YouTube already has RSS.
Narro makes it better.

Narro is a user-curated social media app. Add the profiles you follow on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, X, Facebook, and LinkedIn — Narro shows their posts in order, with no algorithm, ads, or tracking.

The native YouTube feed gives you 15 videos, one channel at a time, with Shorts and live streams mixed in. Narro fixes all three.

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Is there a better YouTube RSS than the native one?

YouTube publishes a per-channel RSS feed at youtube.com/feeds/videos.xml?channel_id=ID. It works, but it's capped at 15 videos, requires a channel ID rather than a handle, allows only one channel per feed, and includes Shorts. Narro removes all four limitations — full history, handle resolution, multiple channels per feed, and an optional Shorts filter.

The native YouTube RSS feed

Yes, it exists. No, Google does not surface it in the YouTube UI. Here is what works in 2026.

Per channel

https://www.youtube.com/feeds/videos.xml?channel_id=CHANNEL_ID

Per playlist

https://www.youtube.com/feeds/videos.xml?playlist_id=PLAYLIST_ID

Legacy per-user (pre-2013 accounts only)

https://www.youtube.com/feeds/videos.xml?user=USERNAME

The feeds are served as Atom XML with Media RSS extensions for thumbnails. They are a legacy of the Google Data API era (sunset in 2015) and have remained live ever since, though Google no longer documents them.

Native YouTube RSS versus Narro

The native feed is free and official. Narro fixes every limitation.

Native YouTube RSSNarro
Item count per channelCapped at 15 most recentFull history retained
Channel ID required to subscribeYes, 24-character UC... IDNo. Paste any URL or @handle
Works with @handle URLsNoYes
Multi-channel aggregationNo, one feed per channelMany channels, one feed
Cross-platform mixing (Instagram, TikTok, X)NoYes, all in one feed
Reader compatibilityAtom, works in any readerRSS 2.0, works in any reader
Polling cadenceUp to the readerContinuous, near real-time
CostFree$8/month or $19/month (14-day free trial)

How to find a YouTube channel ID

The native feed requires a 24-character ID beginning with UC. Three ways to get it.

Method 1: View page source

Open the channel page in a browser. View source. Search for "channelId":"UC and copy the 24 characters that follow. This is the only fully reliable method.

Method 2: Check the URL

Some channel URLs already include the ID at /channel/UC.... If the URL looks like /@handle, this method will not work and you need Method 1 or 3.

Method 3: YouTube Data API

Resolve a handle to a channel ID via the YouTube Data API. Requires a Google Cloud project and an API key. Overkill for one channel, fine if you script it.

Method 4: Paste any YouTube URL into Narro. Narro resolves handles, vanity URLs, and channel IDs automatically.

Want the full feed, not just the last 15?

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What Narro adds on top of the native feed

Full history, not the last 15

The native feed caps at 15 recent uploads and cannot paginate. Narro retains a complete history per channel, so older videos are available when you first subscribe.

Toggle Shorts and live streams off

The native feed mixes long-form videos, Shorts, and live streams. Filtering at the URL level requires the undocumented playlist_id=UULFprefix trick, which is community-discovered, unstable, and breaks. Narro filters at the application layer, with a clean toggle that does not depend on YouTube's undocumented behavior.

One feed for many channels

Native YouTube RSS is one subscription per channel. Following fifty channels means fifty subscriptions. In Narro, you build one feed with all of them, and your reader gets a single URL.

YouTube alongside everything else you follow

Mix YouTube channels with Instagram, TikTok, X, Facebook, and LinkedIn profiles in one Narro feed. One reader subscription covers them all.

Keep YouTube for the recommendations. Use Narro for the channels you actually follow.

Where this actually matters

Following 50 or more channels without the YouTube home page

The 15-video native cap makes this impossible natively. You miss anything past the most recent 15 per channel. Narro aggregates and retains the full history.

Educational viewing for kids without recommendations

Point Narro at a handful of trusted channels. A kid gets a flat list, no sidebar, no "up next," no Shorts, no autoplay rabbit hole.

Tracking tutorial and skill channels for a side business

Cooking, woodworking, programming, real estate. The Side Hustle Optimizer use case. Stay sharp on your niche, your sources, zero distractions.

Following YouTube channels as podcasts

Some podcast apps accept YouTube Atom feeds as a video podcast source. Narro's feeds work the same way and add multi-channel and cross-platform aggregation.

YouTube RSS in any reader

Build a YouTube feed in Narro, copy its RSS URL, and paste it into whichever reader you use. Setup is the same shape everywhere.

YouTube RSS in Feedly
Open Feedly, click "+ Add Content" in the sidebar, choose "Add a Feed," and paste the Narro RSS URL. Save it to a collection.
YouTube RSS in Reeder
Open Reeder, tap "+" on the left sidebar, choose "Add Feed," and paste the Narro RSS URL. Optionally assign a folder.
YouTube RSS in Inoreader
Open Inoreader, click "Add" or use the search bar, paste the Narro RSS URL, and select "Subscribe."
YouTube RSS in NetNewsWire
Open NetNewsWire, choose File → New Feed (or "+" on iOS), paste the Narro RSS URL, and confirm.
YouTube RSS in Readwise Reader
Open Readwise Reader, click your library, choose "Add via RSS," and paste the Narro RSS URL.
YouTube RSS in Matter
Open Matter, go to Settings → Subscriptions → Add a subscription, and paste the Narro RSS URL.

YouTube RSS, common questions

Does YouTube have RSS feeds?
Yes. YouTube exposes a native RSS feed per channel at https://www.youtube.com/feeds/videos.xml?channel_id=CHANNEL_ID. The feed is real, served as Atom XML with Media RSS extensions, and remains available, though Google no longer documents it publicly.
What is the YouTube RSS feed URL format?
Three formats work today. Per channel: https://www.youtube.com/feeds/videos.xml?channel_id=CHANNEL_ID. Per playlist: https://www.youtube.com/feeds/videos.xml?playlist_id=PLAYLIST_ID. A legacy per-user format using ?user=USERNAME still works for accounts created before 2013.
How do I find a YouTube channel ID from an @handle?
Open the channel in a browser, view page source, and search for "channelId". Copy the 24-character value beginning with UC and append it to https://www.youtube.com/feeds/videos.xml?channel_id=. Narro does this lookup automatically when you paste any channel URL.
Does the native YouTube RSS feed include Shorts?
Yes, by default. The native feed mixes long-form videos, Shorts, and live streams in one stream. Narro lets you filter Shorts and live streams out, which the native feed cannot do without an undocumented playlist-prefix workaround.
How many videos does YouTube's RSS feed include?
Fifteen, and only the most recent fifteen. The native feed has no pagination, no archive, and no way to retrieve older items. Narro retains a full history per channel.
Can I get a YouTube playlist as an RSS feed?
Yes, using https://www.youtube.com/feeds/videos.xml?playlist_id=PLAYLIST_ID. Narro can also build a feed from a playlist directly.
Can I filter Shorts and live streams out of a YouTube RSS feed?
Not in the native feed without an undocumented workaround. Narro provides a toggle to exclude Shorts, exclude live streams, or both, and it survives YouTube changes that would break the URL hack.
Does YouTube RSS work with Feedly, Reeder, and Inoreader?
Yes. The native feed is standard Atom, so it works in any RSS reader. Narro feeds are the same RSS 2.0 format and work in the same readers, with a single subscription covering many channels at once.
Can I subscribe to a YouTube channel as a podcast?
Some podcast apps will accept a YouTube channel's Atom feed as a video podcast feed. Results vary by app. Narro's feeds work for the same use case and add cross-platform aggregation.
Why does YouTube not document its RSS feeds?
The feeds are a legacy of the Google Data API era, which Google sunset in 2015. The endpoints stayed live, but Google stopped surfacing them in product documentation. They are still maintained internally and still work.
Can I get a YouTube channel without recommended videos or autoplay?
Yes. RSS readers, including Narro, show only the videos from the channels you chose to follow. No recommended videos, no related content, no autoplay sidebar.
How do I follow many YouTube channels in one feed?
In Narro, add every channel to one feed. You get a single RSS URL covering all of them. The native YouTube feeds require one subscription per channel, with no way to merge them.
Does Narro respect the 15-video native limit?
No. Narro retains a full history per channel beyond the native 15-item ceiling, so older videos are available in the feed when you first subscribe.
Is the playlist_id=UULF prefix trick safe to rely on?
Undocumented and unstable. The prefix trick (replacing channel_id=UC with playlist_id=UULF for videos-only) is community-discovered, not Google-supported, and has changed before. Narro filters Shorts at the application layer, which does not depend on the trick.

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