Despite all evidence to the contrary, RSS is apparently still not dead. Mailbrew is trying to put a “modern” spin on it by using e-mail as the delivery method. E-mail might not be particularly new, but unlike RSS, it’s showing no signs of going anywhere.
Especially in an age where our e-mail inboxes are littered with junk newsletters, tools like Mailbrew and SubscriptionScore aim to give us back control.
While SubscriptionScore allows you to limit the junk that goes in, Mailbrew handles the opposite direction of traffic by allowing you to curate what comes in.
Mailbrew separates itself from RSS feed readers not just by mode of delivery, but also by making sure their newsletters are “beautiful” and pleasant to scroll through.
We tend to look past the outdated designs of RSS readers for the sheer convenience they provide, but Mailbrew thinks you shouldn’t have to settle like that.
Mailbrew also pulls from sources beyond just RSS feeds. It allows you to subscribe to subreddits, Twitter users and YouTube channels.
That’s less functionality than Fraidycat which we recently looked at, but you might value an attractive UI more than additional sources that you might not need.
The caveat is that their service is not free.
It costs $10 a month to access all of their features. They do offer a free tier though, which limits you to three newsletters that are sent weekly (as opposed to having the options of daily, weekly and monthly).
The free tier also limits you even further in terms of sources. Gone are Twitter and YouTube.
Users on Mailbrew’s free plan can only subscribe to subreddits and RSS feeds.
Mailbrew defends their subscription model by saying they don’t sell user data or show ads. They also allow you to extend your Pro trial by inviting friends.
