CommaFeed Review, Pricing & Features

CommaFeed is a free, open-source Google Reader-style RSS reader. Self-host it with Docker or use the free hosted instance at commafeed.com.

Category
Productivity
Pricing
Free / Open Source, from Free
Verified
Not yet
Last updated
July 18, 2026
Founded
2013
Free PlanWeb AppAPIOpen SourceSelf-Hosted

Overview

CommaFeed is an open-source RSS/Atom feed reader designed to recreate the folder-based, keyboard-friendly reading experience of the discontinued Google Reader. It launched in May 2013 in direct response to Google Reader's shutdown announcement.

The project is free, ad-free, and available either through a hosted public instance at commafeed.com or as self-hosted software that anyone can run on their own server or homelab.

Key Features

CommaFeed supports OPML import/export for migrating subscriptions, a REST API with Fever-API compatibility for third-party clients, keyboard shortcuts for nearly every action, and four selectable layouts with light and dark themes.

The interface is fully responsive on mobile and desktop, supports push notifications for new articles, right-to-left language feeds, and a UI translated into more than 25 languages, with custom CSS/JavaScript support for advanced personalization.

Pricing

CommaFeed is entirely free. The public hosted instance at commafeed.com has no ads or tracking, and the self-hosted version, distributed via Docker images, is free to deploy on your own infrastructure under the Apache-2.0 open-source license.

Key Features

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Completely free, whether self-hosted or using the public instance
  • Open-source (Apache-2.0) with an active GitHub community and regular releases
  • No ads or tracking on the official hosted instance
  • Lightweight Java/Quarkus backend with fast startup and low resource usage for self-hosting

Cons

  • No AI summarization or content-discovery features found in some modern readers
  • Interface is intentionally minimal and dated compared to commercial readers like Feedly or Inoreader
  • Self-hosting requires basic server/Docker familiarity to get full control over your data
  • Maintained largely by a small open-source community rather than a funded company

Pricing

Frequently Asked Questions

Is CommaFeed really free?

Yes. CommaFeed is free and open-source under the Apache-2.0 license, both as a self-hosted deployment and via the free public instance at commafeed.com.

Can I self-host CommaFeed?

Yes, CommaFeed is designed to be self-hosted, with official Docker images and support for H2, PostgreSQL, MySQL, and MariaDB databases.

Does CommaFeed have a mobile app?

CommaFeed does not have dedicated native mobile apps, but its web interface is fully responsive and works well on mobile browsers, and it supports Fever-API-compatible third-party RSS apps.

How is CommaFeed different from Feedly or Inoreader?

CommaFeed is free and open-source with no ad-supported or premium tiers, aimed at users who want a lightweight, self-hostable, Google-Reader-style reader rather than a commercial platform with AI features and paid plans.

Is CommaFeed still maintained?

Yes, CommaFeed remains an actively maintained open-source project on GitHub with regular releases.

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