Miniflux vs NewsBlur
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted rss & news readers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Miniflux
Minimalist and opinionated RSS feed reader
VS
NewsBlur
Personal news reader with training and sharing
| Feature | Miniflux | NewsBlur |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | ≈5-minute setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 93 · Excellent | 91 · Excellent |
| Category | RSS & News Readers | RSS & News Readers |
| License | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | Go | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 2,048 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 9,729 | ★ 7,627 |
| First released | 2014 | 2009 |
| Replaces | Feedly, Inoreader | Feedly, Google Reader |
What are Miniflux and NewsBlur?
Miniflux
Miniflux is a minimalist and opinionated feed reader focused on speed, simplicity, and a distraction-free reading experience. It targets users who want a no-nonsense RSS reader. It is deployed via Docker or a binary.
- Minimal distraction-free reading
- Single-binary deployment
- Compatible APIs for mobile apps
- Keyboard-driven interface
NewsBlur
NewsBlur is a personal news reader that brings together feeds with intelligent training to highlight stories you care about. It targets readers who want a smart, social feed reader. It is deployed via Docker Compose.
- Story training and filtering
- Social sharing of stories
- Original site view
- Mobile apps
Miniflux vs NewsBlur: key differences
Miniflux is written in Go, while NewsBlur is built with Python. Licensing differs — Apache-2.0 for Miniflux versus MIT for NewsBlur. Miniflux is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for NewsBlur. NewsBlur is the more established project (first released 2009), while Miniflux arrived in 2014.
Why pick each one
Choose Miniflux if…
- Very fast and lightweight
- Easy to deploy
- Clean reading experience
Watch out for
- Requires PostgreSQL
- Intentionally minimal features
Choose NewsBlur if…
- Smart story highlighting
- Good mobile apps
- Social features
Watch out for
- Complex multi-service stack
- Heavy to self-host
Frequently asked questions
Is Miniflux or NewsBlur better?
Miniflux is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider NewsBlur if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Miniflux and NewsBlur free and open-source?
Yes. Miniflux is licensed under Apache-2.0 and NewsBlur under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Miniflux and NewsBlur with Docker?
Miniflux: yes. NewsBlur: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Miniflux or NewsBlur?
Miniflux has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for NewsBlur. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.