Fluent Reader is one of the most capable RSS readers/news aggregator apps out there.
The good and the bad
The goods are as follows: it’s free, it’s open-source, it’s cross-platform (works on Linux, Windows, and macOS), has a nice GUI, and it has a lot of useful features.
The bad aspects are not exactly bad, but it really depends on what you want from an app.
For instance, Fluent Reader is an app built with Electron, React, and Fluent UI. While the Fluent UI is something that you can dislike for aesthetic reasons, the fact that it’s an Electron-based app does mean that it’s not particularly lightweight in terms of resource consumption. Still, most typical modern computers can handle the load without issues.
Let’s talk features
With the basics out of the way, we can focus on what really matters: the features.
We mentioned that the UI is inspired by Fluent Design System. This means that it does have a lot of “edgy” UI elements, but it also means that it’s as smooth and as modern as one can expect. Plus, it has a full system-level dark mode, which means that both the UI and the reader itself benefit from the same look and feel.
Just like most modern RSS readers, Fluent Reader allows you to organize your subscriptions with folder-level groupings, and you can hide, mark as read, star articles. This process can also be automated with some basic expression rules.
Content can be imported and exported via OPML files (as well as full app data backup and restoration). An aspect that makes Fleunt Reader stand out is the ability to synchronize data with Inoreader, The Old Reader, Feedbin, BazQux, as well as other services compatible with Fever or Google Reader API.
Privacy is also an issue that isn’t as discussed when it comes to apps such as this. In tha case of Fluent Reader, you data is important, as all of the data remains on your computer, and cookies are automatically cleared when you exit the app.
Verdict
There’s really not much one can dislike about Fleunt Reader. There may be other more stylish alternatives out there (or more minimalistic), but the truth of the matter is that Fluent Reader offers a lot in terms of features, and the packaging is quite nice as well.
Even if you hate Electron apps (which is something more related to principle than anything else, for most people), Fluent Reader should still be on your short list if a free, open-source RSS reader with synch and backup capabilities is what you’re looking for.
