14 DAY TRIAL // With Google Reader soon to be retired, its few users are left scouring for alternatives. There aren't that many out there, but perhaps more than most people expected. And the surge in interest is making it hard for some to keep up.
There have been plenty of reader apps, such as Flipboard, Pulse, even Google's own Currents, that are supposed to replace RSS readers, but they're not a direct replacement for Google Reader. They may work for some people, but not power users.
There are a few actual Google Reader alternatives out there. Unfortunately, most actually rely on Google Reader, so they will be hit by the closure.
That's because, while making an RSS client isn't that hard, creating the backend infrastructure is.
Thankfully, Feedly, one of the alternative readers, is also working on a sync API to replace the Google Reader API, which should make it possible for all the other clients to stay alive.
"We have been working on a project called Normandy which is a feedly clone of the Google Reader API – running on Google App Engine. When Google Reader shuts down, feedly will seamlessly transition to the Normandy back end," Feedly announced on its blog.
In fact, Feedly should probably be the first thing to check out if you plant to switch from Google Reader.
The site could use a couple of improvements and perhaps some optimization, but it's on par with what Reader offers feature wise, and even comes with a few interesting additions.
Another promising alternative is NewsBlur. It's not running very smoothly at the moment, since it seems that a lot of people are checking it out, but it comes with plenty of features to satisfy exiled Reader users.
It's only free for up to 64 feeds, you'll have to pay to get unlimited feeds and more frequent checks.
Also worth checking out is The Old Reader, which bills itself as a clone of the old, pre-redesign Google Reader. It's also suffering from an influx of new users, but should feel very familiar to Reader users.