To subscribe to a site you need the address of its RSS feed. Most often it is listed right on the page, but sometimes you have to look for it. Below are four ways and what to do if there is no feed at all.
You can find a site’s RSS feed with browser extensions that detect feeds on the page you have open. But there are ways without installing anything.
| Way | What to do |
|---|---|
| Page code (the most reliable) | open the source code (Ctrl-U in Chrome) and look for application/rss+xml or application/atom+xml — the feed address is right next to it |
| A link on the site | look for an icon or a label “RSS”, “Feed”, “Subscribe” — usually at the bottom or in the sidebar |
| Typical addresses | try typing the paths /feed, /rss, /rss.xml, /feed.xml, /atom.xml, /index.xml into the address bar |
| Section feeds | blogs and media often have a separate feed for a section or an author, for example /blog/feed |
To check an RSS address, open it in a browser. If it really is a feed, you will see XML code or a list of publications with dates — sometimes the browser offers to save the file. If a regular site page opens instead, then the address is wrong.
When you add a feed in the Readine app, there is a “Check” button.
| Sign | What it means |
|---|---|
| A list of publications with dates | this is a feed, the address works |
| Only headlines and teasers | the feed works, but there is no full text in it |
| The usual site layout | the address is not the right one or the feed is off |
| An error or an empty page | there is no feed |
Readine works with some of them — the integration already exists, and the site may already be in the in-app catalogue.
You cannot add a site that offers neither RSS nor Atom and is not one of the services Readine already supports (Substack, Patreon, Twitter and the like). Readine cannot build a feed out of just any page — a new integration would have to be built. If you really need that source, you will have to check it by hand or find the same publication somewhere that has a feed. You can contact support and ask us to add an integration.
Many authors repost their work: a Telegram channel, Twitter, YouTube. Those services do have feeds, and you can read them in one app even if the author’s own site offers no subscription.
Q: What if the feed works, but its page looks like gibberish?
A: The address alone is enough: you do not have to read any of it yourself — the app will handle it.
Q: Can I subscribe to a specific author?
A: It depends on the site, often yes.
Q: The site dropped RSS — what now?
A: Look for where else the author publishes: a Telegram channel, YouTube, Substack and so on.
3 feeds free, with no time limit and no ads. For 3 weeks you also get 10 feeds to try. After that you pay only for the modules you need.
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