Feeder vs RSS Guard
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 | RSS Guard |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 87 · Excellent | 87 · Excellent |
| Category | RSS & News Readers | RSS & News Readers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Kotlin | C++ |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | binary | binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,045 | ★ 2,761 |
| First released | 2015 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Feedly | Feedly |
What are Feeder and RSS Guard?
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 Guard
RSS Guard is a simple but powerful desktop feed reader supporting RSS, Atom, and JSON feeds. It synchronizes with Tiny Tiny RSS, Nextcloud News, FreshRSS, Google Reader API, and more.
- Supports many sync backends
- RSS, Atom, and JSON feeds
- Cross-platform Qt app
Feeder vs RSS Guard: key differences
Feeder is written in Kotlin, while RSS Guard is built with C++. Feeder is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for RSS Guard. RSS Guard is the more established project (first released 2013), while Feeder arrived in 2015.
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 Guard if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (2.8k GitHub stars)
- Written in C++
Frequently asked questions
Is Feeder or RSS Guard better?
Neither is universally better. Feeder has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Feeder and RSS Guard free and open-source?
Yes. Feeder is licensed under GPL-3.0 and RSS Guard under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Feeder and RSS Guard with Docker?
Feeder: check the project docs for container support. RSS Guard: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Feeder or RSS Guard?
Feeder has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for RSS Guard. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.