
Feed Notifier
Feed Notifier is a lightweight desktop application for Windows and macOS that resides in your system tray or status bar, providing unobtrusive pop-up notifications for new items in your RSS and Atom feeds. Stay updated on your favorite websites and blogs without constantly refreshing. Developed by Michael Fogleman
About Feed Notifier
Feed Notifier is designed to be your silent partner in staying informed. It's not a full-fledged feed reader with extensive article browsing capabilities, but rather a focused notification tool that keeps you alerted to new content as it appears. By sitting quietly in your system tray (Windows) or status bar (macOS), it minimizes desktop clutter while ensuring you never miss an important update from the websites and blogs you follow.
Key capabilities include:
- Real-time Notifications: Receive instant pop-up alerts on your desktop whenever a monitored feed publishes new content. Clicking on a notification typically opens the item directly in your default web browser.
- Broad Feed Support: Compatible with both RSS and Atom feed formats, covering the vast majority of web syndication feeds available today.
- OPML Import/Export: Easily import existing feed lists from other readers using the standard OPML format, and export your Feed Notifier list for backup or use elsewhere. This simplifies migration and management of your subscriptions.
- Customizable Update Frequency: Control how often Feed Notifier checks each feed for new content, allowing you to balance timely updates with system resource usage. You can set independent update intervals for individual feeds.
- Content Filtering: Implement simple filters based on keywords or phrases within feed titles or content to only receive notifications for items that meet your criteria. This helps eliminate noise and focus on relevant updates.
- Portable Option: A portable version is available, allowing you to run Feed Notifier directly from a USB drive without installation, making it convenient for use across different computers.
Feed Notifier positions itself as a discreet and efficient way to monitor online content without the overhead of a traditional feed reader that requires a dedicated window or constant application focus. It's ideal for users who primarily consume content in their web browser but want passive alerts for new articles, news, or blog posts. Its simplicity and focus on notifications make it a valuable tool for staying current without being overwhelmed.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Provides unobtrusive desktop notifications for new feed items.
- Resides quietly in the system tray/status bar.
- Supports both RSS and Atom feed formats.
- Includes OPML import and export for easy feed management.
- Allows setting individual update frequencies for feeds.
- Lightweight and consumes minimal system resources.
Cons
- Does not have an integrated article reader; content opens in a web browser.
- Limited advanced features compared to full-fledged feed readers.
What Makes Feed Notifier Stand Out
Unobtrusive Desktop Notifications
Provides discreet pop-up alerts in the system tray/status bar without requiring a dedicated application window to be open constantly.
System Tray/Status Bar Integration
Resides silently in the background, consuming minimal screen real estate while remaining accessible for configuration.
Lightweight and Focused
Prioritizes feed notification over full article reading, offering a simple and efficient way to stay updated without feature bloat.
What can Feed Notifier do?
Review
Feed Notifier Review
Feed Notifier presents itself as a specialized utility designed for a very specific purpose: providing unobtrusive desktop notifications for new content in RSS and Atom feeds. It distinguishes itself from full-featured feed readers by opting for a minimalist approach, focusing solely on alerting the user to updates and allowing them to consume the content in their preferred web browser.
Upon installation, Feed Notifier integrates seamlessly into the system tray on Windows or the status bar on macOS. This positioning is a core aspect of its design philosophy – to be present and accessible, yet out of the way. Adding feeds is straightforward; users can manually enter feed URLs or leverage the OPML import functionality. The inclusion of OPML support is a significant advantage for users migrating from other feed readers, allowing for easy transfer of existing subscriptions.
Once feeds are added, Feed Notifier periodically checks them for new items based on the user-defined update frequency. A key feature is the ability to set individual update frequencies per feed. This granularity is useful for managing feeds with vastly different update paces, preventing constant checks on infrequently updated sources while ensuring timely notifications from more dynamic ones.
When new content is detected, Feed Notifier displays a small pop-up notification on the desktop. These notifications are designed to be brief and informative, typically showing the title of the new item. Clicking on a notification usually opens the corresponding article or page in the user's default web browser. This behavior reinforces Feed Notifier's role as a notification tool rather than a content reader itself.
Content filtering is a useful addition, allowing users to define rules based on keywords to control which notifications are displayed. This can be particularly helpful for high-volume feeds where only specific topics are of interest. By filtering out irrelevant items, users can reduce notification fatigue and focus on the content that matters most to them.
The availability of a portable version enhances Feed Notifier's flexibility, making it suitable for use on multiple machines without the need for repeated installations. This makes it convenient for users who frequently switch between computers or want to run the application from removable media.
Performance-wise, Feed Notifier is generally lightweight and consumes minimal system resources, which is expected given its focused functionality. The interface for managing feeds and settings is simple and intuitive, making it easy for new users to get started.
One area where users accustomed to traditional feed readers might find Feed Notifier lacking is the absence of integrated reading features. There is no built-in article viewer, offline reading capability, or advanced content management tools. However, this is intentional and aligns with the application's design as a notification utility. Users are expected to read the content in their web browser.
Overall, Feed Notifier successfully delivers on its promise of providing simple, unobtrusive desktop notifications for RSS and Atom feeds. Its strengths lie in its simplicity, low resource usage, customizable update frequency, and OPML support. It is an excellent choice for users who primarily rely on their web browser for content consumption but desire passive alerts for new information without the complexity or resource overhead of a full-featured feed reader.
Similar Software

Aktuell is a RSS News Reader for Mac.

atchus! provides a way of surfing the web more quickly using visually organized links.

BazQux Reader is an online newsreader.

BeyondPod gives you access to thousands free audio and video shows from all over the world. You can search for podcasts or import them from popular sites.

BlackBerry News is a news app for blackberry devices.

Bloglovin is a platform that allows users to read, organize, and discover their favorite blogs on mobile and desktop.

bulletin is a hosted webpage to broadcast important updates about your product.

CommaFeed is an Google Reader inspired self-hosted RSS reader, based on JAX-RS, Wicket and AngularJS.

Cronycle is a collaborative research platform for professionals.

Feedbin is an open source feed reader.

Feedbro is a browser extension for Google Chrome that adds local feed reading capabilities to the web browser.

FeedDemon is a free RSS feed reader for Windows.
Help others by voting if you like this software.
Compare with Similar Apps
Select any similar app below to compare it with Feed Notifier side by side.
Compare features, pricing, and reviews between these alternatives.
Compare features, pricing, and reviews between these alternatives.
Compare features, pricing, and reviews between these alternatives.
Compare features, pricing, and reviews between these alternatives.
Compare features, pricing, and reviews between these alternatives.
Compare features, pricing, and reviews between these alternatives.
Compare features, pricing, and reviews between these alternatives.
Compare features, pricing, and reviews between these alternatives.
Compare features, pricing, and reviews between these alternatives.
Compare features, pricing, and reviews between these alternatives.
Compare features, pricing, and reviews between these alternatives.
Compare features, pricing, and reviews between these alternatives.