CommaFeed vs NewsBlur
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted rss & news readers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
CommaFeed
Google Reader-inspired self-hosted RSS reader
VS
NewsBlur
Personal news reader with training and sharing
| Feature | CommaFeed | NewsBlur |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 88 · Excellent | 91 · Excellent |
| Category | RSS & News Readers | RSS & News Readers |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Java | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,626 | ★ 7,627 |
| First released | 2013 | 2009 |
| Replaces | Feedly, Google Reader | Feedly, Google Reader |
What are CommaFeed and NewsBlur?
CommaFeed
CommaFeed is a self-hosted RSS reader inspired by the look and feel of the discontinued Google Reader. It targets users who miss the classic Google Reader experience. It is deployed via Docker.
- Google Reader-style interface
- Keyboard shortcuts
- Multi-user support
- REST API
NewsBlur
NewsBlur is a personal news reader that brings together feeds with intelligent training to highlight stories you care about. It targets readers who want a smart, social feed reader. It is deployed via Docker Compose.
- Story training and filtering
- Social sharing of stories
- Original site view
- Mobile apps
CommaFeed vs NewsBlur: key differences
CommaFeed is written in Java, while NewsBlur is built with Python. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for CommaFeed versus MIT for NewsBlur. CommaFeed is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for NewsBlur. NewsBlur is the more established project (first released 2009), while CommaFeed arrived in 2013. NewsBlur has the considerably larger community, at 7,627 GitHub stars versus 3,626.
Why pick each one
Choose CommaFeed if…
- Familiar classic layout
- Easy to deploy
- Lightweight
Watch out for
- Java runtime overhead
- Fewer advanced features
Choose NewsBlur if…
- Smart story highlighting
- Good mobile apps
- Social features
Watch out for
- Complex multi-service stack
- Heavy to self-host
Frequently asked questions
Is CommaFeed or NewsBlur better?
Neither is universally better. NewsBlur has the larger community, while CommaFeed is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are CommaFeed and NewsBlur free and open-source?
Yes. CommaFeed is licensed under Apache-2.0 and NewsBlur under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run CommaFeed and NewsBlur with Docker?
CommaFeed: yes. NewsBlur: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, CommaFeed or NewsBlur?
CommaFeed has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for NewsBlur. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.