Feedbin vs Coldsweat
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
Coldsweat
Web RSS aggregator and reader with a Fever API
| Feature | Feedbin | Coldsweat |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 86 · Excellent | 5 · At risk |
| Category | RSS & News Readers | RSS & News Readers |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Ruby | SCSS |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker | bare-metal, docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,778 | ★ 146 |
| First released | 2013 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Feedly, Google Reader | Google Reader, Feedly |
What are Feedbin and Coldsweat?
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
Coldsweat
Coldsweat is a self-hosted, web-based RSS aggregator and reader designed as a Google Reader replacement. It implements the Fever API so that compatible mobile clients can connect.
- Fever API compatibility
- Works with mobile apps
- Lightweight aggregator
Feedbin vs Coldsweat: key differences
Feedbin is written in Ruby, while Coldsweat is built with SCSS. Coldsweat is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Feedbin. Feedbin has the considerably larger community, at 3,778 GitHub stars versus 146.
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 Coldsweat if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in SCSS
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Feedbin or Coldsweat better?
Neither is universally better. Feedbin has the larger community, while Coldsweat is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Feedbin and Coldsweat free and open-source?
Yes. Feedbin is licensed under MIT and Coldsweat under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Feedbin and Coldsweat with Docker?
Feedbin: yes. Coldsweat: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Feedbin or Coldsweat?
Coldsweat has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Feedbin. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.