CommaFeed vs Newsboat
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
Newsboat
Terminal RSS and Atom feed reader for text consoles
| Feature | CommaFeed | Newsboat |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 88 · Excellent | 86 · Excellent |
| Category | RSS & News Readers | RSS & News Readers |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Java | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 32 MB |
| Deployment | docker | binary, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,626 | ★ 3,913 |
| First released | 2013 | 2007 |
| Replaces | Feedly, Google Reader | Feedly |
What are CommaFeed and Newsboat?
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
Newsboat
Newsboat is an RSS and Atom feed reader for the text console. It is highly configurable, supports podcasts via podboat, and can synchronize with services like Tiny Tiny RSS and Nextcloud News.
- Highly configurable TUI
- Podcast support via podboat
- Syncs with TT-RSS and others
CommaFeed vs Newsboat: key differences
CommaFeed is written in Java, while Newsboat is built with C++. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for CommaFeed versus MIT for Newsboat. Newsboat is the lighter option, starting around 32 MB of RAM against 512 MB for CommaFeed. Newsboat is the more established project (first released 2007), while CommaFeed arrived in 2013. CommaFeed lists first-class Docker deployment; Newsboat does not.
Why pick each one
Choose CommaFeed if…
- Familiar classic layout
- Easy to deploy
- Lightweight
Watch out for
- Java runtime overhead
- Fewer advanced features
Choose Newsboat if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Active community (3.9k GitHub stars)
- Written in C++
- Tiny footprint — runs in 32 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is CommaFeed or Newsboat better?
Neither is universally better. Newsboat 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 Newsboat free and open-source?
Yes. CommaFeed is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Newsboat under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run CommaFeed and Newsboat with Docker?
CommaFeed: yes. Newsboat: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, CommaFeed or Newsboat?
Newsboat has the smaller minimum footprint at 32 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for CommaFeed. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.