I’m looking for a new RSS reader. I’ve tried subscribing to blogs via email.
Now I have tons of emails which I don’t have the time to read.
I’d rather use RSS again. I can collect the blogs I want in a central place. When I have time, I can skim through new entries and decide which ones catch my interest.
I don’t want to self-host. I self-hosted a selfoss instance once but it was a hassle to maintain.
There is a Lobste.rs thread: Which Atom/RSS reader do you use? where you can find a list of popular RSS readers.
I’ve narrowed down my choices to two: bazqux and miniflux.
Both are one-man-projects. miniflux is open-source and you can self-host it. bazqux is closed-source and paid only.
bazqux offers a paid tier for $30 a year. miniflux offers a hosted solution for $15 a year.
bazqux implements the Google Reader API and Fever API. That means that you can use a third-party application for Android/ios to read the feeds on the go. But it also offers a mobile-friendly web view if you don’t want to install an app.
miniflux is a progressive web app with responsive design. (I don’t think it implements caching.) It also provides access to the Fever API, so some mobile apps will work with it, too.
In both cases, the UI is minimal.
bazquz provides advanced search and filter functionalities and free full-text RSS via Fivefilters.
miniflux integrates third-party services like Instapaper, Pinboard or Pocket.
I will test-drive both services for the free trial period.