NewsBlur vs osmos::feed
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted rss & news readers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
NewsBlur
Personal news reader with training and sharing
VS
osmos::feed
Build an RSS reader as a static site with GitHub Actions
| Feature | NewsBlur | osmos::feed |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 91 · Excellent | 14 · At risk |
| Category | RSS & News Readers | RSS & News Readers |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Python | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Hard | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 2,048 MB | 32 MB |
| Deployment | docker | source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 7,627 | ★ 989 |
| First released | 2009 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Feedly, Google Reader | Feedly |
What are NewsBlur and osmos::feed?
NewsBlur
NewsBlur is a personal news reader that brings together feeds with intelligent training to highlight stories you care about. It targets readers who want a smart, social feed reader. It is deployed via Docker Compose.
- Story training and filtering
- Social sharing of stories
- Original site view
- Mobile apps
osmos::feed
osmos::feed is a tool that turns a list of feeds into a self-hosted static RSS reader website using GitHub Actions. It requires no server and rebuilds the reader on a schedule.
- Static site RSS reader
- Runs on GitHub Actions
- No server required
NewsBlur vs osmos::feed: key differences
NewsBlur is written in Python, while osmos::feed is built with TypeScript. Osmos::feed is the lighter option, starting around 32 MB of RAM against 2,048 MB for NewsBlur. NewsBlur is the more established project (first released 2009), while osmos::feed arrived in 2021. NewsBlur has the considerably larger community, at 7,627 GitHub stars versus 989. NewsBlur lists first-class Docker deployment; osmos::feed does not.
Why pick each one
Choose NewsBlur if…
- Smart story highlighting
- Good mobile apps
- Social features
Watch out for
- Complex multi-service stack
- Heavy to self-host
Choose osmos::feed if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in TypeScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 32 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is NewsBlur or osmos::feed better?
Neither is universally better. NewsBlur has the larger community, while osmos::feed is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are NewsBlur and osmos::feed free and open-source?
Yes. NewsBlur is licensed under MIT and osmos::feed under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run NewsBlur and osmos::feed with Docker?
NewsBlur: yes. osmos::feed: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, NewsBlur or osmos::feed?
osmos::feed has the smaller minimum footprint at 32 MB of RAM, compared to about 2,048 MB for NewsBlur. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.