RSS Readers are great no matter if you only keep up with a few news feeds and blogs, or if you routinely scan through hundreds of them. They also come in a variety of flavors: Online, Windows or Mac-based, and Mobile.
Which reader is right for you? It really depends on how you like your news served. Online readers excel at bringing you a few feeds in a nice format, but don't provide the deep features of application-based readers. And mobile readers let you bring your feeds with you so that you can read the news on the train into work without the need for an Internet connection.
Online RSS Readers
A great way to get your news or read your favorite blogs without having to worry about software upgrades, online readers also let you brows your RSS feeds from any computer.
- Bloglines. An online reader with some good features, Bloglines lets you view feeds in multiple ways so you can get the information the way you want it. The easy-to-use drag and drop interface still has a few rough spots, but still shines above most other online offerings.
- Newsgator. Doesn't offer as many features as other readers, which can be a good thing if you don't need all the extras. Very easy to use and the ability to drag and drop feeds into folders makes organizing your feeds a snap.
- Google Reader. Though quirky in some areas like how you create new folders, Google Reader is a solid RSS reader with some nice features such as the ability to mark articles as read while you read them based on actually scrolling to the article.
- MyYahoo. Surprisingly enough, MyYahoo is one of the most popular online RSS readers despite being a personalized start page rather than a true RSS reader. And, so long as you only need to keep up with a few feeds, MyYahoo can be a great RSS reader. But once you fill up a couple of tabs, it might be time to move on to a true reader.
Windows RSS Readers
Windows RSS readers stand out for their ability to deal with a multitude of feeds and search keywords across feeds. Unlike their online counterparts, you can use these readers even when not connected to the Internet.
- Newzcrawler. A very feature RSS reader with a lot of options and very customizable. Great for the experienced RSS reader. Somewhat confusing to use at first, so not the best reader for someone just getting started with RSS feeds.
- FeedDemon. Not as feature rich as some RSS readers, but very easy to use. It's basically a windows front-end to the Newsgator web-based RSS reader. Great for beginners.
- Omea Reader. Allows you to organize websites, contacts and notes as well as feeds, and the pro version (also free) adds files, instant messages, email and more to the list. While not difficult to use, the user interface could be better. As it stands, it can take a new user a little bit to figure out how to use it.
- Sharpreader. Light on the features, Sharpreader is a solid RSS reader for those not needing much out of their reader, but it's unintuitive interface can be confusing at first.
Mac RSS Readers
Like their Windows counterparts, Mac RSS readers give you the flexibility of reading your news offline and offer greater control over the customization of your feeds.
- NetNewsWire. The Mac version of the Newsgator suite of RSS readers, this great reader will let you sync up with your other Newsgator products and their web-based reader. It also offers the ability to save clippings as HTML files and view them later.
- Newsfire. This dynamic Mac reader supports smart feeds that let you organize your feeds by whatever criteria you want. It also includes an intelligent search and del.icio.us integration.
- Shrook. A next-generation news reader, Shrook supports synchronization among multiple clients by storing your RSS feeds online, and delivers new content within five minutes of it being posted.
- Cyndicate. This easy-to-use RSS reader supports style sheets and allows a great level of customization on how you organize your news.
Windows Mobile RSS Readers
The Mobile RSS market continues to heat up as more and more people begin taking their news with them.
- Newsgator Go. The Windows Mobile reader for the Newsgator suite of RSS readers, this is a stand-alone application, not just a mobile website. Newsgator Go syncs up with your other Newsgator products, whether you like to browse your feeds through their web-based reader, or from your Outlook inbox.
- NewsBreak. Numerous awards mark Newsbreak as a great Windows Mobile reader. Featuring the ability to listen to podcasts, watch vidcasts, and set up specialized alerts, it makes a great addition to your Pocket PC or Smartphone library.
- Spb Insight. Insight is a great Pocket PC reader that offers full RSS/Atom support. It was recently a finalist for Smartphone and Pocket PC's Best Software Award for news readers.
- PocketRSS. This Pocket PC reader can be used as a Today screen plugin or a stand-alone application. After downloading the articles, it stores them for offline reading, so it can be a great reader if you hook up to your wireless network at home but don't pay for a data plan.
