FreshRSS vs selfoss (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, FreshRSS grades higher than selfoss: 3.0 against 2.0 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 6, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
FreshRSS grades higher on value for money, the free plan, features and platforms. They get the same grade on 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 selfoss if
- Fits if you already run a PHP server and want your feeds on it
- Works for someone who wants to own their reading data
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you do not want to install and update software yourself
- Skip it if you want a hosted service: there is none
- Watch out: it needs a PHP web server and a database
- Watch out: the Android app is third party, not from the selfoss project
How we grade them
| 3.0GPAFreshRSSVery good | 2.0GPAselfossFair | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | CThe software is free, but only if you host it yourself, which needs a server, so it sits at the ordinary C. |
| 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. | BFree and open source, with no paid plan. You pay only for your own hosting, and there is no hosted version to try. |
| 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. | CAggregates feeds, takes plug-in sources, imports and exports OPML and has a JSON API. It does the reader job with a light install, but nothing in the listing shows reading extras like search across a library. |
| 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 store rating on record, and it needs a PHP web server, a database, setup and your own updates. |
| 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. | CA web app only. The Android app is third party, not from the selfoss project, and no other integrations are listed. |
| Best for | running your own RSS reader on your own server | a self-hosted RSS reader you run yourself |
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 selfoss. 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. selfoss has no paid plan and scores 1.7.
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 selfoss 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
In commonFree planWebOpen sourceSelf-hostablePublic APIRSS reader
At a glance
| FreshRSS | selfoss | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | Everything: the software is free and open source; you pay only for your own hosting. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| Made by | FreshRSS community | Tobias Zeising |
| Price read from | freshrss.org | selfoss.aditu.de |
| Checked | Oct 6, 2026 | Nov 13, 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.
selfoss
- There is no hosted service: you install, configure and update it yourself.
- It needs a PHP web server and a database.
- The Android app is third party, not from the selfoss project.
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.
selfoss
- Universal aggregator
- Collects feeds, tweets and other posts into a single stream.
- Light install
- A PHP application of around 25 MB that you upload and run, with MySQL, PostgreSQL or SQLite as the database.
- Plug-in sources
- An open plug-in system lets you write your own data connectors, called spouts.
- OPML import and export
- Bring feeds from other readers by importing an OPML file.
- JSON API
- A RESTful JSON API for developers; the site also lists a third-party Android app.
Plans
FreshRSS
FreshRSS$0
The complete aggregator, self-hosted on a web server with PHP and a PostgreSQL, SQLite, MariaDB or MySQL database.
selfoss
Self-hosted$0
Download the release and run it on your own PHP server; there is no hosted version.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, FreshRSS or selfoss?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both FreshRSS and selfoss are free to use.
Which has a free plan, FreshRSS or selfoss?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both FreshRSS and selfoss 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.