As many of you know, Google Reader will be gone as of July 1. If you're like me and are scrambling at the last-minute for how you will read your blogs 10 days from now, then keep reading!
There are several popular alternatives to Google Reader. Do a quick search and you'll see many an article with the title "Top Alternatives to Google Reader". I've been looking for myself and my mom, who has asked for help with this transition. For Mom, I'm looking for a reader that's as similar to Google Reader as I can find. Mom likes Google Reader, and as my dad likes to say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. For myself, I'm open to something a little different, provided it's still free and easily aggregates my blogs.
Here's what I've found:
1. Feedly: This tops most lists at the moment. However, I didn't like Feedly at first because it was a web-broswer plugin. If that's too much jargon for you, basically it would only work (best) on your own personal computer. If you use multiple computers or like to check blogs when you're away from home, this really wouldn't be a good fit. But, just yesterday Feedly announced that it was moving to a cloud-based model that fixes this complaint. Feedly has a great interface and super-easy transition from Google Reader.
2. The Old Reader: This was my initial pick, as it has a very similar interface to Google Reader. Apparently there's no mobile app for this, though. (I haven't completely verified this - leave a comment if you know of one.) It's also a little more difficult to switch to from Google Reader. However, The Old Reader is a good, solid choice and would definitely get the job done.
3. Bloglovin': I've seen this recommended on several blogs and thought I would give it a try. I lasted all of 2 or 3 blog posts before I decided this is NOT for me! Bloglovin' physically navigates to the actual blog rather than being a true reader. This is SLOW and not how I want to read my blogs. I prefer to read through my blogs pretty quickly, only slowing down when a particular post really catches my attention.
4. All the rest: There are several other choices, primarily with other strengths. As I said at first, I was searching for a reader to mimic Google Reader functionality, not for anything else. Let me know if you have another favorite that I didn't mention!
Bottom Line: Give Feedly a try! Maybe I won't even miss Google Reader. :)
