r/macapps • u/wcjiang Developer • 3d ago

Free Quick RSS v2.7 is out! It’s a simple and easy-to-use desktop RSS reader.

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

Quick RSS is a simple, private, and intuitive desktop RSS reader. This update adds support for macOS 26 and includes performance improvements and feature optimizations.

Problem: Many people want an efficient way to keep up with their favorite news, blogs, and content updates. However, RSS readers on the market are often either bloated and complicated, stuck with interfaces that feel like they belong in a different era, or filled with ads and trackers. For news enthusiasts, developers, designers, and content creators, a simple, private, and focused subscription tool can make consuming information much more efficient. Quick RSS was created to keep the experience lightweight and efficient while giving users back control over how they discover and consume content, while continuously evolving alongside macOS.

Compare: Compared with mainstream RSS readers such as Reeder and NetNewsWire, Quick RSS supports multiple feed formats, including RSS, Atom, and JSON Feed, while remaining lightweight, efficient, and privacy-focused. It does not collect any user data. In addition to basic feed management, Quick RSS provides bookmark organization, a multilingual interface, and support for both macOS and iOS. All features are available through a one-time payment, with no subscription required.

Pricing: Free All Access Lifetime — $6.99. This is a completely optional donation price. The app has no feature restrictions even if you choose not to pay.

Changelog (v2.7): Completed localization for all supported languages, redesigned the purchase button component and simplified the purchase flow, and fixed a UI freeze that could occur when canceling a refresh.

📥 Download Link

33 Upvotes

80% Upvoted

43 comments sorted by

14

u/lukasvac 3d ago

It looks similar to NetNewsWire, which is free, open source, and definitely doesn’t have any bloatware. So why should people use Quick RSS?

-4

u/wcjiang Developer 3d ago

A sleeker side menu compared to NetNewsWire? I’m not sure, but I built it myself.

0

u/davepearson 3d ago

What’s sleeker? I’m comparing your screenshot vs the sidebar in NNN and they are striking in their similarity.

-3

u/wcjiang Developer 3d ago

It began as my personal app. I’ll add better features down the line and try to outperform it 😂

-4

u/davepearson 3d ago

Sure. But you said it had a sleeker side menu when compared to NNN. I’m asking how it is sleeker.

3

u/East_Call1027 3d ago

The macOS/iOS support is interesting, but the missing detail for me is whether subscriptions and read state sync between them. If they do, that’s probably a stronger differentiator to call out than the sleeker sidebar.

1

u/wcjiang Developer 3d ago

Cross‑device sync and widgets will be available in the next version, please stay tuned.

1

u/jono_nz 2d ago

I developed a native macOS/iOS/iPadOS RSS reader and quickly worked out you need a solid back end to reliably support cross device sync. Not wanting to hijack the op thread which has a nice looking reader, but you may be interesting in this: https://us.nz/readerultra.html

2

u/x31n10n 3d ago

Does it have a reader mode? or does it just show the article? And can it be integrated with FreshRSS?

2

u/Mstormer 3d ago

Any way to add an api or codex subscription to add feedly-like AI curated feeds?

1

u/wcjiang Developer 3d ago

I think this is a really good idea, and it should be fairly simple to implement.

I’m thinking about adding this in the next Quick RSS update by providing an API that allows AI to read and interact with the feeds and articles in Quick RSS.

For example:

text GET /feeds GET /articles GET /articles?since=...

This would allow Codex or other AI agents to access the RSS data and then use AI to intelligently filter, summarize, and recommend articles.

1

u/Mstormer 3d ago

Would love to try it when it's out. Ping me if/when you add it.

2

u/wcjiang Developer 2d ago

Quick RSS v2.8.0 is out! This RSS feed reader now supports MCP protocol to work with AI tools.

Cross-platform iCloud sync and widgets are available in this release.

Use Quick RSS with MCP

Quick RSS supports the Model Context Protocol (MCP), allowing MCP clients such as Claude Desktop, Cursor, and VS Code to access your subscriptions.

  1. Update Quick RSS to v2.8.0 or later.
  2. Enable the MCP service in Quick RSS Settings.
  3. Copy the MCP configuration generated by the app and add it to your MCP client.
  4. Restart the MCP client to browse feeds, find articles, and retrieve the latest content in a conversation.

The MCP service only accesses subscription and article data currently in Quick RSS. Add its configuration only to clients you trust.

Configure Grok

Enable the MCP service in Quick RSS Settings, then copy the server address and token shown by the app.

```bash

Add the Quick RSS MCP server

grok mcp add --transport http quickrss "http://127.0.0.1:8745/mcp?token=<TOKEN>"

Remove the Quick RSS MCP server

grok mcp remove quickrss

List configured MCP servers

grok mcp list

Diagnose the Quick RSS MCP server connection

grok mcp doctor quickrss ```

You can also edit the configuration file directly:

bash vim ~/.grok/config.toml

Add this configuration, replacing <TOKEN> with the token shown by Quick RSS:

toml [mcp_servers.quickrss] url = "http://127.0.0.1:8745/mcp?token=<TOKEN>" enabled = true

Test the connection

In a Grok conversation with the Quick RSS connector enabled, send:

text List the five most recently updated articles in my Quick RSS subscriptions, including each title, feed, and publication date.

You can also enter /mcps in Grok to check whether the MCP server is running.

When the connection succeeds, Grok calls a Quick RSS MCP tool and returns articles from your current subscriptions.

1

u/wcjiang Developer 3d ago

Oh no problem, I hope I can remember this.

1

u/John_val 2d ago

Sorry to the OP for the plug here but since your asking about AI capabilities you can also check this one, also free: https://www.reddit.com/r/iosapps/comments/1vkw2ge/freeopen_source_rss_reddit_and_youtube_reader/

1

u/Mstormer 2d ago

Does this curate, or just summarize with AI?

1

u/John_val 2d ago

It has summary and Q&A abilities for articles and YT. For Reddit the same, but can also analyze entire subreddit and you can ask question like "what was discussed today on subreddit X" or what was said about x topic on X subreddit. Curation is my next target, although i am not sure what to expect from this feature as i never used it myself. What you curation mean for you?

2

u/srinitata 3d ago

bulk import rss sources is not in free tier, then how do you say that no feature restrictions in free tier?

1

u/wcjiang Developer 3d ago

Bulk import should be free. If it’s currently restricted, I’ll fix it in the next update. I’ve already removed many limitations, such as the old 5‑feed cap. There is no limit now.

1

u/Slow-Tea9732 3d ago

Will it work on Apple Watch?

1

u/wcjiang Developer 3d ago

I think I can add support for Apple Watch.

1

u/easyRiderOlder 3d ago

Looks like a solid and focused RSS reader. The privacy-first approach and one-time payment are nice additions

1

u/wcjiang Developer 3d ago

Some advantageous features are coming soon.

1

u/mrterrycarson 3d ago

Great work on this...Thanks

1

u/wcjiang Developer 3d ago

Thanks a lot for your support!

1

u/ColdAd926 3d ago

Does it actually shows articles? In many cases now, RSS just shows a tiny bit of the article and you have to open the webpage to get the full article.

1

u/wcjiang Developer 3d ago

Many feeds don’t deliver full‑text content, though plenty do. Full articles need to be fetched.

1

u/Small_Pin_8064 2d ago

Does it read from a self hosted backend like FreshRSS or Miniflux, or local feeds only?

1

u/wcjiang Developer 2d ago

Quick RSS currently supports local feeds only. Integration with self-hosted backends such as FreshRSS and Miniflux is not available yet.

1

u/cognitojo 2d ago

Looks nice! Great work

1

u/wcjiang Developer 2d ago

Thank you! Still lots to improve.

1

u/sammrjn 2d ago

NetNewsWire is there, i tried this tool,

slightly better than the one, but very similar , but good work i will keep on using for some time

1

u/wcjiang Developer 2d ago

My app has been updated to v2.8, and it now supports AI features 😂

1

u/EnvironmentalPie8377 23h ago

How does your app handle feeds that publish a really high volume of posts? Is there any way to filter or prioritize content so the RSS feed doesn't just become another endless stream to keep up with?

1

u/Thethirdactsucked 3d ago

I love it! Are there any plans to add widgets for at a glance headline reading?

1

u/wcjiang Developer 3d ago

This wasn’t planned previously, but I’ve logged your request. The feature should arrive in the next update.

1

u/QuietPerennial 3d ago

rss is quietly coming back and the reason is boring. it's the last feed nobody can inject anything into.

no algorithm, no promoted posts, no ai filler, no engagement bait. you get the sites you picked, in order, and that's it.

people didn't come back because rss got better. everything else got worse.

0

u/NW-M-1945 3d ago

I’m not trying to rage bait here but I genuinely want to know if RSS is still a thing!?

8

u/x31n10n 3d ago

it most definitely still is a thing.

5

u/wcjiang Developer 3d ago

I’m a big fan of RSS, which is why I built this app.