Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Miniflux VS Newsboat

Compare Miniflux VS Newsboat and see what are their differences

Miniflux logo Miniflux

Miniflux is a minimalist web-based RSS reader. It's very easy to use.

Newsboat logo Newsboat

Newsboat is a fork of Newsbeuter, an RSS/Atom feed reader for the text console. The only difference is that Newsboat is actively maintained while Newsbeuter isn't.
  • Miniflux Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-11
  • Newsboat Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-18

Miniflux features and specs

  • Lightweight
    Miniflux is designed to be a minimalistic and lightweight RSS reader, which ensures fast performance and low resource consumption.
  • Self-hosted
    Users have the option to self-host Miniflux, providing full control over their data and the ability to customize the setup as needed.
  • Privacy Focused
    By self-hosting and using a minimalistic design, Miniflux offers a high level of privacy compared to third-party services that may collect user data.
  • Open-source
    Miniflux is open-source software, allowing users to inspect the code, contribute to its development, and verify there are no hidden security issues.
  • Supports Multiple Formats
    Miniflux supports various feed formats including RSS, Atom, and JSON feeds, making it versatile for different content sources.
  • Responsive Design
    The web interface is optimized for both desktop and mobile devices, ensuring a pleasant user experience across different platforms.

Possible disadvantages of Miniflux

  • Requires Technical Knowledge
    Self-hosting Miniflux may require a certain level of technical skill, particularly in setting up a server environment and managing updates.
  • Basic Feature Set
    While its minimalism is an advantage for some, it might be considered too basic for users seeking more advanced features like complex filtering or integrations.
  • Self-Hosting Costs
    Although the software itself is free, there could be associated costs with self-hosting, such as server hosting fees and domain registration.
  • Limited Community
    As a niche, minimalistic tool, Miniflux has a smaller user community, which might result in fewer available third-party plugins, community guides, or peer support.
  • No Native Apps
    Miniflux does not offer native applications for mobile devices, relying on its responsive web interface instead, which might not satisfy users looking for dedicated apps.

Newsboat features and specs

  • Open Source
    Newsboat is an open-source project, which means users can view, modify, and contribute to its source code. This transparency often leads to a higher level of trust and community-driven improvements.
  • Terminal-based
    It's a terminal-based RSS/Atom feed reader, making it lightweight and ideal for users who prefer using the command line, especially on low-resource systems.
  • Highly Customizable
    Newsboat allows you to customize keybindings, styles, and configurations, providing a personalized user experience tailored to individual preferences.
  • Offline Reading
    Newsboat allows for offline reading, enabling users to download articles for later consumption without an active internet connection.
  • Scriptable
    Users can extend its functionality with custom scripts, allowing for automation and integration with other tools and workflows.

Possible disadvantages of Newsboat

  • Steep Learning Curve
    For users not familiar with command-line applications, Newsboat can be daunting to learn and navigate compared to graphical interfaces.
  • Limited Multimedia Support
    Being a terminal-based application, Newsboat may not handle multimedia content, such as images and videos, as effectively as GUI-based RSS readers.
  • Manual Setup Required
    Users must manually configure their feeds and settings, which can be time-consuming compared to feed readers that automatically suggest popular feeds.
  • No Native Syncing
    Newsboat lacks built-in syncing capabilities across multiple devices, requiring third-party solutions or manual syncing methods.

Miniflux videos

Tiny Tiny RSS vs Miniflux

Newsboat videos

Newsboat RSS Reader - Not Just For News Feeds

More videos:

  • Review - Newsboat Is The Best RSS Feed Reader I've Ever Used
  • Review - newsboat - much more than a simple RSS reader [FreeBSD and Linux]

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Miniflux and Newsboat)
RSS Reader
75 75%
25% 25
RSS
78 78%
22% 22
News & Books
100 100%
0% 0
Insight Management
66 66%
34% 34

User comments

Share your experience with using Miniflux and Newsboat. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Miniflux should be more popular than Newsboat. It has been mentiond 52 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Miniflux mentions (52)

  • Reading RSS content is a skilled activity
    My problem with RSS is that I tend to subscribe to too many things and then it's too much. Also I wanted a solution that was free or self hosted, but I realized it's much better if someone manages the complexity for me, so I just ended up going with the paid hosting for miniflux (https://miniflux.app/). Now I've just subscribed to a few things I care about, I open the website from time to time, quickly mark as... - Source: Hacker News / 6 days ago
  • Small Tech
    I'll add miniflux to the list. It's been my RSD aggregator for like 5~ years now: https://miniflux.app/. - Source: Hacker News / 2 months ago
  • Ask HN: Which RSS reader do you use?
    Self-hosted Miniflux, https://miniflux.app/ Super minimal, I have MANY feeds, and it just does the thing very well. - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • Ask HN: Which RSS reader do you use?
    Self-hosted Miniflux, and ReadKit on my Apple devices to access it. https://miniflux.app. - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • Convert Markdown files to RSS feed
    I have some like this http://rec.mro.name/podcasts/zuendfunk/broadcasts.atom (and .rss, too) which plays the audio nicely e.g. In https://miniflux.app but I remember having trouble with iTunes on MacOS and the Apple podcast iOS app. But his is mostly try-and-error and merely no specs. Apple doesn't talk about atom AFAIK. Racket is interesting, I'm into Ocaml, but create those feeds via... - Source: Hacker News / 9 months ago
View more

Newsboat mentions (26)

  • Escape the walled garden and algorithm black boxes with RSS feeds
    Relevant: https://newsboat.org/ If you like your email in mutt, then you'll probably like your feeds in newsboat. - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • RSS is still pretty great
    If you're using https://newsboat.org, you can add a filter (killfile) to remedy this:
      ignore-article "*" "title =~ \"#shorts\"".
    - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • Style Your RSS Feed
    > Have you used any modern RSS reader recently like inoreader, they load the content of the page without visiting the publishing website. I'm happy with newsboat[1]; but I'm not surprised that people have integrated scraping into RSS readers. Fundamentally, that's not a problem with RSS, that's a war between scrapers and content providers. If the email newsletter model persists long enough, I'd expect that people... - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
  • Following cricket scores from the terminal using Cricinfo’s RSS feeds
    So, I installed a terminal RSS reader called Newsboat and added the feed to it. I have it always running in a terminal, and the scores refresh every minute. I can open the Cricinfo link in a browser by selecting a match and typing o. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Ad Blocking
    Here's part of my newsboat config (works great for subscriptions):. Source: about 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Miniflux and Newsboat, you can also consider the following products

Tiny Tiny RSS - Web-based news feed aggregator, designed to allow you to read news from any location, while feeling...

Feedly - The content you need to accelerate your research, marketing, and sales.

FreshRSS - FreshRSS is a free, self-hosted RSS aggregator.

BazQux Reader - Fast, clean and unique feed reader

The Old Reader - Read all your favorite online content in one place. Import your subscriptions in one click, find your friends, and start sharing.

Inoreader - Dive into your favorite content. The content reader for power users who want to save time.