Openvibe, an app that allows you to follow open social networks like Bluesky, Mastodon, Threads, and Nostr in one place, is now expanding its functionality so you can also follow your favorite news sites and blogs. To do this, the startup is adding support for RSS, an open standard that lets you subscribe to automatic updates from websites, such as new articles or blog posts.
This addition makes Openvibe more useful for keeping up with your interests and important information without switching between multiple newsreaders, websites, or social networking apps. The new feature also puts Openvibe in more direct competition with other social media and content aggregators that track updates from across the open web. Competitors include Tapestry, a new app from the company behind the once-popular Twitter client Twitterific; Feeeed, an RSS reader that supports tracking social profiles on Mastodon and YouTube; and Surf, a new open social app and browser from the makers of Flipboard.
Openvibe CEO Matej Svancer says RSS support was always part of the app’s long-term roadmap since its launch last year. However, the feature was highly requested by users, so the team prioritized its development.
To use the feature, you can add RSS sources individually, browse the app’s suggested sites and tap “follow” on those you want to track, or import an entire OPML file from another news reader. Once more users adopt RSS, Openvibe will introduce a leaderboard showing the most added feeds to help users discover popular sources.
After adding RSS feeds, you can track updates in the app’s combined home feed, a dedicated RSS feed, or a custom feed. While RSS can also track podcasts and YouTube channels, Openvibe isn’t currently focusing on those formats. Svancer explains that while it’s technically possible to add them, the experience wouldn’t be optimal unless users don’t mind opening each item in a browser.
For news and blogs, Openvibe displays content directly within the app using a clean, distraction-free reading mode. Users who prefer visiting websites in a browser can adjust this setting. The app also offers a “Performance Mode” toggle that disables image loading in timeline previews to reduce resource usage.
The company tested the RSS feature with just over 100 users who collectively added more than 4,000 feeds. RSS support is now available in Openvibe’s iOS and Android apps. The app remains free to download without in-app purchases for now, but the company plans to introduce a subscription model in the future.
Openvibe is currently backed by funding from Czech Founders VC, Tensor Ventures, and Automattic, the parent company of WordPress.com, Tumblr, Beeper, and others.