The Old Reader works in a browser: the service has no apps of its own and no offline mode, and third-party clients connect through the Google Reader API. On the free plan you see ads, and unread articles disappear after two months. Readine has apps for all devices, offline copies, full text with images and no ads, and unread articles never disappear.
The Old Reader works in a browser and shows an article exactly as the publisher published it. If the feed has only an excerpt, you have to finish reading on the site. The service has no apps of its own for phone and computer, and no offline mode either.
On the free plan you see ads, and unread articles are automatically marked as read after two months.
| What | The Old Reader | Readine |
|---|---|---|
| Full text | shortened text from the feed, finish reading on the site | the whole article, with images |
| Search | no | yes |
| Rules and filters | no | yes |
| Apps | third-party clients only | its own apps for phone and computer |
| Offline | no | yes |
| Free plan | 100 feeds with ads | 3 feeds without ads |
| Unread articles | two months | no time limit |
The service is no longer developed: the last post on the project blog was published on 13 December 2021.
The Old Reader supports RSS and Atom but not Telegram, YouTube or paid blogs such as Boosty, Fanbox, Patreon, Sponsr and Substack.
In Readine you can read private channels by buying the password-protected feeds module.
| What | The Old Reader | Readine |
|---|---|---|
| Telegram | no | public channels and private chats |
| no | yes | |
| Paid blogs | no | Boosty, Fanbox, Patreon, Sponsr, Substack and so on |
| YouTube | no | channels and playlists |
Subscriptions are moved straight from the account — the import wizard logs into The Old Reader and pulls the feeds along with favourites and unread items.
The second way is an OPML file. It moves subscriptions and folders.
The free plan limit does not apply during import.
Q: Does The Old Reader show the full text of an article?
A: No, only a shortened version, so you have to finish reading on the site. In Readine the article is downloaded in full, with images.
Q: Does The Old Reader have its own apps and an offline mode?
A: No. The service works in a browser, and third-party clients like Reeder, Feeddler or FeedMe connect through the Google Reader API. Readine has apps for phone and computer, and downloads articles with their images in advance.
Q: What’s included in The Old Reader’s paid plan?
A: The ads go away, full search across your history opens up, feeds update faster, and unread articles are kept for a year.
Q: Does The Old Reader read Telegram and paid blogs?
A: No. The service only handles RSS and Atom — not Telegram, YouTube, Boosty, Fanbox, Patreon, Sponsr and so on. In Readine you can read all of them.
Q: How do I move subscriptions from The Old Reader?
A: With the import wizard: Readine logs into your account and pulls the feeds along with favourites and unread items. An OPML file moves subscriptions and folders. During import the free plan limit does not apply.