Feedbin vs FeedHQ
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted rss & news readers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Feedbin
Nice, simple, open-source RSS reader
VS
FeedHQ
Web-based feed reader with Google Reader API support
| Feature | Feedbin | FeedHQ |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 86 · Excellent | 14 · At risk |
| Category | RSS & News Readers | RSS & News Readers |
| License | MIT | BSD-3-Clause |
| Language | Ruby | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,778 | ★ 579 |
| First released | 2013 | 2012 |
| Replaces | Feedly, Google Reader | Google Reader, Feedly |
What are Feedbin and FeedHQ?
Feedbin
Feedbin is a web-based RSS reader that is also offered as a hosted service, with the full source available for self-hosting. It supports newsletters, podcasts, and a clean reading interface.
- Polished reading experience
- Newsletter and podcast support
- Full API for clients
FeedHQ
FeedHQ is a web-based feed reader that you can self-host, with support for the Google Reader API. This makes it compatible with many third-party mobile and desktop reader apps.
- Google Reader API compatibility
- Works with many apps
- Keyboard-driven interface
Feedbin vs FeedHQ: key differences
Feedbin is written in Ruby, while FeedHQ is built with Python. Licensing differs — MIT for Feedbin versus BSD-3-Clause for FeedHQ. FeedHQ is the lighter option, starting around 512 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Feedbin. Feedbin has the considerably larger community, at 3,778 GitHub stars versus 579.
Why pick each one
Choose Feedbin if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (3.8k GitHub stars)
- Written in Ruby
Choose FeedHQ if…
- Released under the BSD-3-Clause license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Python
- Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Feedbin or FeedHQ better?
Neither is universally better. Feedbin has the larger community, while FeedHQ is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Feedbin and FeedHQ free and open-source?
Yes. Feedbin is licensed under MIT and FeedHQ under BSD-3-Clause. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Feedbin and FeedHQ with Docker?
Feedbin: yes. FeedHQ: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Feedbin or FeedHQ?
FeedHQ has the smaller minimum footprint at 512 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Feedbin. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.