Feeder vs Winds
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 | Winds |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 87 · Excellent | 15 · At risk |
| Status | Actively maintained | Archived |
| Category | RSS & News Readers | RSS & News Readers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Kotlin | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | binary | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,045 | ★ 9,092 |
| First released | 2015 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Feedly | Feedly |
What are Feeder and Winds?
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
Winds
Winds is an open-source RSS reader and podcast application with a polished interface. It can be self-hosted and offers personalized recommendations powered by activity feeds.
- RSS and podcast reader
- Polished modern interface
- Recommendation feeds
Feeder vs Winds: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Winds's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Feeder is actively maintained. Feeder is written in Kotlin, while Winds is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Feeder versus MIT for Winds. Feeder is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Winds. Feeder is the more established project (first released 2015), while Winds arrived in 2017. Winds has the considerably larger community, at 9,092 GitHub stars versus 3,045. Winds 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 Winds if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 9.1k GitHub stars
- Written in JavaScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Feeder or Winds better?
Neither is universally better. Winds 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 Winds free and open-source?
Yes. Feeder is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Winds under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Feeder and Winds with Docker?
Feeder: check the project docs for container support. Winds: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Feeder or Winds?
Feeder has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Winds. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.