss feeds are for people who know how to use the web, not seeing the point of rss puts you in category with your aunt Nellie and Koko the chimpanzee :o)

        • Matthew Merrick

          I have about a dozen news websites/bIogs I visit. Yes, clicking through a bookmark is INCREDIBLY easy, , and actually gives me access to, Y’know, the internet, and not just a list of headlines that take me TO the internet. it’s a needless extra step

          • Eric

            Wha? Matthew, you’d rather be 14 times slower at something over and over again, instead of take 5 minutes to setup an RSS reader?

          • naduh

            I disagree with you. Having an rss reader saves me many steps. I am subscribed to at least 50 sites. Rather than cluttering my bookmark bar and going to each site individually several times a day, I go to one site that I can read the content from all 50 sites. Plus with the rss reader I use keeps track of all my unread articles so I don’t miss anything.

          • Dan

            50 sites… …checked several times a day… …not missing anything?

            Quite frankly, I think you are missing something.

          • alanb

            the internet != the web

          • bimsebasse

            OK, you haven’t tried Google Reader (or Feedly) as you misunderstand how they work, that’s fair enough – what I don’t understand is why, then, you pass judgment on something you haven’t tried and don’t know about?

            In Google Reader (and in Feedly and in similar readers) you get to read WHOLE articles and you get to read ALL added articles to whatever site you have added to your reader, without having to manually load any of the original sites themselves. You seem to be under the impression that a feed reader is some sort of headline service that links you to the original sites.

            It IS easy to click through 20+ websites in your bookmark folder and checking yourself if there are any new articles/posts since you last visited – it IS also undoubtedly and without discussion easier to open 1 page which automatically draws in all new content from all those 20+ sites.

          • Matthew Merrick

            That’s not what I’ve experienced with my admittedly limited (and desktop-only :P) experiences, but I’ll admit that i don’t competly get how it works. But you don’t get proper links, images, videos and comments, do you?

          • http://www.nixonvs.com/ Nixon Virtual Strategies

            You don’t need all that, Matthew. You DO get links but in your list, if there’s an article you’re interested in further, just click the link and read the rest.

            Nixon Virtual Strategies
            http://www.nixonvs.com

            The Power ofDelegation
            recognized by Forbes

          • http://www.nixonvs.com/ Nixon Virtual Strategies

            Enough said – you got it Brian!

            Nixon Virtual Strategies
            http://www.nixonvs.com

            The Power ofDelegation
            recognized by Forbes

    • saimin

      I read Phandroid via RSS. Would not have seen this article without it.

      • Bobby Phoenix

        I found this article by simply browsing the web from one of my bookmarks. No RSS needed. If you are relying on RSS you are missing a lot of other good articles I’m sure. I think it’s much better to hit every site daily to get my news. It’s just fun for me.

    • Bobby Phoenix

      I’m with you too. I like to browse full sites one by one. I like the content in full page view. To scroll from top to bottom of a website. It’s just more enjoyable to me that way.

      • alanb

        Some of us have, well, other things to do. So we can keep up to date on many sites easily using RSS. It’s just more enjoyable to me that way.

  • http://www.spoilertv.com DarkUFO

    Feedly by far. I’ve tested them all. It’s the closest to Reader and it has web/desktop and Android version that syncs.

    The developers are very active and making improvements all the time

    • PuzzledObserver

      Not true. Feedly is flashy, more oriented image & visual display. You’ll need a lot of scrolling go through the list. I have tried the 6 most reviewed news readers. Settled my choice on Reader (by Age of Mobile). The free version was convincing enough: concise, nice themes (especially darks). Efficient overall GUI. Just bought the pro version. Unfortunately Reader Pro still relies on Google Reader. Developers told me that by July they would have a solution to switch to another RSS service.

      • http://rhythmicnature.com/ Frank Fletcher

        Agreed. Feedly is overly flashy and it takes too long to pull the information from it. scroll scroll scroll and painful on the eyes in the long run.

        I want to see all the posts within an organized folder of 20 different feeds in chronological order. So I switch to Titles mode. I have a 1080 screen – Feedly uses less than half of the width. And less than a quarter when the annoying pop-up floating icons happen. Feedly = fail for me.

  • registeringwithdisqusisapain

    I’ve always used Feedly, never Google Reader, so it’s really not a replacement, more an alternative frontend that I’ve been using all along. Nice to see that Feedly is going to make sure I won’t even notice the change to the backend service.

  • http://twitter.com/Jeffers727 Jeffers

    netvibes. need to change the view/layout though

  • rivvie

    Tiny Tiny RSS. Dead simple, works great and I have full control.

    • Jaymoon

      The app still needs some work, but I’m loving Tiny Tiny RSS. Cleaner interface than Google Reader itself! o.O

  • Cédric

    “Other”. I’m still using Google Reader. :(

  • http://www.edwalsh.co.uk Ed Walsh

    I feel I am still homeless, I have a large lists in my RSs feeds that I have enjoyed a number of different widgets and apps on my Android phones and they all sync to Google as it was the standard. What now for all the 3rd party apps?

    • Chris Brown

      Feedly announced that they are building an API that will provide all the previous capabilities of the Google Reader API so app developers can use their service instead..but the development timeframe for both Feedly and mobile app developers is likely going to be very tight.

      Also, Digg announced that they are going to build a Google Reader replacement which will include an API. They’re making it a high priority project with all hands on-deck. I’m interested to see what they come up with.

      • http://rhythmicnature.com/ Frank Fletcher

        I hadn’t heard this and it’s great news to me! I use Press (not in the poll) as my current android rss reader – it’d be great to migrate it without hassle! (I used to use GReader Pro but it was a bit unstable and slow with the number of feeds I have and it didn’t handle certain webpages/articles well)

  • Aaron Douglas Charlong

    I mostly use Feedly. But I use Currents too a bit.

  • http://www.baldypal.com/ BaldyPal

    The feedly widget sticks compared to reader though. What RSS has a reader type widget? I thought scrollable news widget did. But it freezes.

  • http://twitter.com/craftingbelle Lisa West

    Bloglovin

  • Jolly Shields

    Taptu. If you haven’t tried it, you don’t know what you’re missing. Imports from Google reader, but is pure RSS, no replacement API required.

    • http://tvtechgirl.blogspot.com/ Sharon Seymour

      Taptu has no desktop version so it’s a non starter for me.

      Feedly is easily the best so far if you want mobile and desktop versions to e synced

  • http://twitter.com/seattlebruin13 seattlebruin

    Never used Google reader. I liked Taptu better.

  • Tom Scales

    If nothing else comes along I’ll use Feedly, but it is far from ideal

  • Sid Amos

    Switched to TinyTinyRSS.

  • oomfoofoo

    I tried a bunch of alternatives, but the only one that “feels” most like Google Reader is The Old Reader. Unfortunately they’re slow as molasses (I think it took over a week to import my feeds). If they ever beefed up their servers I would likely use them. I tried to use Feedly, I want to like them, but they just don’t offer a view that works as well as Google Reader. I don’t give a crap about a “magazine” view or something that looks all fancy.

    • http://rhythmicnature.com/ Frank Fletcher

      Agreed. I’m not sure why everybody likes Feedly. Neither the web app nor the android app are good interfaces for me – not enough data quick enough. Furthermore, the default font/boldness of the titles in list mode hurts my eyes. I have *many* feeds and hundreds of articles to sift through every day. I give myself about 30-45 minutes to do so. Google Reader with Reader Plus (https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/hhcknjkmaaeinhdjgimjnophgpbdgfmg) is the fastest way to do it I’ve found so far!

      I wish all these devs would stop trying to look beautiful and start trying to be functional!

      I’m still waiting for The Old Reader to sync me up – but it looks the best so far.

      • oomfoofoo

        Strangely enough after I made my post. The Old Reader is running a lot better. So much so that I’m trying to ween myself off of Google Reader and ‘force’ myself to The Old Reader. Still not sure what to do on the App front. I’ve used Mr. Reader on iOS as my chosen RSS reader but it relies on Google Reader. The developer is still “looking for alternatives to support”. I’ve never really found a good reader on Android.

        • http://rhythmicnature.com/ Frank Fletcher

          Thanks. Unfortunately, 4 days later there are still 27,468 users ahead of me in the import queue. I can’t say I’m impressed enough to recommend them yet.

    • http://www.nixonvs.com/ Nixon Virtual Strategies

      Thank you! My sentiments exactly. If I want all the “pretty” then I’ll click through and go to the site. What I want immediately is just a list of what’s new to see if anything is worth my full attention.

      Nixon Virtual Strategies
      http://www.nixonvs.com

      The Power ofDelegation
      recognized by Forbes

  • Elizabeth S.

    Press but I will miss GR

  • Splaktar

    Google+. If sites aren’t on it, they miss out.

    • Terrormaster

      Social media is bad choice for those of us who consume large amounts of feeds. And as a blogger it;’s not a very good option at all. This stems from the fact that social media hubs like Facebook, Google+, and Twitter are all push services. The blogger must actively choose to push their articles to those outlets. With RSS it’s a pull by subscription. For the blogger it’s out of site out of mind. They post their article on their blog and need to do nothing more. Their content is consumed via subscription. I find very few blogs who cross post ALL of their content to social media. RSS is king in my book.

  • serguma

    Opera integrated RSS reader

  • Cory Skelton

    I just downloaded the Google Reader app and now I’m sad I only can enjoy it for a couple of months, but I love Feedly and Flipboard.

  • SmileyNY1985

    Sparse RSS

  • Just an idea

    I’m using NewsBar. I like the desktop column and ability to hide read feeds. They are still working on a mobile app to synch with desktop client. If they can’t pull it off I have Feedly as the trusty “plan B”.

  • eclipsenyou

    I haven’t tried Freely yet, but I really like the look and layout of Flipboard.

  • DarrenR

    Im already using flipboard, but it doesnt really do what I want. I love that if I read an article on Chrome, then it doesnt show on my phone. Does anything else do that? Please help me!

  • http://bit.ly/ardchoille42 Ian MacGregor

    I’ve been using Taptu for a week and it’s quite nice. They have an android app and a web interface.

  • Harry

    NETVIBES!

  • akadl

    I use ‘goodnews’ under android.

  • http://iron2000.blogspot.com/ iron2000

    Never needed a replacement as I wasn’t really using GReader :P
    Have been using Netvibes and Feedly.

  • http://sexoffenderissues.blogspot.com/ Sex Offender Issues

    I’d prefer to use a web based solution, but if I had to use an application to read feeds, it would be:

    http://www.feedreader.com/screenshots.php

    But I personally like “The Old Reader,” then “Feedly,” but each have their draw backs. Feedly is great, but if you use a desktop PC with 1024 x 768 resolution, then the sidebar menu doesn’t show all the time, which is one thing stopping me from using it.

  • Unorthodox

    FIrst three choices are my option.

  • http://twitter.com/jmhnet jmhnet

    Netvibes. Used to use it as a portal a while ago, then found out it could be a pretty decent Reader replacement.

  • MadAirUT

    I have about 3000 starred articles in Google Reader that I search all the time to quote from. Feedly imported them as saved articles, but it doesn’t have a way to search them like Reader. Is there another RSS reader that lets you save/star/flag articles, then search the articles you have saved/starred/flagged?

    • http://raydarken.tumblr.com/ Ray Darken

      getpocket.com lets you search articles however I think you’d have to move the articles manually that you already have. For future articles you could use IFTTT.com however that would take a bit of work to set up as well. Highly worth it in the end IMO.

  • Attila Nagy

    Tried a number of reader apps and found Taptu to be the best.

  • feztheforeigner

    Just go to the websites (I know it’s not always ideal but it’s what I prefer)

    • BusterNaeslund

      About as far from ideal as you could get actually. I’ve got 50+ subs that I read regularly. The whole point in using reader is to not have to go to all the sites.

  • saimin

    Old Reader does not have an Android app.
    NewsBlur is $24/year if you have more than 64 feeds (I have hundreds).

  • Andy Long

    Switched to feedly for my Google reader feeds. But I’ve always been a huge fan of pulse for general daily news. Google currents can’t come close. They should definitely kill that one off!

  • fredphoesh

    iGoogle is still working… my news reader of choice by far… really bummed that is getting killed!

  • http://twitter.com/Droid_soldier Paul Devey

    On my phone I use press, but on my computer I use feedly. I started using it before the news that reader would be killed off.

  • Croak

    I haven’t used an RSS feed this decade, I think last time I regularly used a RSS service was back when it was the new hotness back in the mid-2000′s.

    Ended up just using synced bookmarks across my devices since the things in my feed were almost always sites I visited regularly, and about that same time content publishers were “twitterizing” feeds requiring you to click through to read the full article anyway.

    So Reader dying doesn’t affect me at all.

    Should also mention if they shut down Facebook and Twitter tomorrow, it would have no impact on my life either. :)

  • Eko Prasetyo

    So far Feedly is the one that feels like the next evolution of Reader…

  • mavis d. snow

    uptil I looked at the check which said $9296, I didnt
    believe …that…my mom in-law woz like actualey making money part time from
    there new laptop.. there friend brother haz done this for only 1 year and
    resantly cleard the morgage on there mini mansion and got a top of the range
    Buick. go to, jump15.comCHECK IT OUT

  • http://samwouters.eu/ sam wouters

    I’m still looking for a replacement for google reader that fits me best. I have not yet a great replacement found, but at this moment I feel good with Feedly and also sometimes with Google Currents. But Currents needs a lot of work.

  • danix180

    Taptu….and next would be Current

    Believe me.. I’ve tried them all.

  • MK2

    Currents.

    • Dan

      Me too.

      Although I have a few sites I look at through Currents and a few I prefer to just go to the actual site.

  • http://www.vgbetas.com/ Pace

    where is the poll?

  • Chris A

    RSSDemon

  • ShaunOfTheLive

    Been using Netvibes ever since it was announced that iGoogle is being retired.

  • http://www.nixonvs.com/ Nixon Virtual Strategies

    I really do not know yet. I thought Pulse.me was going to be the answer but here we go again with the magazine style pics and big boxes. I just need a LIST of my FEEDS. Some things benefit from all that – but a news reader where I am just culling info doesn’t need all that. Uggggh! I just tweeted Pulse about my dissatisfaction.

    I use my feeds to stay on top of content for clients, for blogs, etc. that don’t need to fill my inbox all day long and that I can check when I want to.

    Nixon Virtual Strategies
    http://www.nixonvs.com

    The Power of Delegation
    recognized by Forbes
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