Feedbro vs Newsboat (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Feedbro and Newsboat share a 2.8 GPA, both are free, so the choice depends on whether you care more about ease of use, where Feedbro grades higher, or features, where Newsboat does.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Which one is for you
Pick Feedbro if
- Fits if you want feeds inside the browser you already use
- Works for filtering a busy feed set with keyword or regex rules
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want phone or desktop apps, as the site names none
- Watch out: no cloud sync is described, so feeds live in the browser
- Not for you if you use Safari, which the site does not name
- Watch out: some listed sources, such as Google+, may no longer exist
Pick Newsboat if
- Fits if you live in a terminal and want feeds there too
- Works for people who like scripting what happens to an article
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a point-and-click app, because it's text only
- Not for you if you use Windows, as the docs list Linux, FreeBSD and macOS and don't mention it
- Too light for phone reading, since there's no mobile version
- Watch out: setup is by config file and key bindings, and NetBSD is unsupported
How we grade them
| 2.8GPAFeedbroGood | 2.8GPANewsboatGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AListed at $0 with no paid plan, under 60% of the cheaper quarter. | AFree under the MIT license, distributed as source and through package managers, against a $2.50 start for the cheaper quarter of reading apps. |
| Free plan and trial | AFree outright, with no plan, no cap and no account to open. | AThe whole program is free, with no paid plans and nothing held back. |
| Features | CRules, folders, OPML import and full-article conversion. No sync service is described and some listed sources may be gone. | BFilters, killfiles, a built-in HTML renderer, scripts, bookmarking, macros, podcasts and client mode for outside services. Nothing in the listing is missing for feed reading. |
| Ease of use | CYou add feeds and write rules, which is a learning curve. No store rating on record. | DNo rating on record. It's a command-line program set up by config file and key bindings, which takes some editing. |
| Platforms and integrations | CA browser extension for Chrome, Vivaldi, Edge, Brave and Firefox, not Safari, with no apps. | CLinux and macOS, plus FreeBSD per the docs, and text only. No Windows, graphical, web or phone version. |
| Best for | an RSS reader with filter rules inside your browser | an RSS reader that runs in the terminal |
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: Feedbro and Newsboat. How we grade
Price against what you get
Feedbro has no paid plan and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Newsboat has no paid plan and scores 2.0.
On this chart the two sit in the same place: the same score for the same starting price. Of the other read-later and bookmark apps on the chart, none scores higher than Feedbro for less, and none scores higher than Newsboat for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Newsboat is open source, according to its own site.
- Feedbro also covers workflow automation and highlights.
- Newsboat also covers bookmarks.
At a glance
| Feedbro | Newsboat | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | None | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Linux | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Nodetics | Newsboat project |
| Price read from | nodetics.com | newsboat.org |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Feedbro
- It is a browser extension only; the site names no desktop or mobile app.
- No cloud sync service is described on the pages read, so feeds live in the browser.
- Some listed social sources, such as Google+, may no longer exist as services.
- The site names Chrome, Vivaldi, Edge, Brave and Firefox, not Safari.
Newsboat
- It is a text interface only; there is no graphical, web or mobile version.
- The documentation lists Linux, FreeBSD and macOS as tested; Windows is not mentioned and NetBSD is unsupported.
- Setup is by config file and key bindings, which takes some editing.
Key features
Feedbro
- Rule engine
- Rules run when an article arrives or is viewed and can match on title, author or content with words, fragments or regular expressions.
- Rule actions
- A matching rule can show a desktop notification, play a sound, hide or delete the article, add a tag, star it or highlight words.
- Folders and tags
- Feeds sit in a drag-and-drop folder tree, and articles take custom tags with autocomplete.
- Full-article conversion
- A built-in engine can turn partial feed articles into full text; it is switched on per feed in its properties.
- Feed autodiscovery and OPML
- Find the feeds on the current tab with two clicks, and import or export subscriptions as OPML.
- Social and site sources
- Besides feeds it lists integrations for sites such as YouTube channels, Reddit, Vimeo, Flickr and Telegram.
Newsboat
- Built-in HTML renderer
- Text-only entries display inside the terminal, so there is no need to start a web browser to read them.
- Filters and killfiles
- Drop articles by title, author or contents, and build meta-feeds that gather articles by any criteria you write.
- Service client mode
- Connects to The Old Reader, NewsBlur, FeedHQ, BazQux, Feedbin, FreshRSS, Tiny Tiny RSS, Inoreader, Miniflux and others.
- Scripts and bookmarking
- Pipe links or whole articles to bookmarking scripts, and run feeds through transforming scripts before display.
- Macros and podcasts
- Chain several actions behind two keystrokes. Podboat, a companion tool, gives basic podcast downloading.
Plans
Feedbro
Feedbro$0
The vendor describes it as a free feed reader, with no paid plans shown on the site.
Newsboat
Free$0
Free software under the MIT license, distributed as source and through package managers; no paid plans.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Feedbro or Newsboat?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Feedbro and Newsboat are free to use.
Which has a free plan, Feedbro or Newsboat?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Feedbro and Newsboat have a free plan.
Which platforms do Feedbro and Newsboat run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Feedbro lists a browser extension and only Newsboat lists macOS and Linux apps. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
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.