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Software · head to head

Artifact vs The Old Reader

A

Artifact

Software

AI-powered personalized news discovery

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
The Old Reader logo

The Old Reader

Software

A classic RSS reader for the modern web

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • They diverge on capability: Artifact covers AI recommendations, The Old Reader covers RSS reading.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Artifact and The Old Reader actually diverge.

Attributes where Artifact and The Old Reader differ
AttributeArtifactThe Old Reader
Pricing modelfreefreemium
PlatformsIos, AndroidWeb, Ios, Android
Founded20222012

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Artifact

  • AI recommendations
  • Article summaries
  • Clickbait detection
  • Topic following

Only in The Old Reader

  • RSS reading
  • Following friends
  • Keyboard shortcuts
  • OPML import/export
  • Third-party apps
  • Browser bookmarklet
  • Web support

Both cover

  • Social sharing
  • Social sharing
  • Ios support
  • Android support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Artifact

  • News consumptionnot The Old Reader
  • Content discoverynot The Old Reader
  • Staying informednot The Old Reader

The Old Reader

  • RSS readingnot Artifact
  • News aggregationnot Artifact
  • Social readingnot Artifact

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Artifact

  • Wound down in early April 2024. Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger closed it, saying the market opportunity was not large enough to keep investing
  • Yahoo acquired the personalisation technology and folded it into Yahoo News, so the app itself is not coming back
  • The founders stayed only in an advisory capacity through the transition

The Old Reader

Nothing recorded yet. See the The Old Reader review.

Pricing, plan by plan

Artifact

Free
  • FreeFree
    • AI-powered recommendations
    • Article summaries
    • Social features

The Old Reader

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 100 subscriptions
    • Social features
    • Web access
  • Premium$3/month
    • 500 subscriptions
    • Search history
    • Priority refresh
  • Supporter$5/month
    • Unlimited subscriptions
    • All premium features
    • Support development

Which should you pick?

Choose Artifact if

  • You need ai recommendations.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Ios, Android.
  • You also want article summaries.
Artifact review

Choose The Old Reader if

  • You need rss reading.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want following friends.
The Old Reader review

Questions people ask

Is Artifact or The Old Reader better?
Neither clearly leads. Artifact starts at Free and The Old Reader at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Artifact or The Old Reader?
Artifact starts at Free and The Old Reader at Free.
Does Artifact or The Old Reader run on more platforms?
Artifact runs on Ios, Android. The Old Reader runs on Web, Ios, Android.
Can I use Artifact for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Artifact best used for?
Artifact is most often used for news consumption, content discovery, staying informed. Of those, news consumption and content discovery are not what The Old Reader is typically brought in for.
What can Artifact do that The Old Reader cannot?
Artifact covers AI recommendations, Article summaries, Clickbait detection, Topic following. The Old Reader covers RSS reading, Following friends, Keyboard shortcuts, OPML import/export. Both handle Social sharing, Social sharing, Ios support, Android support.
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Related pages

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