The best self-hosted RSS readers: Miniflux, FreshRSS, CommaFeed and yarr
Miniflux is the best self-hosted RSS reader for most people who run their own server. It ships as one static binary, its developers report that it uses “a couple of MB of memory” with several hundred feeds, and the mobile apps you may already use can sync with it through the Fever or Google Reader API. Its one hard requirement is PostgreSQL.
If you want more tools per feed, such as scraping sites that publish no feed at all, FreshRSS has the broadest feature set. If you don’t want to run a database server, CommaFeed starts with no configuration on an embedded database, and yarr is a single file that stores everything in SQLite and can even run as a desktop app.
| # | Product | Setup and upkeep ×3 | Reading and feed tools ×3 | Mobile and third-party clients ×2 | Resource footprint ×2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miniflux | 7 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 8.6 |
| 2 | FreshRSS | 6 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 7.9 |
| 3 | CommaFeed | 8 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 7.8 |
| 4 | yarr | 10 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 7.6 |
Scores are 0–10 per criterion; the total is the weighted average, computed from the cited evaluations.
1. Miniflux — Best overall
Pros
- Single static binary, plus Docker images with ARM and RISC-V support
- Full-article extraction, regex filters and full-text search
- Works with apps that use the Fever or Google Reader API
Cons
- Works only with PostgreSQL; there is no SQLite option
- A deliberately minimal interface with few layout choices
Miniflux scores highest because it does the most with the least. The reading tools are serious: it fetches the original article and extracts the content with a local Readability parser, filters articles with regular expressions, and searches everything with PostgreSQL’s full-text search. Keyboard shortcuts cover navigation.
The trade-off is the database. Miniflux “works only with PostgreSQL”, so even a one-person install runs a database server next to the binary. If you already run PostgreSQL, that costs you nothing.
Who should skip it: Anyone who doesn't want to run PostgreSQL.
2. FreshRSS — Most features
Pros
- Built-in XPath scraping for sites without an RSS or Atom feed
- Supports both the Google Reader API and the Fever API
- Multiple users, custom tags and an extension system
Cons
- Needs a web server and PHP 8.2+ as well as a database
FreshRSS is the reader to pick when features matter more than footprint. It can scrape sites that publish no feed using XPath, it supports custom tags and several users with an optional anonymous reading mode, and extensions add more. It also has the widest app support: native apps for Linux, Android, iOS, Windows and macOS can connect through either the Google Reader API, which the project recommends, or the Fever API.
Setup is a classic PHP stack: a web server, PHP 8.2+ and PostgreSQL, SQLite, MariaDB or MySQL. The project reports response times under a second on a Raspberry Pi 1 with 150 feeds, so the stack is light even if it has more parts.
Who should skip it: Anyone who wants a single binary with nothing else to maintain.
3. CommaFeed — Best zero-configuration server
Pros
- Runs with no configuration on its embedded H2 database
- Four layouts and rules that mark articles as read automatically
- Fever and Google Reader APIs for mobile apps
Cons
- The JVM package holds on to memory; the native package is the one to use on small servers
CommaFeed is modeled on Google Reader and is the quickest of the four to get running: Docker is the documented starting point, and with its embedded H2 database it needs no configuration at all. It also supports PostgreSQL, MySQL and MariaDB.
Watch the memory. The README warns that the Java virtual machine “will not release unused memory to the operating system”, and recommends the native package, which starts faster and uses less memory.
Who should skip it: Anyone on a very small server who can't use the native package.
4. yarr — Best without a server
Pros
- One binary with no dependencies
- Runs as a desktop app or as a self-hosted server
- Stores data in SQLite or PostgreSQL
Cons
- Mobile apps can sync only through the Fever API
- No filters, rules or scraping
yarr (“yet another rss reader”) is the simplest option here. It is a single binary with no dependencies that runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, either as a desktop app or as a server, with SQLite storage. It covers the basics well: a readability view, full-text search and keyboard shortcuts.
It ranks last because it stops at the basics. There are no filters or rules, and mobile apps can connect only through its Fever-compatible API.
Who should skip it: Anyone who wants rules or filters to tame high-volume feeds.
Frequently asked questions
Which of these work with mobile RSS apps?
All four. FreshRSS, Miniflux and CommaFeed support both the Google Reader API and the Fever API; yarr supports the Fever API only. FreshRSS’s documentation describes the Fever API as having limited features compared with the Google Reader API.
Which one needs the least server?
yarr. It is a single binary that can store everything in SQLite, so nothing else has to run. Miniflux is also a single binary but requires PostgreSQL.
Can I follow a site that has no RSS feed?
With FreshRSS, which can build a feed from a web page using XPath. None of the other three list that feature.