A new iOS app called HyperTexting aims to make browsing the open web feel as effortless as scrolling through a social media feed, without algorithms, targeted advertising, or platform lock-in.
Created by veteran developer Caleb Hailey through his studio Herd Works, HyperTexting is a free app that combines subscribing and publishing into a single experience. Users follow websites, blogs, newsletters, and podcasts, and their content appears in a reverse-chronological feed reminiscent of Facebook or X, but powered entirely by RSS under the hood.
“Somewhere along the way, social media came, and it was easier to make a page and post to your page than it was a website. And the rest is history,” Hailey told TechCrunch. “Instead of chasing the platforms, my opinion is that the greatest decentralized social network ever created already exists, and it’s called the World Wide Web. Let’s just use that.”
Hailey was inspired to build HyperTexting after watching Twitter lose its way with algorithmic timelines and deranked links. He uninstalled all social apps during the COVID-19 pandemic and returned to an RSS reader (NetNewsWire), where he realized the RSS protocol was powerful but inaccessible to mainstream audiences. HyperTexting wraps RSS in a familiar social-media interface without marketing the protocol directly.
Key features
The app lets users add their own websites, supporting WordPress, Ghost, Hugo, and HyperTemplates, and post directly from the app. Posts linked to original content appear in followers’ feeds. Articles can be viewed without advertisements. Podcasts play within the app. An Explore section surfaces trending content across the web, reminiscent of the defunct Nuzzel service. A Safari extension lets users add new websites to follow while browsing.
HyperTexting is currently free on iOS. Hailey said future monetization may involve premium subscriptions for extra features or a single sponsored post per day.
The app is available now on the iOS App Store.
Source: A new app, HyperTexting, turns the open web into a scrollable social media-like feed (TechCrunch, July 10, 2026)