A major update recently rolled out the Feedly client FeedLab. With it comes offline article support, a new design, and a handful of little things that add up to make a solid app.
The app is available for free on Windows 10, Windows 10 Mobile, and HoloLens, though to remove ads and have access to all of its features you'll have to pay extra. There are multiple pricing plans ranging from $1.49-$4.99. You don't have to pay the full $4.99 to access all of the features, it's up to you on how much you pay the the developers.
Features and design
Just about every Feedly client has the same set of basic features. You subscribe to RSS feeds and then can browse content within categories. What separates Feedly clients like FeedLab is how they present articles, allow you to customize the look and feel of your newsfeed, and enhance the experience with features that make it worth using the app over a web browser. Feedly's presentation is elegant, yet simple, and presents a lot of information with multiple theme options.
You can customize what your newsfeed looks like, how the newsfeed looks on the side while you're reading another article, and pick how you want to view content such as web view or one of two mobilizer options. FeedLab does all of these well and it very much feels and looks natural within Windows 10.
The most useful feature is a new one to FeedLab: offline content storage. You can't count on always having a web connection when you want it — subways, airplanes, deep in the bowels of the office — so FeedLab can store the articles in your feeds offline. It can take some time to download all of your content, so Feedlab lets you specify categories to sync instead of everything.
Little things add up
In addition to major features such as airplane mode, FeedLab also gained translation for German, Spanish, and Portuguese. It also has touches of Fluent Design including a transparent settings menu. The app has keyboard shortcuts, cross-device syncing, favicons, and other little touches that make it enjoyable to use.
Summary
FeedLab's latest update leaves a solid Feedly client that provides a high level of customization and some handy features that help you read more content. The airplane mode is particularly handy for if you commute on a route that prevents you from having access to the internet such as subways or airplanes.
The app isn't expensive for what it provides but you do have to be careful to read what the different premium upgrades do. For example, the two least expensive options only remove ads for a year.
Overall, FeedLab is solid, beautiful, and delivers a good Feedly experience on Windows 10 devices.
Pros
- Simple design
- Airplane mode for offline articles
- Syncs content across devices
Cons
- Odd pricing structure
