If you have been following my blog you might remember that I switched to Feedly because Google Reader shutdown. Well, now I've switched over to using The Old Reader as my new RSS reader for keeping updated with all my favorite blogs.
1. Google Login
I didn't like how Feedly asks for my Google login information. Why does Feedly still need to use Google account login info when Google Reader shutdown? I know some people might love using Facebook, Twitter, Google, etc. accounts to connect all of their various services. I am just not one of those people.
While this does make things less of a hassle I personally don't like 1 company having all my login credentials. The Old Reader allows you to use their service with just a good old fashioned email. However, if you want to use your Facebook or Google account you can.
2. The Old Reader makes it simple to Leave
>If I ever want to leave The Old Reader and use another RSS reader or service I can easily export an OPML file and upload it somewhere else. I appreciate the freedom that The Old Reader provides since a lot of other RSS services, like Feedly, don't make it easy to export your RSS feeds if you are unhappy with the service.
Even if you have complaints about The Old Reader at least be happy that they make it easy for you to leave if you want.
UPDATE: You can easily leave Feedly if you want. Check the comments below.
3. It's Simple and Easy-to-Use
The Old Reader is simple, easy-to-use, and fairly intuitive. Like a lot of things there is a small learning curve but once you get the hang of The Old Reader I don't think many people will have issues using it. Check The Old Reader 101 and you should be good.
Feedly is pretty easy-to-use too but there were some things about it I just wasn't happy with. I prefer the layout of The Old Reader.
4. There is no Android app
UPDATE: You can use Greader with as The Old Reader Android app and the mobile site experience with The Old Reader is pretty good. Additionally check The Old Reader apps list for other apps you can use with it.
Ok, for most this is not a positive but a negative. The Old Reader doesn't have an Android app, which is a bit annoying, but I don't mind actually. I am trying to shift a lot of my news reading focus to my laptop and not use my smartphone so much. I think a lot of people have a bit of an addiction to their smartphone. As awesome as having a smartphone is I don't need to be checking people's blogs on their every second of everyday.
There is an iOS app for The Old Reader though. So if you are an iOS user you can gloat to Android users.
Conclusion
Most people probably think I am crazy for switching from Feedly to The Old Reader. I can't actually really argue that The Old Reader is better than Feedly. I do realize Feedly is much faster and more refined but keep in mind that The Old Reader developers work on it their spare time. They do a pretty good job in my opinion for a side project. There have been some technical issues with the RSS service recently where it went down but the developers seem to have resolved those problems. You can follow The Old Reader Blog and @TheOldReader on Twitter.
The Old Reader works for my needs right now and I could end up switching down the road. I've tried different RSS services since Google Reader shutdown but haven't been happy with them. BlogLovin seems ok but there are some things I don't like about it too. I wish the Keep Google Reader campaign could have been successful.
I did hear about a good Google Reader alternative recently called InoReader. I haven't had time to check it out but people to like it on Twitter and there is a mobile enabled site for InoReader. Just so we are clear I do not recommend it but I am just mentioning it here.
What do you think of me switching from Feedly to The Old Reader? Am I crazy or did I make a smart move? Do you have a Google Reader alternative that you really like and want to share? Let people know below.
I was using The Old Reader up until the original team announced they had to close it to public users (a move I totally understood & was fine with) so I switched to Feedly pretty much right away to minimise any switchover issues and it’s been great for me. 🙂
I did miss the keyboard shortcut that The Old Reader had which would open posts in background tabs (“b”) – but since I very rarely want to open posts in anything but a background tab, I just changed the settings in my browser to always open posts from Feedly in a background tab.
I do prefer how The Old Reader fills the whole of my screen rather than being mostly fixed width like Feedly, so maybe when I’ve got some time I’ll re-upload my OPML, relearn some of the Old Reader keyboard shortcuts and give it another go.
Overall Feedly works well for most people I imagine. There were just some things I didn’t like about it.
The Old Reader is just simple and works for me right now. I might switch to another RSS reader eventually.
gReader is the android app that supports The Old Reader (and another RSS reader or two I forget), and it does it quite well.
Thanks, I wasn’t aware that gReader supports Feedly and The Old Reader now. Good to know and I will likely be trying it out on my Android smartphone.
I have been using The Old Reader and Silver Reader at the same time.
Because of its speed I currently prefer Silver Reader. The Old Reader sometimes had issues saving my read items.
This all might change as the products are being developed and gain traction with larger audiences.
I have not heard of Silver Reader Matthias but I will try it out. Have you tried other RSS readers besides Silver Reader and The Old Reader?
The biggest complaint I hear about The Old Reader is that it is slow. Can’t say I disagree and I hope the developers will work on speeding it up.
A big no-no of feedly is their resizing images to fit in their fixed width UI. One of my main usages for RSS is following webcomics and I feedly shrunk the images too much in order to keep their neat, but not-so-functional-for-my-use-case look.
For regular images in articles Feedly seems to work well.
What RSS service are you using for webcomics Mara?
I am sticking with the old reader. It can be a bit slow sometimes, but the facts that it does not mess with the images, the mobile site is pretty good and that it has pocket integration make it as good as I can imagine for my use case.
Good to know Mara, I guess if you are happy with The Old Reader it’s best to stick with what works for you.
It is annoying it is slow but like all RSS readers the more feeds you have the slower it will be. Feedly even gets slow with a ton of RSS feeds.
Feedly allows export very easily too. There’s “export OPML” under the Organize feature.
How do you think I switched? 🙂
well, who knows, considering that your article says “lot of other RSS services, like Feedly, don’t make it easy to export your RSS feeds” ;e)
It took me awhile to find how to export the OPML file from Feedly.
Also The Old Reader allows you to delete your account easily. I haven’t figured out how to do this with Feedly yet.
I like the ability to save to Pocket from Feedly. I don’t always have time to read posts but it’s nice to bookmark it there. I use Pocket as my “get back to this” site.
Good post
Feedly has some nice features and is definitely a great RSS service. Appreciate the compliment Steven.