Attensa for Outlook and Newsgator Inbox are the most popular add-ons for reading RSS feeds in Microsoft Outlook.

Attensa vs Newsgator - Here's a comparison of these world-class Outlook plugins based on the most commonly used features.

Web Browser Support
Newsgator is IE only while Attensa installs a toolbar both in Firefox and Internet Explorer. Similar to Windows Live Onfolio, Attensa automatically detects RSS feeds in webpages.

PodCasting and Video Support
Attensa automatically adds Podcast audio content into iTunes and Windows Media Player Playlists via Outlook. You can also configure Attensa to store other feed enclosures like Pictures, Music and Video files. Newsgator Inbox 2.6 and higher will include Podcasting support via Feedstation.

Support for Tags, Categories
Unlike Newsgator, Attensa for Outlook offers tight integration with del.icio.us - you can easily tag individual articles or entire feeds and post them to del.icio.us without opening another browser window.

Reading Layouts
Both Attensa and Newsgator offer very similar user interfaces for posting, reading and managing content. You can define new stylesheets or use existing templates to customize your reading layout.

Blogging Features
Both plugins make publishing new articles to popular Blogging Platforms like Blogger, MovableType or Typepad as easily as composing an email. However, Attensa has in-built support for these platforms while Newsgator Outlook requires separate blogging plug-ins available for free. Attensa can publish the same post to multiple blogs in one go.

Price Comparison
Newsgator Outlook edition has more flexible subscription plans starting from $1.95/mo or $19.95/year while Atensa for Outlook is available at a flat rate of $20/year. Both companies offer a two-week fully functional trial version.

Features only available in Attensa for Outlook

1. With Attensa, you can preview articles before deciding to subscribe an RSS feed.

2. The Attensa RSS Engine can download feed even if Microsoft Outlook is not running. There is no waiting for feeds to load every time you launch Outlook.

Features exclusive to Newsgator Inbox Outlook

1. Newsgator comes with FeedDemon - an award winning standalong desktop RSS client.

2. NewsGator provides support for Windows XP Media Center edition - You can view content from syndicated RSS and Atom content feeds on your TV. If some items within a feed
contain audio or video content, visual cues will alert you.

3. Newsgator offers URL Search similar to Technorati Cosmos - When you create a URL Search Feed, NewsGator will find web sites and blogs that mention that URL.

More: Windows Vista RSS | Microsoft Office RSS Icon | Microsoft Office 2007 Newsreader

Download Attensa for Outlook | Download NewsGator Outlook Edition