CommaFeed vs RSSHub
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
RSSHub
Generate RSS feeds for sites that lack them
| Feature | CommaFeed | RSSHub |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 88 · Excellent | 100 · Excellent |
| Category | RSS & News Readers | RSS & News Readers |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Java | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,626 | ★ 46,308 |
| First released | 2013 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Feedly, Google Reader | Feedly |
What are CommaFeed and RSSHub?
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
RSSHub
RSSHub is an extensible feed generator that creates RSS feeds for thousands of websites and services that do not provide one. It targets users who want feeds from feedless sites. It is deployed via Docker.
- Feeds for thousands of sources
- Hundreds of community routes
- Pairs with any RSS reader
- Highly extensible
CommaFeed vs RSSHub: key differences
CommaFeed is written in Java, while RSSHub is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for CommaFeed versus MIT for RSSHub. RSSHub is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for CommaFeed. CommaFeed is the more established project (first released 2013), while RSSHub arrived in 2018. RSSHub has the considerably larger community, at 46,308 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 RSSHub if…
- Feeds from feedless sites
- Huge route catalog
- Active community
Watch out for
- Some routes break over time
- Not a reader itself
Frequently asked questions
Is CommaFeed or RSSHub better?
Neither is universally better. RSSHub has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are CommaFeed and RSSHub free and open-source?
Yes. CommaFeed is licensed under Apache-2.0 and RSSHub under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run CommaFeed and RSSHub with Docker?
CommaFeed: yes. RSSHub: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, CommaFeed or RSSHub?
RSSHub 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.