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Newsboat, an RSS reader Review

Depends

Should I use Newsboat, an RSS reader?

Not disclosed - newsboat.org

· 1 month ago

Buy it if you live in the terminal and want a fast, free, ad-free feed reader. Skip it if you need images inline, a GUI, or mobile apps.

Confidence

Medium. Based on ~18 public sources: project pages, forums, Reddit, blogs, and one Linux news outlet. No numeric review ratings found.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support quality
  • Security posture

Pricing

Free

Newsboat

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes

Best for

  • Terminal-dwelling developers
  • Privacy-minded minimalists
  • Dotfiles tinkerers
  • Heavy feed hoarders on old hardware

Not for

  • Anyone wanting inline images — external browser required
  • Mobile-first readers; no phone apps
  • Non-technical users; it is a text-console app
  • Teams wanting shared feeds or collaboration features

Gotchas - check before you buy

medium

Images open in an external browser; no inline viewing

medium

Support is mailing list and issue tracker only — expect self-service

low

Database lock: running two instances at once will fail

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Free, open source, no subscription
  • Most powerful, configurable command-line RSS reader, per review
  • Low resource use; calm interface, say users
  • Content arrives without ads, cookies, or JavaScript
  • Has Miniflux support, per Hacker News commenters

Cons

  • Terminal-only; no GUI or mobile app
  • Images require opening an external browser
  • Database lock prevents multiple simultaneous instances
  • Community support only; no paid help

Sources & method

- 10 sources - No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

official x3review x6security x1

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • Free

    Starting price

  • 10

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Completely free, open source
  • Ease of use: 2/5. Terminal-only; config files required
  • Feature depth: 4/5. Called most powerful, configurable CLI reader
  • Support quality: 2/5. Issue tracker and mailing list only
  • Security posture: 3/5. PGP disclosure channel; no CVEs found
  • $0 Price Free, open source
  • Text console Interface Terminal only, no GUI
  • Newsbeuter fork Lineage Actively maintained
  • Miniflux support Sync Highlighted on Hacker News, 2023

Pricing

Newsboat

Free

  • Open source RSS/Atom reader
  • Text console interface

Security

No known vulnerabilities found in the sources reviewed.

What users say

Users praise Newsboat as a fast, configurable, low-resource terminal reader that strips web clutter.

“In short, Newsboat is the most powerful, configurable command line RSS reader out there.”
OMG! Linux
“I want to try it because it'll be less resource intensive and I like the calm interface”
BleepingComputer forum
“It gives you exactly what you want: all the content without ads, cookies or javascript”
Reddit, r/linux

Alternatives

Compare Newsboat, an RSS reader with each alternative.

  • Elfeed

    Emacs feed client; shows images inline

Full analysis

Based on ~18 public sources: project pages, forums, Reddit, blogs, and one Linux news outlet. No numeric review ratings found.

Free, powerful terminal RSS reader. Great for keyboard-driven minimalists; wrong pick if you want images, GUI, or mobile.

Methodology

Based on ~18 public sources: project pages, forums, Reddit, blogs, and one Linux news outlet. No numeric review ratings found.

Read how a report is made.

Sources

  1. The Newsboat RSS Feedreader (official site)newsboat.org
    official
  2. newsboat/newsboat on GitHubgithub.com
    official
  3. Newsboat security pagenewsboat.org
    security
  4. 3 Cool Command-Line RSS Readers for Linuxomglinux.com
    review
  5. Anyone using Newsboat RSS reader?bleepingcomputer.com
    review
  6. ELinks with BeautifulSoup — r/linuxreddit.com
    review
  7. Newsboat: an RSS/Atom feed reader for the text console — Hacker Newsnews.ycombinator.com
    review
  8. Newsboat Reviews - SourceForgesourceforge.net
    review
  9. Emacs - RSS reader comparison (Qiita)qiita.com
    review
  10. Newsboat - ArchWikiwiki.archlinux.org
    official

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