Pricing overview

The Old Reader operates on a freemium pricing model, offering a permanently free tier alongside several paid subscription options. The free tier is designed for casual users with modest RSS feed aggregation needs, providing basic functionality with specific limitations on the number of subscriptions, articles per feed, and data retention period. Users requiring higher limits, extended article history, or premium features can upgrade to one of the paid plans. These paid plans are structured to cater to varying levels of usage, from individual enthusiasts to more active content consumers, with pricing typically offered on a monthly or annual basis. The Old Reader's approach contrasts with some open-source RSS reader alternatives, which may involve self-hosting costs or a one-time purchase fee for software licenses rather than recurring subscriptions.

Payment processing for The Old Reader's paid subscriptions is handled through established third-party services. Customers can typically pay using major credit cards via Stripe's payment processing services or through a PayPal account. This integration aims to provide secure and widely accepted payment methods for users globally. The subscription model ensures continuous access to enhanced features and support, differentiating it from purely self-hosted solutions where maintenance and updates are the user's responsibility.

Plans and tiers

The Old Reader offers three distinct subscription tiers beyond its free offering, each designed to provide increasing capabilities and address different user requirements. These tiers are named 'Friend,' 'Fan,' and 'Champion,' reflecting a progression in features and limits. Each tier includes all benefits of the preceding tier, adding more capacity and functionality. Pricing is structured to incentivize annual subscriptions over monthly payments, typically offering a discount for yearly commitments.

The Old Reader Subscription Plans Comparison
Plan Price (Monthly) Price (Annually) Key Limits & Features Best For
Free $0 $0
  • Up to 100 subscriptions
  • Up to 100 articles per feed per month
  • 30-day article retention
  • Basic search
  • No ads
 Casual users, testing the service, very low volume consumption
Friend $3/month $30/year (equivalent to $2.50/month)
  • Up to 500 subscriptions
  • Up to 500 articles per feed per month
  • 6-month article retention
  • Enhanced search capabilities
  • Faster feed updates
 Individuals with moderate RSS needs, wanting more history and speed
Fan $5/month $50/year (equivalent to $4.17/month)
  • Up to 1,000 subscriptions
  • Up to 1,000 articles per feed per month
  • 1-year article retention
  • All Friend features
  • Priority support
 Active readers, researchers, those needing extensive archives
Champion $10/month $100/year (equivalent to $8.33/month)
  • Up to 5,000 subscriptions
  • Unlimited articles per feed per month
  • Unlimited article retention
  • All Fan features
  • Early access to new features
 Power users, content curators, professionals with high volume needs

For the most current details on specific features and any potential changes to the pricing structure, users should refer directly to The Old Reader's official upgrade page.

Free tier and limits

The Old Reader offers a comprehensive free tier designed to introduce users to its core functionality without any cost. This tier is suitable for individuals with basic content consumption habits who do not require extensive archiving or a large number of subscriptions. The free tier includes access to the platform's social features, allowing users to share articles with friends and see what others are reading, which is a distinguishing characteristic of The Old Reader's service.

Specific limitations of the free tier:

  • Subscription Limit: Users can subscribe to a maximum of 100 RSS feeds. This limit is generally sufficient for casual users following a select number of blogs or news sources.
  • Articles Per Feed: Each feed is limited to displaying up to 100 new articles per month. Feeds that publish more frequently may result in older articles being pushed out of the viewable history within the monthly window.
  • Article Retention: Articles are retained for a period of 30 days. After this period, older articles are no longer accessible within the free account. This means the free tier is not ideal for users who need to revisit content published more than a month ago.
  • Feed Update Speed: While feeds are updated regularly, free tier users may experience slightly slower update intervals compared to paid subscribers, who receive priority updates.

These limitations encourage users with growing content consumption needs or those who require longer content archives to consider upgrading to a paid plan. The free tier serves as a robust trial, allowing users to evaluate the platform's interface and features before committing financially.

Real-world cost examples

Understanding The Old Reader's pricing in practical terms can help users determine the most suitable plan for their specific needs. Here are a few scenarios illustrating potential costs:

Scenario 1: The Casual Reader

  • User Profile: A student or hobbyist who follows about 50-70 blogs and news sites. They typically read articles within a week of publication and don't need to save content long-term. They primarily use the platform for daily news updates and personal interest reading.
  • Recommended Plan: Free Tier
  • Justification: This user's needs fall well within the free tier's limits of 100 subscriptions and 30-day retention. The 100 articles per feed per month limit is also unlikely to be an issue for typical blogs.
  • Annual Cost: $0

Scenario 2: The Enthusiast

  • User Profile: An individual with a strong interest in several niche topics, subscribing to around 200-300 specialized blogs, industry news sites, and podcasts (via RSS). They occasionally refer back to articles published a few months ago for research or context. They value faster updates to stay current.
  • Recommended Plan: Friend Tier
  • Justification: The free tier's 100-subscription limit is insufficient. The Friend tier offers 500 subscriptions and 6-month article retention, which perfectly aligns with this user's need for a broader range of feeds and moderate archiving. Faster feed updates are an added benefit.
  • Annual Cost: $30 (paid annually) or $36 (paid monthly)

Scenario 3: The Researcher/Content Curator

  • User Profile: A professional or dedicated researcher who monitors 800-1,500 diverse RSS feeds, including academic journals, industry reports, and competitor news. They require comprehensive long-term archives, often needing to access articles from a year or more ago for citations or trend analysis. High article volume per feed is common.
  • Recommended Plan: Fan Tier or Champion Tier
  • Justification: The Fan tier (1,000 subscriptions, 1-year retention) would be suitable for the lower end of this user's needs. However, if the subscription count frequently exceeds 1,000 or if indefinite article retention is critical, the Champion tier (5,000 subscriptions, unlimited retention) becomes necessary. The Champion tier also removes the article-per-feed limit, which is important for high-volume feeds.
  • Annual Cost (Fan): $50 (paid annually) or $60 (paid monthly)
  • Annual Cost (Champion): $100 (paid annually) or $120 (paid monthly)

These examples highlight how the tiered structure allows users to scale their investment based on their specific usage patterns and requirements for RSS aggregation.

How the pricing compares

The Old Reader's pricing model is competitive within the landscape of hosted RSS reader services, particularly when compared to alternatives like Feedly, Inoreader, and NewsBlur. Each service offers a free tier with varying limitations and paid plans that scale up in features and capacity.

  • Feedly: Feedly offers a free plan with up to 100 feeds and integrations. Its paid plans, such as Feedly Pro, typically start at a higher price point than The Old Reader's entry-level Friend tier, often around $6-8/month when billed annually, but include advanced features like AI-powered filtering (Leo), more integrations, and expanded search. Feedly targets both individual power users and teams, with enterprise options available.
  • Inoreader: Inoreader provides a very generous free tier, often allowing for more subscriptions than The Old Reader's free tier, though specific limits can vary. Inoreader's paid plans are generally comparable in price to The Old Reader's mid-range tiers but often include a broader array of features like active filters, rules, and integrations with services like Pocket or Instapaper. Inoreader emphasizes its extensive feature set for professional users and researchers.
  • NewsBlur: NewsBlur also has a free tier with limitations (e.g., 64 feeds, 10 stories per feed, 14-day retention). Its premium subscription is typically a flat annual fee, often around $36/year, which is similar to The Old Reader's Friend tier annual cost. NewsBlur's premium offers unlimited feeds and stories, full-text search, and a focus on social sharing and interaction, similar to The Old Reader's community aspect.

The Old Reader distinguishes itself with its strong emphasis on social sharing and a clean, user-friendly interface. Its entry-level paid tier (Friend, $3/month or $30/year) offers a lower barrier to entry for users who need more than the free tier but don't require the extensive, complex features found in some of the higher-priced alternatives. While it lacks a public API for developers, which some competitors offer (e.g., Feedly's developer API), its focus remains on straightforward content consumption and sharing for its primary audience. The choice between these services often comes down to specific feature requirements, budget, and preference for user interface and community integration.