Does FetchRSS Update My RSS Feed Automatically?

Updated

Yes. Once you create a feed with FetchRSS, it updates automatically. According to FetchRSS, "All RSS feed content updates whenever new content is added to the target web page," and there is "No need to regenerate the RSS feed each time to refresh it." The service says it constantly monitors each of your feed sources, so you don't have to trigger a refresh yourself.

What "automatic" means here

FetchRSS works as a feed provider: it stores your feed in your account on its servers and gives each feed a unique URL. That URL is what you plug into an RSS reader or other RSS-related service. Because the feed lives on FetchRSS's servers and is monitored continuously, new items on the target page should appear in the feed without any action from you.

This matters most for pages that don't offer their own RSS. If a site already publishes a native feed, you don't need a generator at all. FetchRSS is aimed at the case where you want to track a page that has no feed of its own.

How the update loop works

The process described by FetchRSS has three stages:

  1. Enter a source URL — you provide the URL of the site or page you want to track.
  2. FetchRSS pulls the content — its bot scans the page and automatically detects news, posts, and articles, or you specify exactly which content blocks you want using the visual builder.
  3. You get a feed URL — FetchRSS handles the requests, and you access the feed anytime via its unique URL.

After step 3, the monitoring described above takes over. You read the feed in whatever service you choose; you don't return to FetchRSS to "regenerate" anything.

Where the automatic behavior is most useful

  • Social media pages — FetchRSS says creating a feed from a social page is even simpler: enter the URL and you get your feed URL immediately. It names Facebook pages, YouTube channels, and Reddit accounts as examples.
  • Sites without native RSS — any page where you'd otherwise check manually.
  • Feeds you want to reshape — the advanced features let you fine-tune title, description, article count, and image/video display; filter which articles appear; apply automatic modification rules; and get output in RSS, Atom, JSON, or CSV.

Practical things to keep in mind

  • You still need a reader. The feed updates on FetchRSS's side, but you consume it through an RSS reader or another RSS-related service. If your reader polls infrequently, you may see updates later than FetchRSS registers them.
  • The feed is tied to your account. FetchRSS stores the feed in your account and serves it from a unique URL, so the URL is the thing to save or share.
  • "Automatic" depends on the source page. FetchRSS monitors the source, but if the page's structure changes, what the bot detects may change too. The visual builder exists so you can pin down exactly which content blocks belong in the feed.
  • Pricing isn't specified in the available material. The site references a subscription link, but no price or free-tier details are given here, so check the plan page before committing.

Quick verification

To confirm your own feed is updating: open the unique feed URL FetchRSS gave you, then add a new item to the source page (or wait for one to appear), and check the feed again. If new content shows up without you regenerating anything, automatic updating is working as described.