CNET Editors' review
Long thought of as one of the best RSS and Atom feed readers around, FeedDemon 3.1 is a good effort to move beyond some of the controversial changes that were implemented during the upgrade to version 3. This latest update includes multiple new features, although we found that performance hadn't changed much.
FeedDemon has dumped its proprietary online synchronization site, newsgator.com, in favor of syncing with Google Reader. New users won't notice, but older users are likely to lose many unread feeds since Google can't import feeds with more than 10 unread items. Once synced, unread items can number more than 10 items again. There's also a new, persistent ad placed in the lower left corner of the interface that goes away when you buy a $10 license. FeedDemon's performance could be a lot better--its RAM usage was hefty and even 3GB of RAM didn't prevent occasional program hang-ups. FeedDemon's database can be massaged into being a bit quicker by regular compacting, but that extra step is cumbersome.
The new features list is mostly about bringing FeedDemon into parity with Google Reader, although that's not necessarily a bad thing. The program has relied on Google for online syncing since version 3, and now includes on-the-fly item translation, a "Shared by people I follow" for syncing shared Google Reader items, and a "like" icon that must be enabled in the new option for customizing item icons. More short URL previews are supported than before, you can automatically mark incoming items read on a per-feed basis, and the Send To option now includes Twitter. Still, FeedDemon remains a favored option for desktop feed management.
Publisher's Description
From NewsGator Technologies:
FeedDemon, the most popular Windows RSS reader. The easy-to-use interface makes it a snap to stay informed with the latest news and information. You can completely customize the way feeds are organized and displayed and set up custom news watches based on keywords. You can even download podcasts and audio files and have them show up on your portable audio device. In addition, FeedDemon now synchronizes with NewsGator Online and the rest of the NewsGator RSS Suite. The software is pre-configured with dozens of feeds, so you can unleash the power of RSS right away.
FeedDemon is in the Newsreaders & RSS Readers category of the Browsers section.
More Popular Newsreaders & RSS Readers downloads
- UseNeXT
696 downloads
- GrabIt
522 downloads
- RSS Feeds Toolbar for Microsoft Internet Explorer
369 downloads
- Desktop Ticker
316 downloads
- Snarfer
166 downloads
-
All versions:
3.9 starsout of 87 votes
-
Current version:
4.0 starsout of 5 votes
-
My rating:
Write review
Results 1-5 of 5
-
"locks up system staring"
Version: FeedDemon 4.0.0.22
Pros
it catches rss
Cons
freezes often, takes several min. to load
-
"I have not used it enough yet to form a full opinion."
Version: FeedDemon 4.0.0.22
Pros
Easy to add feeds and present them to you in a tabbed fashion.
Cons
I may have not fully explored it enough to know for sure, but I would like it to be able to use an external player to play the video of downloaded video podcast. Right now I go to the download folder to play back video downloads.
Summary
So for so good. It seems to be a very capable program.
-
"Does the job"
Version: FeedDemon 4.0.0.22
Pros
Intuitive and has a pretty good browser.
Easy to useCons
none that I could find
Summary
I was using another product. I switched to a new computer and already formatted the old hard drive before I remembered that I needed the other reader. I could not remember what it was called. I tried this and it does the job. I couldn't be happier.
I use it mainly for rss feeds of craigslist searches. -
"Love this program"
Version: FeedDemon 4.0.0.22
Pros
Flexible, easy to read and organize.
Cons
None I can think of at moment.
Summary
Try it, you will like it.
-
"Underrated"
Version: FeedDemon 4.0.0.22
Pros
Convenient access to all your feeds
Cons
None really
Results 1-5 of 5
Add Your Review
Submit your reply
E-mail this review
Report offensive content
See more CNET content tagged:
Previous Versions:

