Feeder vs RSSHub
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted rss & news readers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
RSSHub
Generate RSS feeds for sites that lack them
| Feature | Feeder | RSSHub |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 87 · Excellent | 100 · Excellent |
| Category | RSS & News Readers | RSS & News Readers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Kotlin | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | binary | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,041 | ★ 46,298 |
| First released | 2015 | 2018 |
| Replaces | Feedly | Feedly |
What are Feeder and RSSHub?
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
RSSHub
RSSHub is an extensible feed generator that creates RSS feeds for thousands of websites and services that do not provide one. It targets users who want feeds from feedless sites. It is deployed via Docker.
- Feeds for thousands of sources
- Hundreds of community routes
- Pairs with any RSS reader
- Highly extensible
Feeder vs RSSHub: key differences
Feeder is written in Kotlin, while RSSHub is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Feeder versus MIT for RSSHub. Feeder is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for RSSHub. Feeder is the more established project (first released 2015), while RSSHub arrived in 2018. RSSHub has the considerably larger community, at 46,298 GitHub stars versus 3,041. RSSHub 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 RSSHub if…
- Feeds from feedless sites
- Huge route catalog
- Active community
Watch out for
- Some routes break over time
- Not a reader itself
Frequently asked questions
Is Feeder or RSSHub better?
Neither is universally better. RSSHub has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Feeder and RSSHub free and open-source?
Yes. Feeder is licensed under GPL-3.0 and RSSHub under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Feeder and RSSHub with Docker?
Feeder: check the project docs for container support. RSSHub: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Feeder or RSSHub?
Feeder has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for RSSHub. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.