osmos::feed vs selfoss
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted rss & news readers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | osmos::feed | selfoss |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 14 · At risk | 68 · Good |
| Category | RSS & News Readers | RSS & News Readers |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | TypeScript | HTML |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 32 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 989 | ★ 2,470 |
| First released | 2021 | 2012 |
| Replaces | Feedly | Google Reader, Feedly |
What are osmos::feed and selfoss?
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
selfoss
selfoss is a multipurpose RSS reader and aggregation web application. It pulls in content from feeds, Twitter, and other sources, presenting them in a clean unified stream.
- Unified content stream
- Mobile-friendly interface
- Plugin sources beyond RSS
osmos::feed vs selfoss: key differences
Osmos::feed is written in TypeScript, while selfoss is built with HTML. Licensing differs — MIT for osmos::feed versus GPL-3.0 for selfoss. Osmos::feed is the lighter option, starting around 32 MB of RAM against 128 MB for selfoss. Selfoss is the more established project (first released 2012), while osmos::feed arrived in 2021. Selfoss has the considerably larger community, at 2,470 GitHub stars versus 989. Selfoss lists first-class Docker deployment; osmos::feed does not.
Why pick each one
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
Choose selfoss if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Active community (2.5k GitHub stars)
Frequently asked questions
Is osmos::feed or selfoss better?
Neither is universally better. selfoss has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are osmos::feed and selfoss free and open-source?
Yes. osmos::feed is licensed under MIT and selfoss under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run osmos::feed and selfoss with Docker?
osmos::feed: check the project docs for container support. selfoss: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, osmos::feed or selfoss?
osmos::feed has the smaller minimum footprint at 32 MB of RAM, compared to about 128 MB for selfoss. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.