Feeder vs NewsBlur
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted rss & news readers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
NewsBlur
Personal news reader with training and sharing
| Feature | Feeder | NewsBlur |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 87 · Excellent | 91 · Excellent |
| Category | RSS & News Readers | RSS & News Readers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Kotlin | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | binary | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,045 | ★ 7,627 |
| First released | 2015 | 2009 |
| Replaces | Feedly | Feedly, Google Reader |
What are Feeder and NewsBlur?
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
NewsBlur
NewsBlur is a personal news reader that brings together feeds with intelligent training to highlight stories you care about. It targets readers who want a smart, social feed reader. It is deployed via Docker Compose.
- Story training and filtering
- Social sharing of stories
- Original site view
- Mobile apps
Feeder vs NewsBlur: key differences
Feeder is written in Kotlin, while NewsBlur is built with Python. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Feeder versus MIT for NewsBlur. Feeder is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for NewsBlur. NewsBlur is the more established project (first released 2009), while Feeder arrived in 2015. NewsBlur has the considerably larger community, at 7,627 GitHub stars versus 3,045. NewsBlur 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 NewsBlur if…
- Smart story highlighting
- Good mobile apps
- Social features
Watch out for
- Complex multi-service stack
- Heavy to self-host
Frequently asked questions
Is Feeder or NewsBlur better?
Neither is universally better. NewsBlur 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 NewsBlur free and open-source?
Yes. Feeder is licensed under GPL-3.0 and NewsBlur under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Feeder and NewsBlur with Docker?
Feeder: check the project docs for container support. NewsBlur: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Feeder or NewsBlur?
Feeder has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for NewsBlur. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.