Stringer vs Tiny Tiny RSS
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted rss & news readers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Tiny Tiny RSS
Web-based news feed reader and aggregator
| Feature | Stringer | Tiny Tiny RSS |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | RSS & News Readers | RSS & News Readers |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Ruby | PHP |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,133 | ★ 3,000 |
| First released | 2013 | 2005 |
| Replaces | Feedly, Google Reader | Feedly, Google Reader |
What are Stringer and Tiny Tiny RSS?
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
Tiny Tiny RSS
Tiny Tiny RSS is a free and open-source web-based news feed reader and aggregator with powerful filtering and plugins. It targets power users who want a highly configurable RSS reader. It is deployed via Docker.
- Powerful filtering rules
- Plugin ecosystem
- Multi-user support
- Mobile app available
Stringer vs Tiny Tiny RSS: key differences
Stringer is written in Ruby, while Tiny Tiny RSS is built with PHP. Licensing differs — MIT for Stringer versus GPL-3.0 for Tiny Tiny RSS. Tiny Tiny RSS is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Stringer. Tiny Tiny RSS is the more established project (first released 2005), while Stringer arrived in 2013.
Why pick each one
Choose Stringer if…
- Private and minimal
- Easy reading flow
- No external services
Watch out for
- Slow development
- Basic feature set
Choose Tiny Tiny RSS if…
- Highly configurable
- Mature and stable
- Strong filtering
Watch out for
- Dated interface
- Setup is opinionated
Frequently asked questions
Is Stringer or Tiny Tiny RSS 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 Stringer and Tiny Tiny RSS free and open-source?
Yes. Stringer is licensed under MIT and Tiny Tiny RSS under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Stringer and Tiny Tiny RSS with Docker?
Stringer: yes. Tiny Tiny RSS: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Stringer or Tiny Tiny RSS?
Tiny Tiny RSS has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Stringer. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.