Best Free RSS Readers in 2026
What "free" means
First published April 2026. Updated October 2026 with current competitor plans and SereneReader's native apps.
RSS readers define "free" differently. Some have a free plan with a feed limit. Some are free software you run on your own server. Some are free for a trial and then charge. Comparing feed counts alone hides what you notice day to day: whether search works, whether there are ads, which devices you can use, and whether there's a real app for your phone.
We built SereneReader, so we aren't neutral. We've described each free plan as its maker does, as of October 2026, and noted where we're relying on third-party sources.
Here are five readers with a free option. If you want paid plans too, see best RSS readers in 2026.
The free plans, compared
| Feeds | Search | Ads | Apps | Catch | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SereneReader | 150 | Yes | No | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, web | No Android app |
| Inoreader | 150 | Yes | No | iPhone, iPad, Android, web | Rules, monitoring and newsletters are on Pro |
| Feedly | 100 (3 folders) | No | Sponsored posts | iPhone, iPad, Android, web | No search |
| The Old Reader | 100 (reported) | No | Reportedly yes | Web, third-party apps | Search is Premium-only |
| Miniflux | Unlimited | Yes | No | Web app (PWA), third-party apps | You host it yourself |
Feedbin isn't on this list because it has no free plan. It costs $7/month or $70/year after a 30-day trial that doesn't need a card.
1. SereneReader Free: 150 feeds, search included
SereneReader's Free plan includes 150 feeds, article search (titles, excerpts and authors), focus mode (press f to hide the sidebar and article list), keyboard shortcuts, OPML import and export, and the Jade Night theme. Articles are kept for 90 days, and so are saved ones (starred, Read Later or filed in a folder). There are no ads or upsell pop-ups. The only plan notice is a dismissible banner that appears once you've used 80% of your feed limit.
The same account works in the browser and in the native apps for iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch, with no device limit and no credit card. The Watch app is a companion to the iPhone app; we describe it in reading RSS on Apple Watch.
The main gap is Android. We don't make an Android app, so on an Android phone, Inoreader or Feedly is the free option you can install. SereneReader also reads RSS and Atom only, without newsletters, YouTube or social feeds. Pro ($5/month on the web, $6.99/month in the App Store) adds 250 feeds, all themes, the API, and 180-day retention for saved articles.
2. Inoreader Free: 150 feeds, search, no ads
Inoreader's free plan includes 150 RSS feeds and search, with apps for iPhone, iPad and Android. It has no ads; Inoreader removed them from the free plan in October 2024. On a Mac you use the website.
Inoreader is built for power users, with many keyboard shortcuts and a dense interface. Rules, filters, social feeds, web-page monitoring, newsletters, its AI features (Intelligence) and the API are on Pro, which costs $7.50/month billed annually ($89.99/year) or $9.99 month to month and raises the limit to 2,500 feeds.
On the free plan, Inoreader and SereneReader match on feed count, and both include search without ads. The differences are platforms (Inoreader has Android; SereneReader has Mac and Apple Watch apps) and how much is on screen.
3. Feedly Free: 100 feeds, no search
Feedly's free plan includes 100 feeds in up to 3 folders, apps for iPhone, iPad and Android, and keyboard shortcuts on the web. Search needs a paid plan, and the free plan shows sponsored posts. Feedly has no Mac app; on a Mac you use the website.
Paid plans are billed annually on the web: Pro is $6/month (1,000 feeds) and Pro+ is $12/month (2,500 feeds), and Feedly AI comes with Pro+. The free plan works if you follow a modest number of sources and don't need search. The 3-folder limit matters if you organize feeds by topic.
4. The Old Reader Free: social reading
The Old Reader doesn't publish its plans on its website. Third-party sources (as of September 2026) describe a free plan with up to 100 feeds, no search and ads, and a Premium plan at about $3/month or $30/year with 500 feeds, search and a year of article storage.
It's the only reader on this list with social features: you can follow friends, like and comment on items, and share folders, much like the original Google Reader. It's web-only. There's no official mobile app, but third-party apps can sync through its API.
5. Miniflux: free if you self-host
Miniflux is free, open-source software (Apache 2.0) that you run on your own server with PostgreSQL. You get unlimited feeds, full-text search, keyboard shortcuts, full-content fetching for feeds that only publish a summary, 25+ integrations, and privacy features such as tracker removal, media proxying and referrer blocking. One installation can host several user accounts.
Running it means handling deployment, updates, backups and security yourself. If you'd rather not, the hosted service is $15/year after a 15-day trial, the cheapest paid option in this comparison. Hosted accounts delete unread items after 60 days and read items after 30.
Miniflux is a web app you can install on your phone's home screen (a PWA), and third-party apps can sync through its Fever, Google Reader and REST APIs. There's no Apple Watch app.
How we compared
Feed limits are the number most landing pages lead with, but they say little about a free plan on their own. We looked at four questions:
- Can you search old articles without paying?
- Are there ads in the reading view?
- Are there apps for the devices you already own?
- What's held back until you pay?
We left out lifetime deals, apps that are no longer maintained, and free apps that need a paid sync service. We also left our own Pro plan out when describing SereneReader's free plan.
Which free plan should you choose?
- Apple devices and the web, one account: SereneReader. Start on the web or get the app.
- An Android phone, or a household with both Android and iPhone: Inoreader.
- You already use Feedly and don't need search: Feedly.
- Social reading with friends: The Old Reader.
- Unlimited feeds and full control, if you can run a server: Miniflux, or its $15/year hosted service.
- You wanted Feedbin for free: there's no free plan. Use the 30-day trial or pick one of the five above.
For more detail, see the compare pages and the paid 2026 roundup. To move your feeds, see how to switch RSS readers.
Competitor plans and prices as of October 2026, from each product's website. The Old Reader doesn't publish its plans, so its figures come from third-party sources. Check each site before you sign up.