Best Free RSS Reader-Aggregator

Interim notes on migrating feed subscriptions from Google Reader:

Google Reader was swept up in "Spring Cleaning this year at Google. Several feed readers currently use the Reader API to sync subscriptions between computers and portable devices. They will be left high and dry unless another API is made available to fill the gap. You should export your feed subscriptions from Google Reader now if you don't do something else.

Feedly was already working on their own backend server, and they say that Feedly will switch over to it seamlessly when the API is shuttered at Google. They may decide to make their API available to other readers. We're in a wait-and-see mode for readers that depended on Google Reader for sync.

RSSOwl issued a note note about the need to install the an older version - RSSOwl 2.1.6 - before you can import feeds from Google Reader. After the import you can easily update to RSSOwl 2.2 (or later) and continue the migration by selecting Tools > Unsubscribe from Google Reader. I don't know if you can use an OPML file exported from Google Reader as an alternative.

FeedDemon: Nick Bradbury intends to release one final version of FeedDemon that eliminates synchronization with Google Reader. "This version will be free, won't contain any ads, and will have all of the features of the Pro version."

There are many ways to aggregate and read feeds.

1. Desktop readers: [Wikipedia] Many users prefer these desktop programs, which couple an integral browser (usually the IE engine) with feed management. The result is a complete, reader-centric workspace, which can be quite powerful. [why use a desktop reader]
2. Web-based readers: Web-based feed readers compete on a par with desktop feed readers. A good one produces a powerful browser-centric workspace, which I find gives me better work flow than a desktop reader.
3. All major browsers, Including Opera, and many email clients, for example Thunderbird and Windows Live Mail, now have built-in feed reading. There are also many add-ons/extensions which enhance their native capability. See more on them in Related Products and Links below.
4. NewsBlur is a versatile new web-based feed reader that I like very much. There are web-apps in the works or NewsBlur..
5. Feedly is a feed reader for the 21st Century. It's available as an extension / add-on for all major browsers, and there are web-apps for iPhone and iPad. It has steadily improved since it was announced. Feedly uses Google Reader for sync, but they are developing their own backend server. See more on these and other readers in Related Products and Links below.
6. Some people just want a simple notifier to let them know when a new post has arrived. Feed Notifier is a nice example that you can use for some or all of the feeds you're following.
7. Some feeds include audio or video attachments and work best with podcast and vidcast readers.
8. Web-apps for smart phones and tablets.

The "best" feed reader is a matter of individual preference, or even personal taste. There are many good ones. Most of them, including the best, are free like browsers. The one that matches the way you want to work is best for you. :-)

No matter which reader you choose, it should give you some way to back up your feeds, preferably as an OPML file. You may also be able to use your OPML file to move to another reader, although the formats may not be compatible.

Notice: Google announced that Google Reader was swept up in their 2013 "Spring Cleaning." Many feed readers currently use the Reader API to sync subscriptions and post read status between computers and also portable devices. They will all be left high and dry unless another API is made available by some as yet unknown entity that leaps in to fill the gap.

FeedDemon:  A powerful, time-proven program with a well thought out user interface. It can be intimidating to new RSS users, but most are able learn to use FeedDemon fairly quickly, and it has an excellent help facility. FeedDemon integrates seamlessly with Google Reader, so you have great synchronism between devices, as well as access to the best of desktop and web-based readers.

You can subscribe to feeds and manage them in either FeedDemon or Google Reader. You can  subscribe to audio podcasts and play them directly from FeedDemon as well. The Pro version of FeedDemon also handles secure feeds (those that require a username and password).

Update: FeedDemon will revert to one last, free, non-synced, pro version.

"FeedDemon requires Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7, with Internet Explorer 7 or later installed."

It's been running fine for me on Windows 8 too.

RSSOwl: Compares very favorably with FeedDemon. They both have powerful ways to manage feeds, and several viewing options. RSSOwl's options seem more versatile. It's not obvious how to find and set up just the combination of options you want for either one though. I like to view just a list of feed posts in the reader, and open the ones that catch my eye directly in Firefox. That combination is not easy to set up, but it's possible to get just what I want in both. I like the resulting view in RSSOwl a little better, but there are many other viewing modes that I haven't evaluated. RSSOwl easily imports existing feeds from other readers.

"RSS Owl is a powerful application to organize, search and read your news feeds in a comfortable way. It runs cross platform on Windows, Linux and Mac and can also be installed into Eclipse. RSS Owl is translated into the popular languages of the world.

"Some of the unique highlights are google reader synchronization, tabbed reading, powerful searches that can be saved, news filters with automated actions, embedded browser and newspaper layout, tray notifications, clean-up wizard and powerful user customization.

"RSSOwl requires no installation (but it does require Java) Simply start it with a doubleclick and find a large list of sample feeds already provided. For your convenience, an installer is provided on Windows. On Linux, you can obtain RSSOwl from the online repository (http://www.rssowl.org)."

FeedReader is a simple, straightforward program that easily handles a large number of feeds. FeedReader is not as powerful as FeedDemon but it has most of the important options, and not a lot of confusing ones. It does not require Java either (many readers do for some reason). FeedReader provides the important option to open links in an external browser (but not the post itself as FeedDemon does).  It does not sync with Google Reader, but imports or exports OPML files that are compatible with Google Reader.

"Feedreader provides cutting-edge features in an intuitive, user-friendly environment. Even non-technical users can view comprehensive, consolidated information from across the Internet – faster and easier than ever before."

WebReader is the desktop companion of a series of mobile-apps for iPad, iPhone, and Kindle Fire (so far). It provides just the few important options you'd expect in a mobile-app. That makes it easy to learn how to use, especially if you're familiar with touch-centric devices (which they have nicely appproximated with mouse navigation for the PC version).

I liked the ease with which you can access web feeds by list, excerpts or full posts, with "Previous" / "Next" arrows to navigate with. You can also read the original content at websites/blogs directly in the reading pane. WebReader not sync directly with Google Reader, but it does import/export OPML files, which allows you to sync indirectly.

BlogBridge is targeted at power users who subscribe to many feeds, but don't let that scare you off. It's designed to make it easy to discover feeds you'll be interested in. BlogBridge gives you access to "Guides", which are written by experts in many different feed categories.  You can upload a list of  your feeds to a free "BlogBridge Service" account to synchronize your feeds across multiple computers.

Omea Reader combines Web browsing, feed reading and newsgroups in one capable application. Omea Pro (also free) adds email, ICQ and Miranda (multi-protocol IM) to create an integrated information workspace. Integrated with Microsoft Outlook for email.

RSS Bandit and Awasu are comparable to FeedDemon, but they're a bit less capable and complex. That means their learning curves are not as formidable. Even so, they are elegant full-featured readers. RSS Bandit is now an Open Source program. It was launched by Dare Obasanjo -- programmer, avid feed reader and active blogger. Awasu is widely used by business users.

Notice: Google announced that Google Reader was swept up in their 2013 "Spring Cleaning." Many feed readers currently use the Reader API to sync subscriptions and post read status between computers and also portable devices. They will all be left high and dry unless another API is made available by some as yet unknown entity that leaps in to fill the gap.

6 Free Google Reader Alternatives describes Web-based readers to consider replacing Google Reader with.

Thunderbird

Thunderbird has built-in support for aggregating RSS feeds. Thunderbird allows you to view RSS feeds the same way you view your email. I is convenient to have feeds available without opening another program. It's simple - but a little obscure the first time - to subscribe to RSS feeds with Thunderbird. The mollizaZine knowledge base has the information you need to get started subscribing to RSS feeds with Thunderbird.

Web-based readers

Blogtrotter is a unique service that accesses web feeds you subscribe to and relays them to your email inbox. It converts the content to a compact, easy-to-read format. Blogtrotter accepts OPML subscription lists so you could use it to replace Google Reader if you only have several feeds you want to follow.

Netvibes offers a wide range of "widgets" and apps to access web feeds, tweets and other kinds of dynamic content. For example, there's an app that delivers all the latest news from Google, split up into 8 tabs for World, U.S., Business, Sci/Tech, Sports, Entertainment, Health and Most Popular.

Feedbooster has an impressive array of filters -- date, folder, author, source, etc. It's a different way to access articles. I loaded Feedbooster with a large collection feeds, and it made it easy to find specific feeds and topics. Some users will find it works well for them.

Browser Add-ons / Extensions and Web-apps

Add-ons / Extensions for browsers and web-apps for smartphones and tablets combine many of the advantages of desktop readers and web-based readers like Google Reader. They have a small footprint and can be "instantly" installed/uninstalled as well. Like web-based readers, an add-on reader creates an efficient browser-centric workspace, with good work flow for feed-based tasks.

Opera has a built-in RSS reader integrated with Opera Mail.

NewsBlur is an exciting new web-based reader that could be going places. See my reply to a fortuitious comment below for more information.

Feedly is a unique feed reader for the 21st Century. Feedly displays the latest updates from feeds, blogs, and sites like Facebook and Twitter. It's available as an extension / add-on for all major browsers, and web-apps for iPhone and iPad. Feedly integrates with Google Reader, Delicious, Amazon.com, YouTube, and other sites. It displays articles in a variety of appealing formats.

Feedly offers numerous ways to add, filter, display, mark, and share content. Feedly does display advertisements, but in an interesting, relevant way. It has steadily improved since it was introduced. They are even positioned to replace Google Reader API with their own backend sync server. [more]

Brief is a Firefox extension: It is powerful and simple at the same time. Brief is an excellent, capable replacement for Google Reader. I follow nearly 500 feeds [crazy I know], and Brief imported all of them flawlessly for my test. NewsFox is another capable add-on that puts a three pane reader (classic email layout) directly in a tab. Both of these Firefox extensions integrate directly with Live Bookmarks. There are also many other feed reader extensions for Firefox.

RSS Subscription Extension adds RSS feed discovery and subscription options to Chrome. The extension comes with 4 feed readers predefined (Google Reader, iGoogle, Bloglines and My Yahoo).

There are not many feed-reader add-ons for IE7, and I have not evaluated any of them except Feed Plus, which adds very little. The best way that I've found to extend IE7 is to install Windows Live Mail — yes, the email program — or RSS Bandit. Both of them automatically tie in with IE7 feed subscriptions through the Windows RSS Platform. The article may leave the impression that this only works in Vista, but it works with Windows XP if you have IE7 and SP3 installed.

Podcast and Vidcast "readers"

gPodder downloads and manages audio and video content ("podcasts"). Listen directly on your computer or on your mobile devices. Supports RSS, Atom, YouTube, Soundcloud, Vimeo and XSPF feed formats. For Linux, FreeBSD, Windows, Mac OS X and mobile devices like the Nokia N810, N900, N9 and Sailfish OS. A portable version is available from PortableApps.com

Miro is ideally suited for pulling in and managing content from video feeds (vidcasts). It's a powerful open-source video aggregator that opens up a large variety of video "channels". The organization behind Miro is working for a more open and diverse world of online video. [more video programs]

Juice's primary purpose is to pull in and manage audio content (podcasts). Juice supports many media players directly. According to a comment below, Juice appears to be abandon ware, but works fine. FeedDemon also has a podcast utility.

BitsCast, FireANT and VLC Media Player are some more media aggregators that might be just what you're looking for. Update: Just added Media Monkey - see the comment below.

Related links

1. Discover RSS Feeds in Firefox

2. Subscribing to RSS feeds with Firefox extensions

3. News on Feeds is the mother lode of feed reader links. :-)

4. List of feed aggregators - Wikipedia