FreshRSS vs Newsboat (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, FreshRSS grades higher than Newsboat: 3.0 against 2.8 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 6, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
FreshRSS grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, the free plan, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Which one is for you
Pick FreshRSS if
- Fits if you want your feeds on a server you control and will look after it
- Works for households or groups, since one installation serves several users
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you've never set up a web server, because it needs PHP 8.1, a database and you to maintain them
- Not for you if you want an official phone app, as native apps are third-party clients using its API
- Not for you if you want the makers to host it, since hosted instances come from independent providers at their own prices
- Watch out: the README says a few features don't work in a mobile browser
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
| 3.0GPAFreshRSSVery good | 2.8GPANewsboatGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree and substantial: AGPL software with no paid plan anywhere, in a category whose middle plan is $3.33 a month. All you pay for is the server. Hosted instances exist, but they come from independent providers at their own prices. | 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 nothing held back, because there is no paid tier to hold it back for. One install even serves several users, so a household can share it. | AThe whole program is free, with no paid plans and nothing held back. |
| Features | BIt covers the whole job: websites, podcasts and video channels, search with saved queries, custom tags, themes and extensions, feeds scraped out of pages with XPath for sites that publish none, instant updates where a source supports WebSub, and OpenID Connect logins. | 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 | DYou host it yourself, which is what pins this down: a web server, PHP 8.1 or newer, a PostgreSQL, SQLite, MariaDB or MySQL database, and then keeping the lot patched. Fine if servers are your hobby, a wall if they aren't. | 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 | BWeb only, and the README admits a few features don't work in a mobile browser, but Google Reader and Fever compatible APIs bring in third-party apps on Android, iOS, Linux, macOS and Windows. There's a command-line interface too. | CLinux and macOS, plus FreeBSD per the docs, and text only. No Windows, graphical, web or phone version. |
| Best for | running your own RSS reader on your own server | 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: FreshRSS and Newsboat. How we grade
Price against what you get
FreshRSS has no paid plan and scores 2.3 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Newsboat has no paid plan and scores 2.0.
FreshRSS scores higher for the same starting price. Of the other read-later and bookmark apps on the chart, none scores higher than FreshRSS 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
- FreshRSS is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- Newsboat also covers bookmarks.
In commonFree planOpen sourceRSS reader
At a glance
| FreshRSS | Newsboat | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Free software under the GNU AGPL 3 license, installed on your own server. The project has no paid plan; hosted instances come from independent providers. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | FreshRSS community | Newsboat project |
| Price read from | freshrss.org | newsboat.org |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
FreshRSS
- You install and maintain it yourself: it needs a web server, PHP 8.1 or newer and a PostgreSQL, SQLite, MariaDB or MySQL database.
- The project runs no hosted service of its own; public and managed instances come from independent providers with their own prices.
- Reading in a native app depends on third-party clients that connect through the Google Reader or Fever API.
- The README says the web interface works on mobile browsers except for a few features.
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
FreshRSS
- Feeds, podcasts and video channels
- Follows websites, podcasts and video channels in one place, imports and exports OPML, and receives instant updates from sources that support the WebSub standard.
- Web scraping and generated feeds
- Creates feeds for sites that offer none by scraping pages with XPath or reading JSON documents, and can generate new feeds from your own filters.
- Search, saved queries and tags
- Articles can be searched, searches can be saved as queries for quick access, and custom tags organize what you want to keep.
- Multi-user with several login methods
- One installation serves several users and offers an anonymous reading mode, with login by web form, HTTP authentication or OpenID Connect.
- APIs for mobile and desktop apps
- Google Reader and Fever compatible APIs let third-party apps on Android, iOS, Linux, macOS and Windows sync with a FreshRSS server. A command-line interface is included.
- Themes, extensions and sharing
- Themes and extensions from a dedicated repository customize the reader, and selections of articles can be reshared as HTML, RSS or OPML.
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
FreshRSS
FreshRSS$0
The complete aggregator, self-hosted on a web server with PHP and a PostgreSQL, SQLite, MariaDB or MySQL database.
Newsboat
Free$0
Free software under the MIT license, distributed as source and through package managers; no paid plans.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, FreshRSS or Newsboat?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both FreshRSS and Newsboat are free to use.
Which has a free plan, FreshRSS or Newsboat?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both FreshRSS and Newsboat have a free plan.
Which platforms do FreshRSS and Newsboat run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only FreshRSS lists a web app 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.