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How to switch from Reeder, Feedly, or Google Reader (OPML import)
If you’ve been putting off switching RSS readers because you don’t want to rebuild your subscriptions by hand — good news. Every decent reader speaks OPML, a simple file format that holds your whole feed list (and folders). Exporting from your old app and importing into a new one takes about a minute, and nothing gets left behind.
This is personal for me. I started building Newsbin after apps I loved, like Reeder, went “classic” and got replaced with subscription versions. The whole point of OPML is that you’re never trapped: your feeds are yours, and they move with you. So here’s the quick walkthrough.
Step 1 — Export an OPML file from your current reader
Find the “Export OPML” option in your old app and save the .opml file somewhere handy (Files, iCloud Drive, or your Mac). Here’s where it lives in the common ones:
- Feedly — feedly.com/i/opml
- Inoreader — Preferences → Import/Export/Backup
- NewsBlur — Preferences → Download OPML
- NetNewsWire — Export OPML from the File menu / settings
- Reeder — if you sync through an account (Feedbin, iCloud, Feedly, etc.), export from that service rather than the app.
- Google Reader — long gone, but if you have an old Google Takeout archive, your subscriptions are in the
subscriptions.xmlOPML file inside it.
Don’t see yours? Search “[your app] export OPML” — nearly every reader has it, often under Settings or a Subscriptions menu.
Step 2 — Import it into Newsbin
Open Newsbin and select your OPML file from the settings page or the welcome screen. That’s it. A couple of things worth knowing:
- Your folders become smart groups, so your organization carries over.
- Your feeds show up in the Followed section, ready to read.
- The first sync can take a little while — Newsbin uses Apple’s SwiftData with iCloud, so it pulls your content down and syncs it across your devices. Give it a few minutes the first time; after that it’s quick.
Step 3 — Relax, nothing’s locked in
Here’s the part that matters: switching to Newsbin doesn’t trap you either. You can export your feeds back out as OPML from the settings page at any time. No account with a third party required, no proprietary lock-in. If you ever want to leave, your feeds leave with you — same as they came in.
That’s the deal the open web is supposed to offer, and it’s the deal Newsbin keeps: native on every Apple device, zero tracking, and your subscriptions always portable.
Coming from a paid or subscription reader?
If you’re switching because your old reader went subscription-only, Newsbin is free to try — so you can import your feeds and live in it for a while before deciding. If you stick around, you can pay once for life ($34.99) or subscribe ($2.99/mo) — your choice. Either way, the OPML door stays open.