CommaFeed vs Yarrharr
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
Yarrharr
Self-hosted feed reader with a mobile-friendly interface
| Feature | CommaFeed | Yarrharr |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 88 · Excellent | 69 · Good |
| Category | RSS & News Readers | RSS & News Readers |
| License | Apache-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Java | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,626 | ★ 3 |
| First released | 2013 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Feedly, Google Reader | Feedly, Google Reader |
What are CommaFeed and Yarrharr?
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
Yarrharr
Yarrharr is a self-hosted RSS and Atom feed reader written in Python and Django. It offers a clean, mobile-friendly interface for reading feeds organized into labels.
- Mobile-friendly reading
- Label-based organization
- Django-based backend
CommaFeed vs Yarrharr: key differences
CommaFeed is written in Java, while Yarrharr is built with Python. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for CommaFeed versus GPL-3.0 for Yarrharr. Yarrharr is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for CommaFeed. CommaFeed has the considerably larger community, at 3,626 GitHub stars versus 3.
Why pick each one
Choose CommaFeed if…
- Familiar classic layout
- Easy to deploy
- Lightweight
Watch out for
- Java runtime overhead
- Fewer advanced features
Choose Yarrharr if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is CommaFeed or Yarrharr better?
CommaFeed is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Yarrharr if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are CommaFeed and Yarrharr free and open-source?
Yes. CommaFeed is licensed under Apache-2.0 and Yarrharr under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run CommaFeed and Yarrharr with Docker?
CommaFeed: yes. Yarrharr: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, CommaFeed or Yarrharr?
Yarrharr has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for CommaFeed. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.