October 15, 2026

Google Reader Shut Down: What Happened and Alternatives Still Online

In short — Google Reader, a free RSS feed reader, was permanently shut down on July 1, 2013. Several RSS readers have filled that gap and are verified online today: Feedly, Inoreader, NewsBlur, and The Old Reader.

What was Google Reader and why did it shut down?

Google Reader was an RSS feed reader — a tool that aggregates content from multiple websites into a single reading interface. Its tagline described it plainly: “RSS feed reader.” It was free to use and operated by Google.

The service was shut down on July 1, 2013. Google communicated the decision publicly ahead of that date, giving users time to export their data. No replacement was offered by Google. Since that date, Google Reader has been offline with no return announced.

The shutdown left a significant gap. RSS readers are a specific category of productivity tools: they exist to let a reader follow dozens or hundreds of sources without visiting each site individually. When a dominant free tool in that category closes, users need a verified replacement, not a list of guesses.

Which RSS readers are still online today?

As of October 15, 2026, four RSS readers in the Saatlas directory carry a verified online status. All four were checked on that date.

Feedly

Feedly is an RSS reader and news monitoring service. It runs on a freemium model, meaning a free tier exists alongside paid options. Status: online. Last checked: October 15, 2026.

Feedly positions itself around monitoring — the tool is used both for personal reading and for tracking topics or competitors across many sources. It is among the most widely referenced replacements in the years following Google Reader’s closure.

Inoreader

Inoreader is an RSS reader with rules and filters, based in Bulgaria. It runs on a freemium model. Status: online. Last checked: October 15, 2026.

The emphasis on rules and filters distinguishes Inoreader from a basic feed aggregator. Users who want to automate how incoming content is sorted, tagged, or surfaced will find that distinction relevant. It is one of the few RSS readers in the directory with a known country of origin.

NewsBlur

NewsBlur is described as an open-source RSS reader, based in the United States. It runs on a freemium model. Status: online. Last checked: October 15, 2026.

The open-source nature of NewsBlur is notable: the codebase is publicly available, which matters to users who want to self-host or verify what the software does. The hosted version operates on a freemium basis, so access does not require running your own server.

The Old Reader

The Old Reader is a social RSS reader explicitly inspired by Google Reader. It runs on a freemium model. Status: online. Last checked: October 15, 2026.

The name and tagline are direct references to the product it seeks to replace. If the Google Reader experience — its interface logic, its social sharing features — is specifically what a user misses, The Old Reader is the alternative most transparently designed around that reference point.

How do you choose between these four alternatives?

Each of the four tools covers the same core function: aggregating RSS feeds into a readable interface. The differences that matter for a choice come from the available facts.

If open-source matters to you, NewsBlur is the only one in this set with that characteristic stated explicitly. This is relevant for teams with data sovereignty requirements or developers who want to inspect or contribute to the codebase.

If automation and filtering are a priority, Inoreader is the one described as offering rules and filters. A basic RSS reader delivers everything into one stream; a rules-based one lets you route, tag, or suppress items automatically.

If you want the closest experience to Google Reader, The Old Reader names that inspiration directly. Its social layer — sharing and commenting within the reader — echoes what Google Reader offered before Google+ integration complicated it.

If monitoring and news tracking are the use case, Feedly’s tagline points in that direction. The tool is described as both an RSS reader and a news monitoring service, which suggests a feature set oriented toward tracking topics across sources rather than personal reading alone.

All four are freemium. None requires an upfront payment to start. That means the practical approach is to test the one that matches your stated priority and move to another if it does not fit.

Is the RSS format itself still viable in 2026?

The shutdown of Google Reader was read by some in 2013 as a signal that RSS was declining. That reading was not accurate. The format persisted, and the tools built on it continued operating. As of this check, four RSS readers in the Saatlas directory are online, with none carrying an unstable status. The format remains a functional, dependency-light way to follow sources without relying on algorithmic feeds or platform-specific apps.

The risk with any third-party RSS reader is the same risk Google Reader demonstrated: a service can close. The alternatives listed here are verified online as of October 15, 2026, but no future status can be guaranteed. Saatlas tracks status changes; the Saatlas graveyard records tools that have closed, including the date.

For users rebuilding their reading stack after a closure — whether Google Reader in 2013 or any tool since — the practical step is to choose a reader that exports your subscription list in OPML format. All four tools here work with that standard, which makes migration between them straightforward if one were to close.

If you run an RSS reader or any SaaS tool and want it verified and listed, list your SaaS.