FeedHQ vs Stringer
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted rss & news readers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | FeedHQ | Stringer |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 14 · At risk | 86 · Excellent |
| Category | RSS & News Readers | RSS & News Readers |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | MIT |
| Language | Python | Ruby |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 579 | ★ 4,133 |
| First released | 2012 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Google Reader, Feedly | Feedly, Google Reader |
What are FeedHQ and Stringer?
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
Stringer
Stringer is a self-hosted, anti-social RSS reader with no external dependencies on third-party services. It targets users who want a private, no-frills feed reader. It is deployed via a Ruby stack or Docker.
- No third-party dependencies
- Keyboard shortcuts
- Simple unread-focused view
- Self-contained
FeedHQ vs Stringer: key differences
FeedHQ is written in Python, while Stringer is built with Ruby. Licensing differs — BSD-3-Clause for FeedHQ versus MIT for Stringer. Stringer has the considerably larger community, at 4,133 GitHub stars versus 579.
Why pick each one
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
Choose Stringer if…
- Private and minimal
- Easy reading flow
- No external services
Watch out for
- Slow development
- Basic feature set
Frequently asked questions
Is FeedHQ or Stringer better?
Neither is universally better. Stringer has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are FeedHQ and Stringer free and open-source?
Yes. FeedHQ is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and Stringer under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run FeedHQ and Stringer with Docker?
FeedHQ: yes. Stringer: yes.