Feeder vs Kill the Newsletter
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted rss & news readers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Feeder | Kill the Newsletter |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 87 · Excellent | 87 · Excellent |
| Category | RSS & News Readers | RSS & News Readers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Kotlin | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,045 | ★ 3,105 |
| First released | 2015 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Feedly | Feedly |
What are Feeder and Kill the Newsletter?
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
Kill the Newsletter
Kill the Newsletter is a self-hostable service that gives you an email address whose incoming messages are turned into an RSS feed. It lets you read email newsletters in your feed reader instead of your inbox.
- Newsletters to RSS
- Disposable feed addresses
- Self-contained mail handling
- Lightweight
Feeder vs Kill the Newsletter: key differences
Feeder is written in Kotlin, while Kill the Newsletter is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Feeder versus MIT for Kill the Newsletter. Feeder is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for Kill the Newsletter. Feeder is the more established project (first released 2015), while Kill the Newsletter arrived in 2020. Kill the Newsletter 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 Kill the Newsletter if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (3.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in TypeScript
Watch out for
- Needs inbound mail config
- Per-newsletter feed setup
Frequently asked questions
Is Feeder or Kill the Newsletter better?
Neither is universally better. Kill the Newsletter has the larger community, while Feeder is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Feeder and Kill the Newsletter free and open-source?
Yes. Feeder is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Kill the Newsletter under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Feeder and Kill the Newsletter with Docker?
Feeder: check the project docs for container support. Kill the Newsletter: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Feeder or Kill the Newsletter?
Feeder has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for Kill the Newsletter. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.