What Advanced Features Does FetchRSS Offer for Feeds?

Updated

FetchRSS offers four advanced feed capabilities beyond basic RSS generation: fine-tuning feed presentation (title, description, article count, image and video display), alternative output formats (RSS, ATOM, JSON, CSV), content filtering by conditions, and automatic modification rules. These features apply once you have created a feed from a target URL using the visual RSS builder.

Fine-tuning feed output

After a feed is created, you can customize how it presents content:

  • Feed title and description — set your own instead of inheriting the source page's.
  • Number of articles — control how many items appear in the feed.
  • Image and video display — decide how media elements are shown in the feed output.

This matters when the source page's own metadata is messy or when you want the feed to fit a specific reader or downstream use.

Alternative output formats

FetchRSS generates feeds in RSS and ATOM formats by default, and also offers JSON and CSV for advanced use. If your workflow involves scripts, spreadsheets, or data pipelines rather than a standard RSS reader, the JSON and CSV options let you consume the same feed without parsing XML.

Content filtering

You can decide which articles belong in your feed and which do not, based on various conditions. This is useful when a source page mixes content types — for example, a news site where you only want posts matching a certain topic or author.

Automatic modification rules

Beyond filtering, FetchRSS lets you create automatic modification rules so articles arrive "precisely as you need." This means the feed content can be transformed on the fly rather than passed through unchanged.

How these features fit together

Feature What it controls Typical use
Fine-tune Title, description, article count, media display Match a reader's expectations or clean up source metadata
Alternative formats RSS, ATOM, JSON, CSV Feed scripts, spreadsheets, or data tools
Filter content Which articles are included Exclude irrelevant posts from a mixed source
Modify on the fly Automatic transformation rules Standardize or reshape article content

All of these operate on the same underlying feed, which FetchRSS stores on its servers and exposes via a unique URL that updates automatically as the source page changes. You don't need to regenerate the feed to apply or benefit from these settings.

For details or edge cases not covered here, FetchRSS points to its Frequently Asked Questions page, and the fastest way to see how a specific rule behaves is to try it on a feed you've already created.