QuiteRSS vs Winds
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted rss & news readers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | QuiteRSS | Winds |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 14 · At risk | 15 · At risk |
| Status | Actively maintained | Archived |
| Category | RSS & News Readers | RSS & News Readers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | C++ | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 1,024 MB |
| Deployment | binary | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,090 | ★ 9,092 |
| First released | 2012 | 2017 |
| Replaces | Feedly | Feedly |
What are QuiteRSS and Winds?
QuiteRSS
QuiteRSS is a free and open-source news aggregator for RSS and Atom feeds. It is cross-platform, includes an ad blocker, and offers a familiar three-pane reading interface.
- Three-pane reading layout
- Built-in ad blocker
- Cross-platform Qt app
Winds
Winds is an open-source RSS reader and podcast application with a polished interface. It can be self-hosted and offers personalized recommendations powered by activity feeds.
- RSS and podcast reader
- Polished modern interface
- Recommendation feeds
QuiteRSS vs Winds: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Winds's repository is archived and no longer developed, while QuiteRSS is actively maintained. QuiteRSS is written in C++, while Winds is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for QuiteRSS versus MIT for Winds. QuiteRSS is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 1,024 MB for Winds. QuiteRSS is the more established project (first released 2012), while Winds arrived in 2017. Winds has the considerably larger community, at 9,092 GitHub stars versus 1,090. Winds lists first-class Docker deployment; QuiteRSS does not.
Why pick each one
Choose QuiteRSS if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (1.1k GitHub stars)
- Written in C++
Choose Winds if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 9.1k GitHub stars
- Written in JavaScript
Frequently asked questions
Is QuiteRSS or Winds better?
Neither is universally better. Winds has the larger community, while QuiteRSS is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are QuiteRSS and Winds free and open-source?
Yes. QuiteRSS is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Winds under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run QuiteRSS and Winds with Docker?
QuiteRSS: check the project docs for container support. Winds: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, QuiteRSS or Winds?
QuiteRSS has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 1,024 MB for Winds. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.