FreshRSS vs Miniflux
Updated October 2026 · AppBreakup editorial
FreshRSS
A free, self-hostable feed aggregator that is light, fast and highly configurable.
Miniflux
A minimalist, opinionated feed reader you can self-host free or use hosted for a small fee.
The short answer
Both are free, open-source, self-hosted feed readers that sync with mobile apps through the Google Reader and Fever APIs. Choose Miniflux for a fast, minimal, privacy-focused reader shipped as a single binary, with an official hosted option at $15/year. Choose FreshRSS for more features: web scraping, generated feeds, extensions, themes and multi-user support. The core difference is minimalism versus flexibility.
FreshRSS or Miniflux: our take
Miniflux is deliberately small. Written in Go, it ships as a single static binary with no external dependencies, or as RPM and Debian packages and a Docker image, and needs only PostgreSQL. Its interface is designed for readability and quick keyboard scanning, and it strips tracking pixels and URL parameters, proxies media and sends no referrer. FreshRSS, written in PHP, takes the opposite approach: it can scrape sites without feeds, create new feeds from your filters, save searches, receive real-time updates via WebSub, and add features through a library of extensions and themes. It supports multiple users, more than 15 languages and very large collections of over a million articles.
Hosting differs in practice. FreshRSS runs on ordinary PHP hosting, including shared hosting, which suits people without a dedicated server. Miniflux is easy to deploy on a VPS or container host but requires PostgreSQL. If you do not want to run anything, Miniflux offers an official hosted version for $15/year after a 15-day trial, while FreshRSS has a public demo and servers run by others you can sign up to.
Neither has an official mobile app, but both expose the Google Reader and Fever APIs, so apps such as Capy Reader and Read You work with either; FreshRSS is also supported by NetNewsWire and Reeder Classic. Licences differ: Miniflux is Apache 2.0 and FreshRSS is AGPL-3.0.
Pick Miniflux if you want a quick, private reader that needs almost no attention and you are happy with fewer features. Pick FreshRSS if you want to tinker, scrape sites, share an instance with family, or run it on cheap PHP hosting.
Which should you pick?
Choose FreshRSS if…
- Self-hosters who want a flexible, free reader that works with many mobile apps
- Free, open source and easy to host on PHP
- Web scraping and generated feeds
Choose Miniflux if…
- People who want a fast, private, minimal reader on their own server or a cheap host
- Single static binary, easy to deploy
- Strips trackers and sends no referrer
About each app
What is FreshRSS?
FreshRSS is a popular self-hosted RSS and Atom aggregator written in PHP and released under the AGPL. You install it on your own server or shared hosting, or sign up to a server someone else runs, and follow websites, podcasts and video channels in one place. It can scrape websites that lack feeds, generate new feeds from your filters, save searches, import and export OPML and receive real-time updates via WebSub. It scales well, handling a million articles and tens of thousands of feeds, and supports multiple users, themes and a library of extensions, with translations into more than 15 languages. FreshRSS implements the Google Reader and Fever APIs, so mobile apps such as NetNewsWire, Reeder Classic, Capy Reader, Read You and many more can sync with it. It is completely free, with a public demo to try first. Running it means maintaining a server, and the default interface is functional rather than beautiful.
What is Miniflux?
Miniflux is a deliberately minimal web-based feed reader written in Go by Frédéric Guillot. Its layout, fonts and colours are chosen for readability, it skips bloated features, and keyboard shortcuts make scanning unread items quick. It can fetch original article content for summary-only feeds, and it takes privacy seriously by removing tracking pixels and URL tracking parameters, proxying media and sending no referrer, with no telemetry or ads. It is distributed as a single static binary with no external dependencies, plus RPM and Debian packages and a Docker image, and needs only PostgreSQL. It exposes its own API plus Fever and Google Reader compatibility, so mobile apps such as Capy Reader, Read You and others can sync with it. Miniflux is free and open source under the Apache 2.0 licence, and an official hosted version costs a small yearly fee after a 15-day trial. Its minimalism means fewer features than FreshRSS.
Side by side
| Attribute | FreshRSS | Miniflux |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Open source | Open source |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hostable | Yes | Yes |
| Platforms | Web, Self-hosted | Web, Self-hosted |
| Best for | Self-hosters who want a flexible, free reader that works with many mobile apps | People who want a fast, private, minimal reader on their own server or a cheap host |
| Status | Active | Active |
Verified facts, compared
Facts both apps publish, checked on each vendor's own site.
| Fact | FreshRSS | Miniflux |
|---|---|---|
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
FreshRSS vs Miniflux pricing
FreshRSS: open source
- License: AGPL-3.0 source
Miniflux: open source
Miniflux pricing pagePlatforms
| Platform | FreshRSS | Miniflux |
|---|---|---|
| Web | ||
| Self-hosted |
FreshRSS facts
5 of 5 verified- Real-time updates
- WebSub
- Checked Oct 25, 2026freshrss.org(opens source in a new tab)
- “WebSub Stay connected to your feeds in real-time.”
- License
- AGPL-3.0
- Checked Oct 25, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “License: AGPL-3.0 (GNU Affero General Public License v3.0).”
- Scale
- 1M+ articles, 50k+ feeds
- Checked Oct 25, 2026freshrss.org(opens source in a new tab)
- “Fast & efficient FreshRSS can manage 1M+ articles and 50k+ feeds without complaining.”
- Web scraping
- Yes
- Checked Oct 25, 2026freshrss.org(opens source in a new tab)
- “Web scraping Generate feeds by scraping external websites.”
- Languages
- 15+
- Checked Oct 25, 2026freshrss.org(opens source in a new tab)
- “International FreshRSS is translated in more than 15 languages.”
Miniflux facts
5 of 5 verified- License
- Apache-2.0
- Checked Oct 25, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
- “License: Apache-2.0 (Apache License 2.0).”
- Hosted price
- $15/year
- Checked Oct 25, 2026miniflux.app(opens source in a new tab)
- “The subscription costs only $15/year and includes a free 15-day trial period .”
- Free trial
- 15 days (hosted)
- Checked Oct 25, 2026miniflux.app(opens source in a new tab)
- “The subscription costs only $15/year and includes a free 15-day trial period .”
- Privacy
- Removes trackers, no telemetry
- Checked Oct 25, 2026miniflux.app(opens source in a new tab)
- “Your privacy is guaranteed Miniflux automatically removes pixel trackers”
- Installation
- Single static binary, packages or Docker
- Checked Oct 25, 2026miniflux.app(opens source in a new tab)
- “Super simple installation Miniflux is compiled statically without external dependencies.”
Pros and cons of FreshRSS
- Free, open source and easy to host on PHP
- Web scraping and generated feeds
- Works with many mobile apps via Google Reader and Fever APIs
- Extensions, themes and multi-user support
- You maintain the server and updates
- Default interface is functional rather than polished
- No official mobile app
Pros and cons of Miniflux
- Single static binary, easy to deploy
- Strips trackers and sends no referrer
- Fast, keyboard-friendly reading
- Cheap official hosting option
- Deliberately minimal feature set
- No official mobile apps; relies on third-party clients
- Requires PostgreSQL
Other apps to consider
FreshRSS vs Miniflux: common questions
Is FreshRSS better than Miniflux?
Both are free, open-source, self-hosted feed readers that sync with mobile apps through the Google Reader and Fever APIs. Choose Miniflux for a fast, minimal, privacy-focused reader shipped as a single binary, with an official hosted option at $15/year. Choose FreshRSS for more features: web scraping, generated feeds, extensions, themes and multi-user support. The core difference is minimalism versus flexibility.
Is FreshRSS free?
Yes. FreshRSS is free, open-source software you can host yourself.
Is Miniflux free?
Yes. Miniflux is free, open-source software you can host yourself.
Is FreshRSS or Miniflux open source?
Both are open source.
Which platforms do FreshRSS and Miniflux support?
FreshRSS: Web and Self-hosted. Miniflux: Web and Self-hosted.