Feedly hits 12 million users, launches web version and quits relying on Google’s backend

As Google Reader’s death nears — seriously, July 1 is really soon – RSS reader Feedly is stepping up its game. Feedly, which hit 12 million users at the end of May (up from 4 million in March), announced Wednesday that it is now an independently operating cloud product — i.e., it’s no longer relying on Google Reader’s backend. (If you’re already using Feedly, here’s how to be prepared for the company to roll your account over to the new cloud.)

Feedly has also launched a web-only version, which it says was the top user-requested feature. Feedly already had Chrome and Safari apps, but this means that users of other browsers, like Internet Explorer, can access the service.

Finally, the fact that Feedly’s now operating in its own cloud means that developers can build apps for it. In its blog post, the company announced the first Feedly apps — including an IFTTT (if this then that) Feedly channel that lets you “connect your feedly account to 63 other services (including Evernote, Google Drive, Gmail, Pocket, Instapaper, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, WordPress, etc.),” social media management platform Sprout Social and RSS readers for various platforms from companies like Nextgen Reader, gNewsReader, Press and Newsify.

Meanwhile, we’re planning a guide to Google Reader alternatives to help you prepare for the switch, if you haven’t switched over to a new service already. If you were a die-hard Google Reader user, what product are you using now — or are you clinging to Google Reader until the bitter end? Let us know in the comments.