Technology Newsletters

Mailbrew Alternatives: 8 Great Options (Free & Paid)

G
Glen Romero
April 15, 2024 Updated February 12, 2026
Mailbrew Alternatives: 8 Great Options (Free & Paid)

Mailbrew popularized a simple idea: build a daily email digest from sources you care about (RSS feeds, newsletters, social, and more).

If you're searching for a Mailbrew alternative, the best option depends on what you actually want:

  • An RSS reader app (you read in an app)
  • A newsletter reader (you read newsletters in one inbox)
  • A daily email digest (you read everything as one briefing)

Below are 8 strong alternatives, plus guidance on how to pick.

Quick Picks

  • If you want the closest "daily briefing" experience: Digest
  • If you want a classic RSS reader: Feedly (easy) or Inoreader (power user)
  • If newsletters are the main problem: Digest Newsletter Reader
  • If you want RSS delivered to your inbox: Digest or Briefcake

Comparison Table (High-Level)

Tool Best for Pricing What it replaces
Digest Daily email briefing Free / $4.99/mo Mailbrew-style daily digest (RSS + more)
Feedly Classic RSS reader Free / $6–$12/mo Reading feeds in a dedicated app
Inoreader Power RSS workflows Free / $2.50–$12.50/mo Heavy filtering, monitoring, automation
Readwise Reader Reading + highlights $8.99/mo RSS + read-later + highlights workflow
Meco Newsletter reading Free / $9.99/mo A "newsletter inbox" separate from Gmail
Kill the Newsletter Newsletter -> RSS Free Turning emails into RSS feeds
Feedbin Minimal RSS reading $5/mo A clean web feed reader
Briefcake RSS by email Free / $3/mo A simple "send me my feeds" inbox workflow

1) Digest (Closest Mailbrew Alternative)

Digest is a good fit if what you liked about Mailbrew was the daily briefing itself.

Instead of checking multiple apps, you can roll up RSS feeds, email newsletters, Reddit, YouTube, X, Bluesky, podcasts, and more into one daily email digest.

Pricing: Free (up to 3 sources). Pro at $4.99/mo for unlimited sources and all integrations.

2) Feedly

Feedly is one of the most popular RSS readers. It's a solid choice if you want a clean reading experience and simple organization.

Pricing: Free (up to 100 sources). Pro at $6/mo, Pro+ at $12/mo.

Choose Feedly if:

  • You primarily care about RSS feeds
  • You want a straightforward RSS reader app that works well day-to-day

3) Inoreader

Inoreader is for people who want RSS to behave like an information system.

Pricing: Free (150 sources). Supporter at $2.50/mo, Pro at $5/mo, Enterprise at $12.50/mo.

Choose Inoreader if:

  • You want advanced rules/filters and monitoring
  • You follow a lot of sources and need automation to stay sane

4) Readwise Reader

Readwise Reader is less about "RSS inbox" and more about a reading workflow (save, highlight, revisit).

Pricing: $8.99/mo (includes Readwise highlights syncing). 30-day free trial.

Choose Readwise Reader if:

  • You highlight and save articles a lot
  • You want your reading queue to double as a knowledge base

5) Meco

If Mailbrew was mostly about newsletters for you, a dedicated newsletter reader can be a better fit than an RSS app.

Meco is a newsletter-focused reader.

Pricing: Free plan available. Pro at $9.99/mo for unlimited newsletters.

Choose Meco if:

  • You want a clean place to read newsletters (without clogging Gmail)
  • You want a newsletter-focused experience first

6) Kill the Newsletter

Kill the Newsletter is useful if you want newsletters to behave like RSS.

Pricing: Completely free and open source.

Choose it if:

  • You want to subscribe to newsletters but read them in an RSS reader
  • You prefer RSS tooling over email tooling

7) Feedbin

Feedbin is a fast, minimal web-based RSS reader that does the basics really well.

Pricing: $5/mo (no free plan, 14-day free trial).

Choose Feedbin if:

  • You want a simple web RSS reader without a lot of complexity
  • You value speed and a clean UI

8) Briefcake

Briefcake is a good option if your goal is simple: send me my feeds in email.

Briefcake focuses on RSS-to-email.

Pricing: Free plan available. Pro at $3/mo.

Choose Briefcake if:

  • You don't want another app in your life
  • You want RSS delivered as a daily email

FAQ

What happened to Mailbrew?

Mailbrew was acquired by Readwise in 2023. The standalone Mailbrew product was eventually discontinued, with users encouraged to migrate to Readwise Reader. Readwise Reader is a broader reading app (RSS, newsletters, PDFs, highlights) rather than a simple daily email digest tool.

Is there a free Mailbrew alternative?

Yes. Digest has a free plan that lets you combine up to 3 sources into a daily email digest. Kill the Newsletter is completely free for converting newsletters to RSS feeds. Feedly and Inoreader also have free tiers for basic RSS reading.

Can I get a daily email digest like Mailbrew?

Digest is the closest alternative to Mailbrew's daily email digest format. It combines RSS feeds, email newsletters, Reddit, YouTube, X, Bluesky, podcasts, and more into a single daily or weekly email briefing, which is the same core concept Mailbrew offered.

Related Guides

Looking for newsletter recommendations? Check out our curated guides:

Want a Better RSS Reader Too?

If you're comparing products in the "RSS reader" category, see our full guide: Best RSS reader apps.

G
Glen Romero
Digest Team

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