FreshRSS vs RSS reader nono Leed
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted rss & news readers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
FreshRSS
Free, self-hostable RSS feed aggregator
VS
RSS reader nono Leed
Free and minimalist self-hosted RSS feed aggregator
| Feature | FreshRSS | RSS reader nono Leed |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | ≈5-minute setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 95 · Excellent | 75 · Good |
| Category | RSS & News Readers | RSS & News Readers |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | CC-BY-NC-SA-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 16,116 | ★ 236 |
| First released | 2013 | 2012 |
| Replaces | Feedly, Inoreader, Google Reader | Google Reader, Feedly |
What are FreshRSS and RSS reader nono Leed?
FreshRSS
FreshRSS is a free, self-hostable RSS and Atom feed aggregator that is fast, lightweight, and highly customizable. It targets users who want full control over their news reading. It is deployed via Docker or a PHP stack.
- Fast feed aggregation
- Multi-user support
- Mobile app API compatibility
- Extensions and themes
RSS reader nono Leed
Leed is a minimalist self-hosted RSS feed aggregator written in PHP. It is designed to be fast and simple, automatically updating feeds via cron and presenting articles in a unified list.
- Minimalist PHP aggregator
- Cron-based feed updates
- Fast unified reading list
FreshRSS vs RSS reader nono Leed: key differences
Both projects are written in PHP. Licensing differs — AGPL-3.0 for FreshRSS versus CC-BY-NC-SA-3.0 for RSS reader nono Leed. RSS reader nono Leed is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for FreshRSS. FreshRSS has the considerably larger community, at 16,116 GitHub stars versus 236. FreshRSS lists first-class Docker deployment; RSS reader nono Leed does not.
Why pick each one
Choose FreshRSS if…
- Lightweight and fast
- Works with many mobile apps
- Actively maintained
Watch out for
- Requires a database
- Interface is functional, not flashy
Choose RSS reader nono Leed if…
- Released under the CC-BY-NC-SA-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in PHP
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is FreshRSS or RSS reader nono Leed better?
Neither is universally better. FreshRSS has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are FreshRSS and RSS reader nono Leed free and open-source?
Yes. FreshRSS is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and RSS reader nono Leed under CC-BY-NC-SA-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run FreshRSS and RSS reader nono Leed with Docker?
FreshRSS: yes. RSS reader nono Leed: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, FreshRSS or RSS reader nono Leed?
RSS reader nono Leed has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for FreshRSS. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.