Feedbin vs Yarrharr
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
Yarrharr
Self-hosted feed reader with a mobile-friendly interface
| Feature | Feedbin | Yarrharr |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 86 · Excellent | 69 · Good |
| Category | RSS & News Readers | RSS & News Readers |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Ruby | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,778 | ★ 3 |
| First released | 2013 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Feedly, Google Reader | Feedly, Google Reader |
What are Feedbin and Yarrharr?
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
Yarrharr
Yarrharr is a self-hosted RSS and Atom feed reader written in Python and Django. It offers a clean, mobile-friendly interface for reading feeds organized into labels.
- Mobile-friendly reading
- Label-based organization
- Django-based backend
Feedbin vs Yarrharr: key differences
Feedbin is written in Ruby, while Yarrharr is built with Python. Licensing differs — MIT for Feedbin versus GPL-3.0 for Yarrharr. Yarrharr is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Feedbin. Feedbin has the considerably larger community, at 3,778 GitHub stars versus 3.
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 Yarrharr if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Feedbin or Yarrharr better?
Neither is universally better. Feedbin has the larger community, while Yarrharr is simpler to set up (medium difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Feedbin and Yarrharr free and open-source?
Yes. Feedbin is licensed under MIT and Yarrharr under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Feedbin and Yarrharr with Docker?
Feedbin: yes. Yarrharr: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Feedbin or Yarrharr?
Yarrharr has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Feedbin. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.