Feeder vs RSS-Bridge
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted rss & news readers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
RSS-Bridge
Generate RSS feeds for websites that lack them
| Feature | Feeder | RSS-Bridge |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | ≈5-minute setup |
| Health score | 87 · Excellent | 83 · Excellent |
| Category | RSS & News Readers | RSS & News Readers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | Unlicense |
| Language | Kotlin | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | binary | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,045 | ★ 9,249 |
| First released | 2015 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Feedly | Feedly |
What are Feeder and RSS-Bridge?
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
RSS-Bridge
RSS-Bridge is a PHP project capable of generating RSS and Atom feeds for websites that do not provide them. It includes hundreds of bridges for social networks, news sites, and more.
- Creates feeds for feedless sites
- Hundreds of built-in bridges
- No database required
Feeder vs RSS-Bridge: key differences
Feeder is written in Kotlin, while RSS-Bridge is built with PHP. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Feeder versus Unlicense for RSS-Bridge. Feeder is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 128 MB for RSS-Bridge. RSS-Bridge has the considerably larger community, at 9,249 GitHub stars versus 3,045. RSS-Bridge 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 RSS-Bridge if…
- Released under the Unlicense license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 9.2k GitHub stars
Frequently asked questions
Is Feeder or RSS-Bridge better?
Neither is universally better. RSS-Bridge has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Feeder and RSS-Bridge free and open-source?
Yes. Feeder is licensed under GPL-3.0 and RSS-Bridge under Unlicense. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Feeder and RSS-Bridge with Docker?
Feeder: check the project docs for container support. RSS-Bridge: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Feeder or RSS-Bridge?
Feeder has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for RSS-Bridge. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.