RSS is still a powerful way to deliver updates, but Google’s FeedBurner is dated and its email features have been curtailed. This guide explains a quick FeedBurner setup, modern alternatives, and how to create reliable RSS-driven subscriptions today.

RSS remains a dependable way to reach readers who prefer open standards over proprietary social feeds. If you’re exploring FeedBurner alternatives in 2026, you’re likely balancing three needs: easy feed management, reliable email delivery, and actionable analytics. FeedBurner still works for basic feed proxying, but its development has largely stalled and its native email tools were discontinued, prompting publishers to modernize without losing subscribers.

If you must keep legacy links alive, a minimal FeedBurner feed setup is straightforward: confirm your site’s canonical RSS/Atom URL, “burn” it in FeedBurner, enable SmartFeed/BrowserFriendly for compatibility, and use a server or CMS-level redirect so old feed links continue working. Keep pings enabled so new posts appear quickly. Treat this as a bridge, not a destination—FeedBurner is fine for pass-through feeds, but not for audience growth, deliverability, or automation.

Today’s stronger choices span three categories. Reader-facing delivery: Follow.it and Blogtrottr let people follow your feed and receive email digests with basic scheduling and filters. Email service providers with RSS-to-email: Mailchimp, ConvertKit, Buttondown, and Brevo can ingest your RSS, build branded templates, and send either per-post or digest campaigns with robust analytics, segmentation, and custom domains. Publishing platforms with built-in newsletters: Ghost, Substack, and Beehiiv combine blogging, RSS, and email, adding paywalls, recommendations, and growth tools—useful if you want an all-in-one stack rather than a mix of plugins and services.

To create durable, portable subscriptions, start by choosing a provider that supports both RSS ingestion and list export. Map out a migration plan: export any legacy subscribers, import them with explicit consent records, and set up an RSS-to-email automation. On-site, add a prominent form to create RSS feed subscription options (instant, daily, or weekly), plus clear disclosure about frequency and data use. Test deliverability (SPF, DKIM, DMARC), track UTM-tagged links, and keep your feed clean—consistent titles, full-text or summary by strategy, valid enclosure tags for podcasts, and descriptive alt text—so you’re future-proof whether readers follow by app, email, or both.