Feedbin vs yarr
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted rss & news readers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Feedbin | yarr |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 86 · Excellent | 89 · Excellent |
| Category | RSS & News Readers | RSS & News Readers |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Ruby | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker | binary, docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,778 | ★ 4,049 |
| First released | 2013 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Feedly, Google Reader | Feedly, Google Reader |
What are Feedbin and yarr?
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
yarr
yarr is a minimal, self-contained RSS and Atom feed aggregator that runs as a single binary with an embedded web UI. It targets users wanting the simplest possible feed reader. It is deployed as a binary or via Docker.
- Single self-contained binary
- Embedded web interface
- SQLite storage
- Cross-platform
Feedbin vs yarr: key differences
Feedbin is written in Ruby, while yarr is built with Go. Yarr is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Feedbin. Feedbin is the more established project (first released 2013), while yarr arrived in 2020.
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 yarr if…
- Extremely simple to run
- Tiny footprint
- No dependencies
Watch out for
- Single-user only
- Minimal feature set
Frequently asked questions
Is Feedbin or yarr better?
yarr is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Feedbin if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Feedbin and yarr free and open-source?
Yes. Feedbin is licensed under MIT and yarr under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Feedbin and yarr with Docker?
Feedbin: yes. yarr: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Feedbin or yarr?
yarr has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Feedbin. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.