Feeder vs yarr
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 | yarr |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 87 · Excellent | 89 · Excellent |
| Category | RSS & News Readers | RSS & News Readers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Kotlin | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | binary | binary, docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,045 | ★ 4,049 |
| First released | 2015 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Feedly | Feedly, Google Reader |
What are Feeder and yarr?
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
yarr
yarr is a minimal, self-contained RSS and Atom feed aggregator that runs as a single binary with an embedded web UI. It targets users wanting the simplest possible feed reader. It is deployed as a binary or via Docker.
- Single self-contained binary
- Embedded web interface
- SQLite storage
- Cross-platform
Feeder vs yarr: key differences
Feeder is written in Kotlin, while yarr is built with Go. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Feeder versus MIT for yarr. Feeder is the more established project (first released 2015), while yarr arrived in 2020. Yarr 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 yarr if…
- Extremely simple to run
- Tiny footprint
- No dependencies
Watch out for
- Single-user only
- Minimal feature set
Frequently asked questions
Is Feeder or yarr better?
Neither is universally better. yarr has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Feeder and yarr free and open-source?
Yes. Feeder is licensed under GPL-3.0 and yarr under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Feeder and yarr with Docker?
Feeder: check the project docs for container support. yarr: yes.