Feeder vs FreshRSS
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted rss & news readers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
FreshRSS
Free, self-hostable RSS feed aggregator
| Feature | Feeder | FreshRSS |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | ≈5-minute setup |
| Health score | 87 · Excellent | 95 · Excellent |
| Category | RSS & News Readers | RSS & News Readers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Kotlin | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | binary | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,045 | ★ 16,126 |
| First released | 2015 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Feedly | Feedly, Inoreader, Google Reader |
What are Feeder and FreshRSS?
Feeder
Feeder is an open-source, lightweight RSS and Atom feed reader for Android that works fully offline. It can also synchronize with self-hosted backends and import OPML feed lists.
- Fully offline Android reader
- OPML import and export
- Optional backend sync
FreshRSS
FreshRSS is a free, self-hostable RSS and Atom feed aggregator that is fast, lightweight, and highly customizable. It targets users who want full control over their news reading. It is deployed via Docker or a PHP stack.
- Fast feed aggregation
- Multi-user support
- Mobile app API compatibility
- Extensions and themes
Feeder vs FreshRSS: key differences
Feeder is written in Kotlin, while FreshRSS is built with PHP. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Feeder versus AGPL-3.0 for FreshRSS. Feeder is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for FreshRSS. FreshRSS is the more established project (first released 2013), while Feeder arrived in 2015. FreshRSS has the considerably larger community, at 16,126 GitHub stars versus 3,045. FreshRSS lists first-class Docker deployment; Feeder does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Feeder if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (3k GitHub stars)
- Written in Kotlin
Choose FreshRSS if…
- Lightweight and fast
- Works with many mobile apps
- Actively maintained
Watch out for
- Requires a database
- Interface is functional, not flashy
Frequently asked questions
Is Feeder or FreshRSS better?
Neither is universally better. FreshRSS has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Feeder and FreshRSS free and open-source?
Yes. Feeder is licensed under GPL-3.0 and FreshRSS under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Feeder and FreshRSS with Docker?
Feeder: check the project docs for container support. FreshRSS: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Feeder or FreshRSS?
Feeder has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for FreshRSS. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.