News aggregator
A news aggregator is a software or a remotely hosted service that periodically reads a set of news sources, in one of several XML-based formats, finds the new bits, and displays them in reverse-chronological order on a single page.
There are primarily three kinds:
- Desktop news aggregators
- Online news aggregators
- Server side aggregators
Desktop news aggregators
These are programs that you can download and install on computer.
- AmphetaDesk is a cross platform, open-sourced, syndicated news aggregator - it obediently sits on your desktop, downloads the latest news that interests you, and displays them in a quick and easy to use (and customizable!) webpage.
- BlogExpress is a full-featured .NET application for content syndication (as also called a news aggregator or a blog reader). BlogExpress supports all RSS versions and ATOM. It can read contents from any Weblogs (a.k.a., blog) and any Websites that provide XML files for content syndication
- Abilon displays headlines from RSS (Rich Site Summary - Really Simple Syndication) Channels in an easy to read format. It is small (about 500 kb) and fast. Adding new channels is as simple as right-clicking and entering the address of the feed.
- Awasu is a Windows news-reader that runs in the background on your computer and monitors these sites for you. When it sees that something new has appeared, it will let you know. Awasu will also keep track of what you have already read which saves you even more time since you no longer need to search through your favorite sites for new stories.
- Serence™ KlipFolio™ is a information awareness and notification application for Windows. It's quick to install and easy to use. KlipFolio lets you configure and monitor a wide variety of real-time information services on your desktop--like weather, stocks, breaking news, RSS feeds and auctions. These information services are called Klips, and there are hundreds of them available at KlipFarm.
- RSSOwl is fast, cross-platform, and unobtrusive. It's easy to install, easy to use, and easy to move.
- Vox Lite allows you to keep up-to-date with all your favourite sources of information that support the RSS protocol.
- SharpReader is an RSS Aggregator for Windows. Requires .NET Framework.
- Wildgrape NewsDesk is a fast, convenient, and easy to use RSS headline reader for Windows. NewsDesk reads headlines from thousands of sources, including popular websites and weblogs.
- Sauce Reader is an easy to use, innovative and full-featured feed reader.
For windows - commercial
is a "news aggregator" that runs in Microsoft Outlook. It allows you to subscribe to various syndicated news feeds (such as weblogs, news sites, etc.) and have news from these sites be delivered right into your Outlook folders.
enables you to quickly read and gather information from hundreds of web sites - without having to visit them.
For Mac OS X
- is an easy-to-use RSS Web news reader for Mac OS X.
- is an RSS/Atom news reader with a unique interface, similar to Mac OS X's Mail.app.
- is a news reader designed to be easy on the eyes.
- is a Mac OS X newsreader with a unique feature set. It is a desktop application with a web-app interface to use when you're on the road - and when you go back home, the desktop app knows which articles you've read. The "distributed checking" feature means that you are alerted as soon as a new article is posted - even if you're only set to check every hour.
For Unix
- akregator - KDE RSS/Atom feed reader and aggregator
- - Desktop news aggregation for GNOME
- - Text mode RSS newsreader for Linux and Unix.
- - Raggle is a console RSS aggregator
For all platforms
Online news aggregators
These allow the user to enter the URL of news feed that he/she wants to subscribe to and gets refreshed automatically at a time interval. These could be free or a paid service.
Free online news aggregators
is the most comprehensive, integrated service for searching, subscribing, publishing and sharing news feeds, blogs, and rich Web content. It's free and easy-to-use.
is a weblog portal, collecting news and commentary from some of the best sites on the web. Visitors can browse items on topics, everything from food to sex. Or they can create a convenient personal digest, to track their favorite writers.
is an online news aggregator that gets from the top news sites of the web. It fetches news via XML feeds. It has a vas collection of news in various categories that is updated every hour. It also provides customizable news tickers to webasters for using on their site.
(beta)
LiveJournal, while primarily a blogging site, also offers online news aggregation, with the articles being included upon a user's "Friends page". While this is available for free, greater access is afforded to paying users. Several other sites based upon LiveJournal's code also offer similar features.
Paid online news aggregators
Portal Premium Services offers advanced features to users of the most advanced web based news aggregator: click tracking, news alerts, news archives, weather reports, custom CSS and blogging tools. NewsIsFree Export Premium Services offers simple and powerfull syndication tools for people who want to access the news items in their desktop aggregator or on their web site: custom RSS feeds, web services and blogging tools.
Server side aggregators
These function much as online news aggregators, but are administered by the user. They can thus be viewed as a hibrid of desktop and online news aggregators. To use one of these, you need to have your own http server (preferably Apache) with PHP and have MySQL installed on either your own computer or on a server.
(also requires Python)
(requires Python but not PHP)
