this post was submitted on 13 Apr 2026
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Looking for a desktop RSS feed reader for Linux (piefed.social)
submitted 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) by CptHacke@piefed.social to c/foss@beehaw.org
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I used to adore the Feedbro extension for Firefox - until I learned that browser extensions are a privacy concern and stopped using them. Unfortunately, I've been unable to find anything similar for the Linux desktop. I just can't seem to find the 'sweet spot' with all the readers I've tried. Some are bloated with features and complicated configurations that I will never use. Others are too simplistic. Still others haven't seen an update in years. I feel like this is an impossible quest.

The readers I have tried (and discarded):

  • Liferea
  • RSS Guard
  • News Flash
  • Feeds
  • Feed Deck
  • Feed Flow
  • Akregator
  • Thunderbird
  • Raven Reader

Here are the features I need:

  • FOSS (obviously)
  • Import/export OPML
  • Scale the size of the UI and all text elements
  • RSS feed discovery
  • Fetch full articles
  • Configure update interval
  • Privacy-conscious
  • Desktop only (I am currently unable to self-host)

Things that would be nice, but I can live without if I have to:

  • Dark mode
  • An uncluttered, two-column display

That's about it. Now tell me that I am asking too much and there's no hope for me. :D

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[–] elmicha@feddit.org 3 points 2 days ago (1 children)

If your desktop is not very old with very little RAM, you could self-host FreshRSS on your desktop.

[–] minfapper@piefed.social 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Or miniflux if it is. It's efficient, fast, and I like the interface better.

[–] CptHacke@piefed.social 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Is this something that a complete newbie would be able to do?

[–] nykula@piefed.social 6 points 2 days ago (1 children)

For FreshRSS, if you want to run the development version on localhost:

  1. apt update && apt install build-essential git

  2. Install Docker: https://docs.docker.com/engine/install/ubuntu/

  3. Clone FreshRSS repository, run make start and finish the installation: https://freshrss.github.io/FreshRSS/en/developers/02_First_steps.html

[–] CptHacke@piefed.social 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

That seems simple enough. I'll give it a shot. Much appreciated!

[–] minfapper@piefed.social 2 points 1 day ago

Installation for MiniFlux is similar, once you have docker installed you run the long ass docker command from their documentation:

https://miniflux.app/docs/docker.html

I personally prefer the approach they mention in the Docker Compose section of that page though, for long term maintenance.