Sustainable Substitutes for Feedly

A Feed Reader built on Big Tech infrastructure.

Reasons to avoid Feedly

Feedly’s reliance on Big Tech infrastructure, lack of transparency in its algorithms, and privacy concerns make it a product that reinforces the power of large corporations while offering users little control over their data. Additionally, its AI bloat and potential role in spreading misinformation raise ethical concerns.

Consider choosing a more ethical, transparent, and sustainable alternative for your RSS needs.

Ethical and Sustainable Feedly Alternatives

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  • Feasibility: How easily can the average user switch to this substitute? Higher feasibility results in a higher ranking.
  • Editor's Rating: How sustainable is the substitute? The more sustainability attributes it fulfils, the higher it is ranked.

FreshRSS

A self-hostable, free and open-source news aggregator for RSS and Atom feeds.

FreshRSS originated in France.
FreshRSS is completely ad-free, as it is a self-hosted, open-source project with no built-in advertising.
FreshRSS is open-source, with its source code publicly available on GitHub.
FreshRSS is privacy-friendly because it is self-hosted.
No registration is required to use FreshRSS if you self-host it, as you control access to your own instance. Feeder also supports anonymous logins.
FreshRSS is free of charge, with no licensing fees or mandatory payments for the core software.
FreshRSS supports a modular design through its extension system, allowing users to add or remove features as needed.
Website
feeder logo

Feeder

A free and open-source Android news aggregation app for RSS and Atom feeds.

Feeder was created by a Swedish developer.
Feeder is completely ad-free, as it is a free, open-source app with no built-in advertising.
Feeder is open-source, with its source code available on GitHub under the GPLv3 license.
Feeder is privacy-friendly because it runs locally on your device, does not sync with remote backends, and does not require any account registration, ensuring your data remains private
Feeder does not require any account registration or sync with remote backends.
Feeder is free to use, with no mandatory payments or subscriptions for the core app.
Website

The 4 main issues with Feedly

AI Bloat - Service has unnecessary or harmful AI features.

Feedly’s introduction of AI-driven features, such as its AI search assistant, adds unnecessary complexity and energy use, contributing to the trend of AI bloat. Source: WIRED: The 5 Best RSS Feeders (2023): Feedly, Inoreader, and Tips

Reliance on Big Tech - Services relying on Big Tech for their infrastructure.

Feedly initially depended on Google Reader’s backend to power its product, highlighting its reliance on Big Tech infrastructure. Source: WIRED: With Google Reader Nearly Dead, Feedly Launches Its Own Cloud Platform (2013)

Privacy Concerns - User data is likely to be stored and used against users' best interest.

Feedly faced backlash for its decision to allow Google to more deeply mine user data on its service without prior warning, raising privacy concerns. Source: The Register: Feedly gets Greedly: Users suddenly HAVE TO create a Google+ account (2013)

Lack of Transparency - Opacity in operations, data handling, or supply chains, making it difficult for users to understand practices.

Feedly’s co-founder acknowledged that black-box algorithms lack transparency, leaving users feeling out of control over how content is curated. Source: WIRED: RSS Readers Are Due for a Comeback: Feedly, The Old Reader, Inoreader (2023)

Suggestions and Feedback

If you have suggestions for more alternatives or general feedback, please contact me via email or create an issue over on Codeberg. Suggest Substitute on Codeberg Write an Email