Top 7 Free Windows RSS Feed Readers/News Aggregators

Browse news in an organized fashion on your Windows computer

By
Heinz Tschabitscher
Heinz Tschabitscher
Heinz Tschabitscher
Writer
  • University of Vienna
A former freelance contributor who has reviewed hundreds of email programs and services since 1997.
lifewire's editorial guidelines
Updated on July 2, 2021
Windows

RSS feed readers offer an efficient way to follow​ the news, websites, software updates, newsletters, blogs, and more. Many have strong search capabilities and custom organizational features. Many of the best news aggregators for Windows are free.

01
of 07

Awasu Personal Edition

Awasu program interface.
What We Like

  • Integrated search engine streamlines finding new content.

  • Easy to edit folders and add custom channels.

What We Don't Like

  • Free version is limited.

  • Not the fastest RSS feeder.

  • Dated interface.

Awasu Personal Edition is a free feature-rich RSS feed reader with a modern and customizable user interface. The option to enhance it with plugins and hooks makes Awasu a powerful aggregator. Use this reader to manage podcasts and sync with other feed readers.

The personal edition allows up to 100 feeds and checks them once an hour. (Awasu offers other paid products with unlimited feeds.)

02
of 07

Omea Reader

Omea Reader interface.
What We Like

  • Comes with a bookmark manager.

  • Can edit the source code.

What We Don't Like

  • Hasn't been updated in a long time.

  • Outdated plugins.

Omea Reader is a free RSS reader and newsgroup aggregator that makes staying up to date with RSS feeds, NNTP news, and web bookmarks a smooth experience tailored to your reading style and organizing talent.

Use search folders, annotations, categories, and workspaces to organize information, and enjoy the fast desktop search.

03
of 07

Feedly

Feedly webpage.
What We Like

  • Highly customizable.

  • Easy to share feeds and curate articles.

What We Don't Like

  • Only works in web browsers.

  • The paid version isn't worth the money.

Feedly is the most popular web RSS feed reader. Its beautiful interface adds photos to the reader experience. It is useful for more than RSS feeds. You can also use it to keep up with your YouTube channel, favorite publications, and blogs.

The Basic version of Feedly is free. It includes up to 100 sources, three feeds, and three boards. It is accessible on Windows and Mac computers over the web and on Android and iOS mobile device apps.

04
of 07

RSSOwl

RSSOwl program interface.
What We Like

  • Impressive number of features for a free tool.

  • Assign keywords to entries to simplify searches.

  • Useful tutorial helps familiarize you with interface.

What We Don't Like

  • Looks like a Windows XP application.

  • Can't sync with Feedly or similar services.

  • Requires JAVA Runtime Environment.

The RSSOwl free feed reader automates common actions on news items. This cross-platform application offers an instant search feature, and search results can be saved and used as feeds. Notifications, labels, and news bins make it easy to keep up to date and stay organized with what's going on. Use RSSOwl to subscribe to all your news feeds and organize them any way you want.

05
of 07

SharpReader

SharpReader program interface.
What We Like

  • Integrates with Feedster.

  • Organize feeds into folders.

What We Don't Like

  • Doesn't automatically organize your news.

  • No option to flag or label entries.

SharpReader is an RSS feed reader and aggregator for Windows that makes it easy to organize news and blogs in their logical order to make following them simple. It offers advanced threading and custom categories. Its refresh rate can be set per feed or per category.

Sharp Reader supports proxy servers and proxy authentication.

06
of 07

NewsBlur

NewsBlur web interface.
What We Like

  • Web and mobile versions available.

  • Reasonably priced premium plan.

What We Don't Like

  • The free plan is somewhat limited.

  • Cluttered interface is difficult to customize.

NewsBlur offers real-time RSS. Stories are pushed directly to you, so you can read the news as it comes in on the beautifully designed web interface. NewsBlur is free on the web, where it can be accessed by Windows and Mac computers and with Android and iOS mobile apps.

The free account supports up to 64 sites. However, for folders, you must upgrade to a premium account. 

07
of 07

RSS Bandit

RSS Bandit program interface.
What We Like

  • Windows 10 version is an improvement over the older version.

What We Don't Like

  • No search functionality.

  • Hasn't been updated in some time.

RSS Bandit is a capable feed reader that lets you browse news in an organized fashion. Its flexibility, virtual folders, and synchronization abilities are good, but it would be even better if it integrated with other online RSS news feed readers.

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