Tiny Tiny RSS vs yarr
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
VS
yarr
Yet another RSS reader as a single binary
| Feature | Tiny Tiny RSS | yarr |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Category | RSS & News Readers | RSS & News Readers |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | PHP | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 64 MB |
| Deployment | docker | binary, docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,000 | ★ 4,049 |
| First released | 2005 | 2020 |
| Replaces | Feedly, Google Reader | Feedly, Google Reader |
What are Tiny Tiny RSS and yarr?
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
yarr
yarr is a minimal, self-contained RSS and Atom feed aggregator that runs as a single binary with an embedded web UI. It targets users wanting the simplest possible feed reader. It is deployed as a binary or via Docker.
- Single self-contained binary
- Embedded web interface
- SQLite storage
- Cross-platform
Tiny Tiny RSS vs yarr: key differences
Tiny Tiny RSS is written in PHP, while yarr is built with Go. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Tiny Tiny RSS versus MIT for yarr. Yarr is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Tiny Tiny RSS. Tiny Tiny RSS is the more established project (first released 2005), while yarr arrived in 2020.
Why pick each one
Choose Tiny Tiny RSS if…
- Highly configurable
- Mature and stable
- Strong filtering
Watch out for
- Dated interface
- Setup is opinionated
Choose yarr if…
- Extremely simple to run
- Tiny footprint
- No dependencies
Watch out for
- Single-user only
- Minimal feature set
Frequently asked questions
Is Tiny Tiny RSS or yarr better?
yarr is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Tiny Tiny RSS if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Tiny Tiny RSS and yarr free and open-source?
Yes. Tiny Tiny RSS is licensed under GPL-3.0 and yarr under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Tiny Tiny RSS and yarr with Docker?
Tiny Tiny RSS: yes. yarr: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Tiny Tiny RSS or yarr?
yarr has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Tiny Tiny RSS. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.