Unplggd: Top 5 News Aggregators

Every week for our top download picks, we try and vary our suggestions to cover a variety of different interests. This week we decided to keep a very simple theme: RSS Aggregators. And since each individual can customize their RSS feed with their own personal interests, we figured that an aggregation of aggregators was something everyone would find useful.

Mobile News Aggregators

Pulse: Due to its incredible ease of set-up and use, Pulse is one of our favorite aggregators for both iOS and Android. Add the ability to read and save articles from within the app, and you have one of the best RSS readers for whenever you are on the move.

Flud: Much like Pulse, Flud is a stylish news aggregator for both iOS and Android. What makes Flud so useful is its deep integration with other services such as Read It Later, Instapaper, and Google Reader. Additionally, the visual separation of your feeds proves to be very useful.

Flipboard: Unlike the other two news aggregators, this app is unfortunately only available for iOS. What separates Flipboard from the others is how it gets its styling cues from a magazine. But instead of being a magazine designed for the masses, it prides itself on being a magazine that is personalized for each individual reader.

Web and Desktop News Aggregators

Google Reader: Easily one of the most popular news aggregators in the world, Google Reader has prided itself on its simplicity and accessibility for its users. Available from anywhere you can connect to the internet, Google Reader is not only the most popular of the bunch, but is also one the easiest for most to get started with due to its integration with other Google products.

Mixtab: This OSX only app does an amazing job of bringing a well designed RSS reader to the desktop. While we wish this was available on Windows and Linux as well, the OSX-only Mixtab is the perfect solution for those looking for a well designed desktop news aggregator.

By Jesse Leikin