9 Google Reader Alternatives

Google Reader is going bye-bye. I almost thought it was a hoax when I first heard the news. To say that I rely on Google Reader is an understatement. With over a thousand blogs on my reader, it's a necessity.

Fortunately, Google is giving us until July to find a replacement.

Here are some alternatives for you to consider.

Feedly is a popular reader and is free. It can be loaded as an app or an extension to your browser.

Flipboard is an app for your tablets and phones. Free for iPad, iPhone, Android, Nook, and Kindle Fire.

Feed Demon is an RSS reader for Windows. It allows you to tag, use keywords, and alerts you to the keywords you've programmed into it.

RSS Owl is another reader that can be synchronized from Google Reader. To me, it looks too much like Outlook. I already get some blog feeds through Outlook so I'm not sure this is the one for me.

Feed Booster is a web-based feed reader. Unlike the others listed here, it could've done a better job presenting what it offered. Probably not for me.

NetVibes looks interesting. It seems to have an awful lot of options and is customizable. It's going on my list.

Pulse, another web-based reader. This looks easy to learn, so it's on my list to try.

The Old Reader is a bare-bones RSS feed that is supposed to be very much like the Google Reader we know and love. I will definitely try this out if only so I don't have to learn something new.

Subscribe by Email: Probably the most fool-proof of all the readers. You sign up and the post comes directly to your email. If you want to subscribe to my blog, the subscription tab is directly to your right.

No matter which route you decide to take, be sure to download all your Google data with Google Takeout. It archives all your information in one neat little package.

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So, how do you read blogs? Do you click on them one at a time from your bookmarks, subscribe by email, or do you use a Reader?  Will losing Google Reader affect you?

I am very upset at losing Google Reader. It's possible my blog reading will diminish if I don't find a suitable (and easy-to-learn) alternative.






Comments

Unknown said…
Bloglovin' is also an alternate, one that I went with. It has a beautiful interface. However, there is no way to view your followers.
Maria Zannini said…
Diane: Thanks for the rec. I will check it out.
Unknown said…
I use NetNewsWire on my Mac. I don't read blogs on my Android phone.

(However, at one time I sought a way to do so, and to synchronize reading on the two devices. I found that using Google Reader on the back-end was the only way to do so, and it only worked some of the time. I don't know what service NetNewsWire and similar apps will use in future.)

-TimK
Jennifer Shirk said…
This is good info. I've been wondering what I should do. I love Google reader. WAH.
LD Masterson said…
Of course, I finally got Google Reader set up just the way I want it. Argh. Thanks for the leads on alternatives.
Maria Zannini said…
Tim: Thanks for reminding me about the compatibility issue between computer and iphones. I read blogs off my phone a lot and that will be an issue for me. Thanks!
Maria Zannini said…
Jennifer: It is a huge inconvenience for me, but whatcha gonna do?


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Linda: I imagine there will be a lot of blogs deleted from any future reader as I clean house. --at least until I feel comfortable with the new reader.
Stacy McKitrick said…
Losing Google Reader will not affect me (but then, you probably already knew that, huh?). Yeah, I'm the crazy one who clicks on the blogs I have listed on my own blog (it was the only way I knew - at the time - how to keep track of them all). I just don't use my phone for blogs and my e-mail is clogged enough with all the loops I belong to.
Sarah Ahiers said…
I have so many starred posts on google reader. It's going to be a pita to move them or save them.
Let us know how your trials of some of those readers work for you!
Jenny Schwartz said…
I just read your blog post on Feedly. It's not too bad. Though I hate change :)
Anonymous said…
I was really pissed about losing Reader. I've gone with Netvibes. It seems to work fine, as I get the hang of it. I like having all my blogs' latest posts in one place. It helps me not miss anyone.
Maria Zannini said…
Stacy: I don't know how I ended up with so many blogs on my Reader. Even if I deleted half of them it would still be too much to keep track of by clicking each link.
Maria Zannini said…
Sarah: Finding a reader that lets me save certain posts is something I'm going to look for specifically. There are too many posts I like to reference and saving them is ideal.
Maria Zannini said…
Jenny: Feedly is on my list to try. I'm also interested in Old Reader. If the interface is the same as Google, I'm more apt to use it.

Maria Zannini said…
Marlene: I should've snapped to the inevitable when I noticed Google Reader having the occasional glitch. I learned recently that they knew about the glitches and didn't bother fixing them. Now I know why.
Shelley Munro said…
Ah, perfect timing. I've been pondering this problem for the last few days since I use Google Reader a lot. I'm still in pondering mode.

I already use Flipboard, but it gets transferred from Google Reader, so I need to investigate further.
Sue Guiney said…
Ugh! I had no idea, and can't imagine keeping up with my blogs without Reader. Why, oh why, are they doing this? Thanks so much, not only for alerting us, but also for researching the alternatives1
Melissa McClone said…
I had no idea about google reader. That's what I use and more importantly know how to use!
Mike Keyton said…
I'm confused. Yes, I know that will surprise you. But I go on to dashboard, and to the left there's a column called 'Reading List.' So, at the risk of confirming I'm a moron - is that Google reader they're getting rid of?
Maria Zannini said…
Shelley: I'm going to need a nice quiet weekend to try out my top three favorites and try them on for size. I'm glad they're giving us until July.
Maria Zannini said…
Sue: The word on the street is that Google couldn't find an equitable way to monetize Reader so instead they want to trash can it.

It always comes down to money I guess.
Maria Zannini said…
Melissa: Google Reader has been my only source of blog reading so it comes as a great sacrifice for me.
Maria Zannini said…
Mike: You're reading off the "follower" list which is not always comprehensive because I think it limits who and how many you can follow.

Google Reader is a dedicated RSS feed that filters into one convenient web space. It lets me save favorite posts, tag, search, and filter.

Since you've never used it, it probably won't seem like a great tragedy to you. But who knows how long they'll keep the 'reading list' alive too? One never knows. :)
Carol Kilgore said…
I've marked some of these to look at. Thanks.
I like to visit them individually. Feels like I'm getting out of the house.
This is on my list to organize.
Anne Gallagher said…
Okay call me Ishmael, but when I clicked on The Old Reader from your blog, it brought me to someplace called Pulse. Is that right? It seems too citified for me if that is the case. I'm going to check out Feedly now.
Maria Zannini said…
Carol: Let us know what you decide to use.


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Barbara: LOL. I prefer to stay home. That's too many clicks for the blogs I follow.

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Susan: I'm waiting for a nice quiet Sunday so I can take them for a test drive.
Maria Zannini said…
Anne: My fault. When I copied and pasted the links, "The Old Reader" didn't take and it picked up the url of the previous link.

It should be right now.
Gwen Gardner said…
Wow, thanks for all the links, Maria. For the most part, I just click on the comment link to return visits. Not really sure how to use Google Reader, lol!
Maria Zannini said…
Gwen: I read more than I comment so unfortunately, I can't rely on that.

So many of the blogs I follow are for business or informational purposes rather than for relationships.
Dru said…
I've been playing with Feedly and so far I like it.
Maria Zannini said…
Dru: Good to know. I was hoping to experiment with them this weekend but too much came up at once. Maybe next weekend.