RSS was declared dead around 2013 when Google Reader shut down. The eulogies were premature. What actually died was the mainstream habit of opening a feed reader every morning.
The format itself never disappeared. Blogs kept publishing feeds. Podcasts kept relying on them. Newsrooms, personal websites, documentation sites, Substack-style publications, changelogs, and indie projects continued to expose feeds quietly in the background.
Now RSS is becoming useful again for a very modern reason: people are tired of algorithmic feeds. They want to read deliberately instead of being pulled through an endless slot machine of recommended posts.
RSS is not a nostalgia project. It is a better reading interface for anyone who wants the web to feel calmer, more chronological, and less manipulated.
What RSS actually is
A website publishes an XML file listing recent items. A feed reader checks it for updates. RSS does not require a recommendation algorithm, but publishers can include advertisements and reader apps can add sorting, tracking, or paid features. The specification defines the feed format, not an advertising or privacy policy.
The website owner controls what goes in the feed. You control which feeds you subscribe to. That's the whole contract.
That simple contract is the magic. RSS does not need to know your social graph, location history, device ID, watch time, or emotional triggers. It does not need to guess what will keep you angry or curious for another 12 minutes. It just says: here is what changed on the sites you chose.
In practice, an RSS reader becomes a personal inbox for the open web. New articles arrive in one place. You can skim headlines, save pieces for later, unsubscribe from noisy sources, and build a reading habit around publications rather than platforms.
Why it's better than the alternative
Many social platforms use engagement signals to rank content. An RSS reader can show subscriptions chronologically, but its behavior depends on the app. Check the reader’s settings and business model rather than assuming every RSS product behaves the same way.
You read what you want to read. You stop when you're done. The feed doesn't get longer when you look away.
That changes the psychology of reading. On social feeds, every article competes with outrage, memes, hot takes, ads, replies, and algorithmic bait. In an RSS reader, an article competes mostly with other articles you already asked to see. The default mode is quieter.
RSS also fixes a discovery problem that social media created. If you follow a writer on a platform, you may or may not see their work. The platform decides. If you subscribe to their feed, new posts simply appear.
What RSS is good for
RSS works best for sources that publish intentionally:
- personal blogs
- newsletters with public archives
- independent magazines
- software changelogs
- research lab updates
- government or standards announcements
- podcast feeds
- niche industry publications
It is less useful for high-volume breaking news if you subscribe to too many outlets at once. The trick is to curate your feeds like a garden, not like a social following list. Add sources slowly. Remove sources that produce noise. Keep the reader small enough that opening it feels inviting.
Good readers worth trying
- NetNewsWire — native Mac/iOS, free, excellent
- Miniflux — self-hosted, minimal, brutally fast
- Reeder-style native readers — polished apps for people who want a magazine-like feel
- Newsboat — terminal-based, keyboard-driven, no distractions
There are also hosted readers if you want sync without running your own server. The exact app matters less than the habit: choose a reader that makes it easy to subscribe, skim, save, and unsubscribe.
Finding feeds
Most blogs and substacks still publish RSS feeds. Look for the orange icon, or try appending /feed or /rss to a site's URL. Many personal blogs and publications that have given up on social media still maintain active feeds.
If a site hides its feed, a browser extension or feed discovery tool can often detect it. Many sites include a feed URL in their page metadata even when they do not show a visible RSS button.
A simple setup
Start with five sources:
- one publication you trust for broad context
- one independent writer you actually enjoy
- one technical or professional source in your field
- one slow, thoughtful magazine
- one fun wildcard feed
Then open your reader once a day, not constantly. RSS works best as a deliberate reading session, not as another notification stream.
Why RSS still matters
RSS is one of the few remaining web technologies that puts the reader in control by default. It does not require a login, a recommendation engine, a follower graph, or a proprietary app. It is boring infrastructure in the best possible way.
The indie web is alive and publishing. You just need the right reader to see it.