I’ve been using Google Reader for some years and was gob-smacked to discover that Google will discontinue this service in July. I have had a look at some Google Reader alternatives but have not yet decided on one.
As well as using the reader to follow my favorite blogs and interesting sites I get all my Google alerts delivered to it. I prefer this to having the alerts arrive into my email box so I am also looking for a reader that will let me continue with this.
I use the reader to keep track of the blogs that I have chosen for their rank and traffic so I can be one of the first to comment on a new post to help generate traffic to this blog for The Quick Start Challenge as well as the Turn £100 into $2000 Challenge .
I’ve looked at countless sites to get the lowdown on alternatives and there are plenty of them but here’s my shortlist:
NewsBlur – One of the most popular alternatives to Google Reader since it has so many feature similar to it. Both have almost the same interface but NewsBlur has several features that can make reading more user-friendly like its ability to switch from its interface to original view which is the way sites are seen as a web page.
You may also love its on-the-go feature as you view your favorite blogs through an Android app, through your iPad or your iPhone. NewsBlur offers a free account where you are allowed to read 64 blogs, follow 10 stories in one access and pubic sharing features.
If this is not enough for you, you can choose to pay for a Premium package for only $24 a year. With a Premium account, you can access as many blogs as you like, read as many stories as you want and share publicly as well.
The Old Reader – This service is one of the possible alternatives to Google Reader even though it is still in beta stage. The reason? This site has a lot of features and tools that you can use to share and organize the blogs and stories that you follow.
It looks just like Reader but has a lot of differences as well; you also have the ability to import all your feeds from Google Reader to The Old Reader as well as instant subscription to new feeds. This service is free but the one drawback is that there are no mobile apps yet to enjoy your favorites through your mobile device.
Feedly – Many bloggers are opting for this one but others are saying they are finding it too complicated and confusing. This puts me off straight away as I don’t like complicated.
Feedly has grown and changed over the years and possibly the most noticeable changes are that you can save more stories than ever so that you can read or view them later and you can also choose to share them through social sites. You can also read news and stories according to your preference.
Currently Feedly is in the process of creating a seamless transition of your favorite stories and blogs from Google Reader. Best of all, Feedly has a mobile application so you can use your mobile device as a reader or you can use its handy browser extension and add-ons for popular web browsers like Chrome, Firefox and Safari.
There are many more contenders for Google Reader alternatives but at the end of the day it comes down to personal preference. Have you been using Google Reader? If so and have already found a good alternative then please leave a comment to share it with my readers.
Hi Sandy,
What a bummer that the service is being removed. It is a great list that you provided us with. I have heard of Feedley but not of the other ones. I am going to explore them.
For now I have set up a separate email address for the feeds I want to receive.
Thanks for sharing,
Dita
Hi Dita,
Yes, I hate change. Once I get used to using something I hate having to learn how to use something new. Must be getting old and set in my ways!
I think I will try The Old Reader as it is very similar to Google Reader and see how it goes. I don’t have a smart phone so don’t need the aps.
Take care
Sandy
Hey Sandy,
Thanks for the lowdown on those alternatives. I’ve never used Google Reader so it won’t be any kind of loss to me. I do realise that I should be utilising RSS though, so it’s good to know of a few recommended alternatives, thanks 🙂
It appears I’m the only stranger in Jerusalem. I don’t even know Google reader works.
If you’ve never used it Kabenlah, I guess you won’t miss it.
It was a great tool for keeping up to date with what is going on and your favorite blogs without it clogging up your email inbox. You might want to try one of the alternative services.
Sandy