OPML is a simple file with a list of your subscriptions. You use it to move your sources from one reading app to another, or to export them for safekeeping. The format is standard, and almost every reading app understands it.
Inside is a list of feed addresses, usually with names and sorted into folders. It contains no articles and no passwords. It is simply a list of what you are subscribed to.
That is why OPML is exported quickly and is only a few kilobytes, even if you have hundreds of sources. It is also why the transfer is quick: the app only has to add the addresses on the list.
| Present | Absent |
|---|---|
| feed addresses | article texts |
| source names | passwords and access |
| folders and order | reading history and notes |
In your previous app, choose to export your subscriptions — you get an OPML file. In the new app, choose import and select this file.
It does not matter how many sources you have — during import the free plan limit in Readine does not apply.
If the app gives access via the API, you can transfer the data without a file, and there will be more of it — reading history, “read” marks and stars, for example. This already depends on the particular service.
Export your subscriptions from time to time — it is a backup, and it protects you if a service shuts down. The file stays with you, and you can open it in any other app.
| Step | What you do |
|---|---|
| Step 1 | export OPML from the previous app |
| Step 2 | import the file into the new one |
| Step 3 | check the sources and sort them into folders |
After the import the list already contains everything you used to read. If there are hundreds of sources, the feed brings hundreds of publications a week.
Readine has no recommendation or ranking algorithm. If you need to get rid of noise and extra articles, rules-based automation helps. It is a separate paid module. For each rule you can set a condition that matches a word in the title, the full text, the URL or a tag. A rule can delete a publication, add it to favourites, mark it as read, add a tag or send a notification. You can apply one rule to all feeds at once, or just to a few of them.
You can try it free for 3 weeks — you get 10 feeds and 1 rule, no card needed.
Q: Is an OPML file dangerous?
A: No. It contains only feed addresses and folders — no passwords, no articles.
Q: Will what I’ve read carry over?
A: Via OPML — no. Read marks are carried over on import via the API, if the old service offers one.
Q: Can subscriptions be exported from Readine?
A: Yes, at any time and without contacting support.
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