CommaFeed vs The Old Reader (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, CommaFeed grades higher than The Old Reader: 2.6 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
CommaFeed grades higher on value for money and the free plan. The Old Reader grades higher on ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Which one is for you
Pick CommaFeed if
- Fits if you want a plain web reader and are happy to let a volunteer project host it
- Works for people who run their own server and read through a Fever-compatible phone app
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want an official iPhone or Android app, because there isn't one
- Tight if you rely on the public instance, since its limits aren't spelled out in the README and it's funded by donations
- Not for you if you want to follow newsletters or social accounts, as it reads feeds only
- Watch out: self-hosting means you run and update it yourself, on your own server
Pick The Old Reader if
- Fits if you want a plain web feed reader with folders and not much else
- Works for groups of friends who share and comment on the posts they read
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you want the price before you sign up, as Premium's isn't on the public pages
- Skip it if you want apps from the maker, because the phone and desktop apps are all third-party
- Tight if you stay free and fall behind: ads, unread posts kept 2 months, 300 posts per feed
- Watch out: full-text search, faster refreshes and the Instapaper link are Premium only
- Too light for anyone who needs filters, rules or article extraction, none of which the listing shows
How we grade them
| 2.6GPACommaFeedGood | 2.4GPAThe Old ReaderFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree on the public instance, with no ads or tracking, and free to self-host under Apache 2.0, so it undercuts the $2.50 that a cheap reading app starts at. | CNobody can tell you what Premium costs. The price isn't on the public pages and the terms say fees are stated at the time of purchase, so it gets the ordinary middle mark we give an unpublished price. What the money buys is no ads, full-text search, faster refreshes and up to 500 feeds. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe public instance is free for good and one person could live on it, though the README says it comes with limits compared with self-hosting and doesn't list them itself. | CFree accounts work, with ads, and the caps are ones you'll meet: unread posts kept for 2 months only and 300 posts per feed, so a busy feed quietly loses the older items. There's a 14-day Premium trial at sign-up. |
| Features | CFour layouts, keyboard shortcuts, auto-read rules, OPML and a REST API. The gaps the listing shows: no mobile app of its own and a public instance with unnamed limits. | CIt does the basics and the listing shows where it stops: folders, OPML import, a list view of titles, keyboard shortcuts and a bookmarklet, with no filters, rules or article extraction on record. Full-text search and faster refreshes need Premium. The social side, following, likes and comments, is the unusual bit. |
| Ease of use | CNo rating on record. You sign up on the public instance and add feeds, which is quick, but the self-hosted route means Docker or a JVM build. | BNo store rating on record, as it has no app of its own, so we go on the listing: there's nothing to set up. You sign up, type a site's address or import an OPML file, and drag feeds and folders into the order you want. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWeb only. Phones use the responsive site or a third-party app through the Fever or Google Reader APIs, and there is no desktop or phone app from the project. | BA web app with a Google Reader-style API, and no first-party mobile or desktop apps at all, which is what keeps it off an A. The apps page lists third-party clients like Reeder, Vienna, Liferea and FeedMe that sync with your account. |
| Best for | a free web RSS reader you can host yourself | sharing what you read with friends |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: CommaFeed and The Old Reader. How we grade
Where they differ
- CommaFeed is open source and self-hostable, according to its own site.
In commonFree planWebPublic APIRSS reader
At a glance
| CommaFeed | The Old Reader | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free plan |
| Starts at | Free | Not published |
| Free plan | None | Free accounts show ads and keep up to 2 months of unread posts, capped at 300 posts per feed. Premium removes ads and adds search and up to 500 feeds; its price could not be read. |
| Free trial | None listed | 14-day Premium trial offered at sign-up |
| Web | ||
| Made by | CommaFeed project | The Old Reader, Inc. |
| Price read from | raw.githubusercontent.com | Not confirmed |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Worth knowing
CommaFeed
- The public instance has limits compared with self-hosting; the README points to a discussion thread that lists them.
- The public instance is funded by donations, so continued availability depends on them.
- There is no first-party mobile app; phones use the responsive web app or a Fever-compatible app.
The Old Reader
- The Premium price is not shown on the public pages; the terms say fees are stated at the time of purchase.
- Free accounts show ads and keep unread posts for up to 2 months, capped at 300 posts per feed.
- Full-text search, faster feed refreshes and Instapaper integration are limited to Premium.
- There are no first-party mobile or desktop apps; the apps page lists third-party clients that use the API.
Key features
CommaFeed
- Layouts and themes
- Four layouts, light and dark themes, and a responsive design that the README says works on mobile and desktop.
- Keyboard and rules
- Shortcuts for almost everything, plus user-defined rules that mark matching articles as read automatically.
- Native app support
- Fever and Google Reader APIs let outside mobile apps connect, and a REST API is available.
- Import and export
- Moves subscriptions in and out with OPML, and sends push notifications when new articles are published.
- Customizable
- Custom CSS and JavaScript change the look and behavior, and a separate browser extension is published for it.
The Old Reader
- Feeds and folders
- Add a feed by entering a site's address, or import an OPML file with its folders intact. Feeds and folders are rearranged by drag and drop.
- List view and keyboard shortcuts
- A list view collapses posts to their titles so only the interesting ones need opening, and keyboard shortcuts cover navigation.
- Sharing with friends
- Follow friends to see the posts they share, like posts, and comment on shared items. Shared, liked and commented posts are stored permanently.
- Send To and bookmarklet
- The Send To button passes a post's title and address to a sharing service you configure, and a bookmarklet adds posts from any site.
- API for third-party apps
- A Google Reader-style API lets outside apps sync with an account. The apps page lists clients such as Reeder, Vienna, Liferea and FeedMe.
- Premium extras
- Premium removes ads and adds full-text search, faster feed refreshes, up to 500 subscriptions, a year of post storage and Instapaper integration.
Plans
CommaFeed
Public instance$0
Free hosted instance with no ads or tracking, funded by donations, with a few limits compared with self-hosting.
Self-hosted$0
Apache 2.0 software you run yourself with Docker, a native package or a JVM build; you pay only for your own server.
The Old Reader
Pricing could not be confirmed. See theoldreader.com.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, CommaFeed or The Old Reader?
As of Nov 12, 2026, CommaFeed is free, and The Old Reader has no price we could confirm.
Which has a free plan, CommaFeed or The Old Reader?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both CommaFeed and The Old Reader have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.