Directory · measured August 2026

The best RSS feeds, measured and checked live

Most "best RSS feeds" lists are scraped link dumps. Every feed below was loaded in a real browser and scored on editorial quality, ad restraint, independence and five other axes. 497 sources across 13 categories. The top 5 of each are listed here with their URLs ready to copy, and every category is downloadable in full as OPML. Every row also says when that feed last posted, checked November 13, 2026.

497
feeds, each one scored
65
listed here with a copyable URL
160
loaded zero ad tech when measured
OPML
per category, free, no signup

How to use this

Copy any feed URL into whatever reader you use. NetNewsWire, Reeder, Feedbin, Inoreader and Miniflux all take a pasted URL. If you would rather not paste forty of them, take the category OPML and import it in one go. This page shows the 5 highest-ranked feeds per category to stay readable; the OPML packs carry all 497, and each category page lists its full set. Nothing here needs an account, and none of these links are affiliate links.

The badge on each row is the number of advertising domains that feed's own site contacted on the single page load we measured. Zero means zero on that load, in August 2026, from one country. It is a useful signal and it is not a promise about what you will see today.

Feeds that changed in 2026

Feeds break quietly. A site moves its feed URL or stops publishing, and readers just stop getting posts. Feeder's State of RSS for Q4 2026 found 9.5% of 10,306 popular feeds broken.

Reddit is the big one. It announced it is ending its RSS feeds on November 13, 2026, citing scraping, and said there is no replacement outside moderators' own communities. If you follow subreddits in a feed reader, those subscriptions stop.

That is why every row here says when the feed last posted. We fetch all 497 feeds around the clock for FeedsBar.

402 of 497 feeds posted in the 7 days before we checked

Signal 500 feeds by their latest post, checked November 13, 2026

Posted in last 7 days402Last post 7 to 30 days48Quiet over 30 days47
Source: Signal 500, feeds.bar. Feed ages as of November 13, 2026, from FeedsBar's own fetches. Data: doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22311917
feeds.bar
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Free to reuse with credit and a link (CC BY 4.0).

Quiet is not dead. Paul Graham publishes a few essays a year, and his feed still answers every fetch.

Best breaking news sources

35 scoredOPMLall 35
  • PBS News Politicspbs.orgposted today1 ad domain

    Measured public-broadcast politics from PBS NewsHour

    https://www.pbs.org/newshour/feeds/rss/politics
  • Meduzameduza.ioposted today1 ad domain

    Exiled Russian outlet reporting beyond the Kremlin.

    https://meduza.io/rss/en/all
  • Hong Kong Free Presshongkongfp.composted todayno ad tech

    Nonprofit reader-funded independent Hong Kong journalism

    https://hongkongfp.com/feed/
  • The Kyiv Independentkyivindependent.composted today3 ad domains

    Reader-funded English-language voice of wartime Ukraine

    https://kyivindependent.com/news-archive/rss/
  • The Moscow Timesthemoscowtimes.composted today1 ad domain

    Independent English-language coverage of Russia, now in exile.

    https://www.themoscowtimes.com/rss/news

30 more breaking news sources, ranked with their measurements, on the full breaking news list.

Best world news sources

36 scoredOPMLall 36
  • ProPublicapropublica.orgposted today1 ad domain

    Nonprofit newsroom driving accountability through investigative journalism.

    https://www.propublica.org/feeds/propublica/main
  • Bellingcatbellingcat.composted 7 days agono ad tech

    Pioneering open-source investigative collective, best-in-class OSINT

    https://www.bellingcat.com/feed/
  • The Marshall Projectthemarshallproject.orgposted today1 ad domain

    Nonprofit criminal-justice reporting, Pulitzer-grade and free.

    https://www.themarshallproject.org/rss/recent.rss
  • Rest of Worldrestofworld.orgposted todayno ad tech

    Tech's human impact across the global majority.

    https://restofworld.org/feed/latest/
  • Just Securityjustsecurity.orgposted today1 ad domain

    Expert analysis on national security law and policy.

    https://www.justsecurity.org/feed/

31 more world news sources, ranked with their measurements, on the full world news list.

Best business and finance sources

43 scoredOPMLall 43
  • Vitalik Buterin's Blogvitalik.eth.limoposted 13 days agono ad tech

    Ethereum's co-founder on cryptography and governance.

    https://vitalik.eth.limo/feed.xml
  • Stratecherystratechery.composted today1 ad domain

    Ben Thompson's tech strategy and business models.

    https://stratechery.com/feed/
  • Lenny's Newsletterlennysnewsletter.composted yesterdayno ad tech

    The definitive product-management newsletter, practical and popular

    https://www.lennysnewsletter.com/feed
  • Marginal Revolutionmarginalrevolution.composted todayno ad tech

    Prolific economists' eclectic daily links and commentary

    https://marginalrevolution.com/feed
  • Web3 is Going Great (Molly White)web3isgoinggreat.composted 14 days agono ad tech

    Sharp running ledger of crypto's scams and failures

    https://www.web3isgoinggreat.com/feed/

38 more business and finance sources, ranked with their measurements, on the full business and finance list.

Best tech and AI sources

40 scoredOPMLall 40
  • Pluralistic (Cory Doctorow)pluralistic.netposted todayno ad tech

    Doctorow's daily reader-funded tech-politics polemic

    https://pluralistic.net/feed/
  • Daring Fireballdaringfireball.netposted todayno ad tech

    Gruber's influential, opinionated Apple linkblog and commentary

    https://daringfireball.net/feeds/main
  • Krebs on Securitykrebsonsecurity.composted yesterdayno ad tech

    Brian Krebs's investigative reporting on cybercrime

    https://krebsonsecurity.com/feed/
  • Simon Willison's Weblogsimonwillison.netposted todayno ad tech

    Hands-on LLM experiments from a prolific builder

    https://simonwillison.net/atom/everything/
  • Schneier on Securityschneier.composted todayno ad tech

    Bruce Schneier on security, cryptography and surveillance

    https://www.schneier.com/feed/atom/

35 more tech and AI sources, ranked with their measurements, on the full tech and AI list.

Best engineering and design blogs

36 scoredOPMLall 36
  • Julia Evansjvns.caquiet 47 daysno ad tech

    Debugging, systems, and famed zines made joyfully approachable

    https://jvns.ca/atom.xml
  • Irrational Exuberance (Will Larson)lethain.composted 13 days agono ad tech

    Sharp engineering-leadership and management writing from a CTO.

    https://lethain.com/feeds/all/
  • Nikita Prokopov (tonsky)tonsky.mequiet 90+ daysno ad tech

    Opinionated takes on UI, fonts, and software quality

    https://tonsky.me/atom.xml
  • Hillel Waynehillelwayne.comquiet 73 daysno ad tech

    Formal methods, correctness, and the sociology of software engineering.

    https://www.hillelwayne.com/index.xml
  • Josh Comeaujoshwcomeau.composted 23 days agono ad tech

    Delightful, deeply illustrated CSS and React tutorials

    https://www.joshwcomeau.com/rss.xml

31 more engineering and design blogs, ranked with their measurements, on the full engineering and design list.

Best science and environment sources

38 scoredOPMLall 38
  • Carbon Briefcarbonbrief.orgposted today1 ad domain

    Data-driven climate science and policy analysis

    https://www.carbonbrief.org/feed/
  • Yale Environment 360e360.yale.eduposted today1 ad domain

    In-depth environmental journalism from Yale

    https://e360.yale.edu/feed.xml
  • Yale Climate Connectionsyaleclimateconnections.orgposted todayno ad tech

    Nonprofit climate reporting, quietly rigorous and reader-funded.

    https://yaleclimateconnections.org/feed/
  • NASA Breaking Newsnasa.govposted todayno ad tech

    Authoritative official NASA mission and space announcements

    https://www.nasa.gov/rss/dyn/breaking_news.rss
  • The Narwhalthenarwhal.caposted today1 ad domain

    Investigative environment and climate journalism from Canada.

    https://thenarwhal.ca/feed/

33 more science and environment sources, ranked with their measurements, on the full science and environment list.

Best health and wellbeing sources

36 scoredOPMLall 36
  • KFF Health Newskffhealthnews.orgposted today1 ad domain

    Nonprofit, freely syndicated health-policy reporting of the highest rigor

    https://kffhealthnews.org/feed/
  • The Conversation (Health)theconversation.composted 3 days ago1 ad domain

    Academic experts explain health research for everyone.

    https://theconversation.com/global/health/articles.atom
  • Science-Based Medicinesciencebasedmedicine.orgposted todayno ad tech

    Debunking pseudoscience in medicine and health claims.

    https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/feed/
  • Stronger by Sciencestrongerbyscience.comquiet 90+ daysno ad tech

    Evidence-based lifting and nutrition, deeply researched.

    https://www.strongerbyscience.com/feed/
  • Greater Good Magazinegreatergood.berkeley.eduposted today2 ad domains

    Berkeley science of meaning, compassion and happiness.

    https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/rss

31 more health and wellbeing sources, ranked with their measurements, on the full health and wellbeing list.

Best essay and longform publications

36 scoredOPMLall 36
  • The Marginalianthemarginalian.orgposted todayno ad tech

    Maria Popova on art, science, and the examined life.

    https://www.themarginalian.org/feed/
  • Aeonaeon.coposted todayno ad tech

    Ambitious essays on philosophy, science, and the human condition.

    https://aeon.co/feed.rss
  • Paul Graham: Essayspaulgraham.composted 6 days agono ad tech

    Startup founder's sharp essays on ideas, work, and thinking.

    http://www.aaronsw.com/2002/feeds/pgessays.rss
  • Psychepsyche.coposted todayno ad tech

    Aeon's sister site on mind, meaning, and living well.

    https://psyche.co/feed
  • The Puddingpudding.coolposted yesterdayno ad tech

    Gorgeous interactive data essays, rare drops, endlessly original.

    https://pudding.cool/rss.xml

31 more essay and longform publications, ranked with their measurements, on the full essay and longform list.

Best culture and arts sources

42 scoredOPMLall 42
  • JSTOR Dailydaily.jstor.orgposted todayno ad tech

    Scholarship-backed essays linking research to current culture.

    https://daily.jstor.org/feed/
  • The Quietusthequietus.composted today3 ad domains

    Independent UK music and culture, gloriously left-field

    https://thequietus.com/feed
  • Hyperallergichyperallergic.composted today2 ad domains

    Sharp, progressive contemporary art news and criticism

    https://hyperallergic.com/feed/
  • London Review of Bookslrb.co.ukposted 21 days agono ad tech

    Europe's leading magazine of long-form book criticism

    https://www.lrb.co.uk/feeds/rss
  • The Paris Reviewtheparisreview.orgposted yesterday4 ad domains

    The Daily: interviews, essays and literary miscellany

    https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/feed/

37 more culture and arts sources, ranked with their measurements, on the full culture and arts list.

Best fashion and beauty blogs

42 scoredOPMLall 42
  • Permanent Stylepermanentstyle.composted yesterday1 ad domain

    Simon Crompton's deep dive into bespoke menswear

    https://www.permanentstyle.com/feed
  • The Art of Manlinessartofmanliness.composted today2 ad domains

    Men's style, grooming and character, huge archive

    https://www.artofmanliness.com/feed/
  • Lab Muffin Beauty Sciencelabmuffin.composted 27 days ago2 ad domains

    Chemist Michelle Wong decodes skincare science

    https://labmuffin.com/feed/
  • British Beauty Bloggerbritishbeautyblogger.comquiet 84 daysno ad tech

    Jane Cunningham's veteran UK beauty commentary

    https://www.britishbeautyblogger.com/feed
  • Capitol Hill Stylecaphillstyle.composted todayno ad tech

    Sharp, opinionated workwear advice for ambitious professional women.

    https://caphillstyle.com/feed/

37 more fashion and beauty blogs, ranked with their measurements, on the full fashion and beauty list.

Best interiors and gardening blogs

38 scoredOPMLall 38
  • Yellowtraceyellowtrace.com.auposted yesterday1 ad domain

    Australian interiors, architecture and design journal

    https://www.yellowtrace.com.au/feed/
  • Ignantignant.comquiet 31 daysno ad tech

    Berlin platform for design, art and architecture

    https://www.ignant.com/feed/
  • Gardener's Pathgardenerspath.composted today2 ad domains

    In-depth, expert-driven gardening guides with genuine research.

    https://gardenerspath.com/feed/
  • Young House Loveyounghouselove.composted 9 days ago4 ad domains

    Beloved DIY couple with warmth, now posting less often.

    https://www.younghouselove.com/feed/
  • Core77core77.composted today6 ad domains

    Industrial design news, process and commentary

    https://www.core77.com/feed

33 more interiors and gardening blogs, ranked with their measurements, on the full interiors and gardening list.

Best food and travel blogs

40 scoredOPMLall 40
  • Smitten Kitchensmittenkitchen.composted 22 days ago5 ad domains

    Deb Perelman's tested, reliable home-kitchen recipes

    https://smittenkitchen.com/feed/
  • 101 Cookbooks101cookbooks.composted 3 days agono ad tech

    Heidi Swanson's natural, whole-food recipe archive

    https://www.101cookbooks.com/feed
  • The Woks of Lifethewoksoflife.composted 2 days ago3 ad domains

    A family's deep archive of Chinese cooking

    https://thewoksoflife.com/feed/
  • Just One Cookbookjustonecookbook.composted today3 ad domains

    Authentic Japanese home cooking, clearly explained

    https://www.justonecookbook.com/feed/
  • David Lebovitzdavidlebovitz.composted 10 days ago2 ad domains

    Paris-based pastry chef on French food and life

    https://www.davidlebovitz.com/feed/

35 more food and travel blogs, ranked with their measurements, on the full food and travel list.

Best sports sources

35 scoredOPMLall 35
  • Defectordefector.composted today1 ad domain

    Worker-owned, irreverent sports and culture writing

    https://defector.com/feed
  • ABC News Sport (Australia)abc.net.auposted todayno ad tech

    Australian public broadcaster's cricket, AFL and rugby coverage

    https://www.abc.net.au/news/feed/51120/rss.xml
  • Swiss Rambleswissramble.substack.composted 3 days agono ad tech

    Cult football-finance deep dives on club accounts

    https://swissramble.substack.com/feed
  • MLB Trade Rumorsmlbtraderumors.composted today1 ad domain

    Definitive baseball transactions, signings and trade coverage.

    https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/feed/
  • LA Times Sportslatimes.composted todayno ad tech

    Metro-paper sports desk with strong original reporting

    https://www.latimes.com/sports.rss

30 more sports sources, ranked with their measurements, on the full sports list.

How these were chosen, and what the numbers do not say

Every source was loaded in a real browser with its cookie banner accepted, so the page ran the way a reader sees it. We then counted advertising and third-party domains, layout shift, and the typography of an actual article. Eight scores per source, weights published, per-source measurements published.

Three things to hold against it. This is a curated list plus candidates we scored, not a census of the web, and it leans toward clean, fast, English-language sites. Each measurement is one page load from one country on one date, so treat a per-source number as a sample. And a homepage is not every article page. Full method, weights and the complete data: feeds.bar/signal-500/method. The whole catalog as one file: signal-500.opml.

This directory exists because FeedsBar is built on it: a desktop ticker for Mac and Windows that carries the clean end of this list across the edge of your screen. You do not need it to use any of the feeds above, and the OPML is yours either way.