Newsboat
Newsboat is a free RSS and Atom feed reader designed for text terminals on Unix-like systems.
What Newsboat is
Newsboat is a free RSS and Atom feed reader designed for text terminals on Unix-like systems. It supports Linux and macOS and has also been tested on FreeBSD; the documentation says NetBSD is currently unsupported. Users can enter feed URLs or import subscriptions from an OPML file, then browse feeds, article lists, and individual articles. Search covers article titles and content. Downloaded articles are stored locally, so they can remain available even after disappearing from the current feed. When servers provide Last-Modified or ETag values, Newsboat can use them to request feed data only when it has changed. It can work with online feed services including NewsBlur, Feedbin, FreshRSS, Inoreader, and Miniflux, among others. Its online OPML mode synchronizes subscriptions one way from a service to Newsboat. Newsboat can download, save, and stream podcasts, but playback requires an external media player. It is distributed under the MIT License, which provides the software without warranty. The listed release is version 2.45, released October 4, 2026.
Good
- Imports subscriptions from OPML files
- Stores downloaded articles locally
- Searches article titles and content
- Supports several online feed services
- Can download, save, and stream podcasts
Watch out
- NetBSD is currently unsupported
- Podcast playback requires an external media player
- Online OPML subscription sync is one way
Who it suits
Newsboat suits people who want a terminal-based feed reader on Linux or macOS. Its local article storage and service connections may fit readers who want offline access or subscription syncing from an online service.
Verdict
Newsboat provides feed reading, local article storage, and podcast handling in a text-terminal interface. Note its supported systems and the external-player requirement for podcast playback.
Plans and prices
From Newsboat's own pricing page, checked 9 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Newsboat | Free | RSS/Atom reader for text terminals · MIT licensed |
The facts
Each one read from Newsboat's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Audience and limits
- The documentation says Newsboat can be used as a feed reader on its own, while online services may be useful for syncing news across devices or fetching feeds when the user's computer is not running continuously.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Bandwidth behavior
- Newsboat uses HTTP Last-Modified and ETag values, when available, to ask servers to send feed data only when it has changed.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Caching
- Newsboat saves downloaded articles locally and uses Last-Modified and ETag headers for conditional feed downloads when available.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Credential handling
- For NewsBlur, the documentation describes providing a password through an external command, such as one that decrypts a file or reads a system keyring.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Feed import
- Users can add feed URLs in a configuration file or import subscriptions from an OPML file.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Feed support
- Users can add feed URLs directly or import an OPML file.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Installation
- Prebuilt binaries are available through Linux and BSD distribution repositories, Homebrew, and the Snap store; Newsboat can also be compiled from source.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- It can act as a client for services including The Old Reader, NewsBlur, FeedHQ, BazQux, Feedbin, FreshRSS, Tiny Tiny RSS, ownCloud News, Nextcloud News, Inoreader, and Miniflux.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Latest release
- The site lists version 2.45, released October 4, 2026.checked 9 Oct 2026
- License
- Newsboat is distributed under the MIT License, which provides the software without warranty.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Notable limitation
- The project says NetBSD is currently unsupported because of technical limitations in its iconv() implementation.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Offline downloads
- Yeschecked 20 Sep 2026
- Offline reading
- Newsboat keeps downloaded articles locally so they can remain available after they disappear from the current feed.checked 9 Oct 2026
- OPML service mode
- OPML online subscription mode synchronizes subscriptions one way from an online service to Newsboat.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Podcasts
- Newsboat supports downloading, saving, and streaming podcasts, but playback requires an external media player.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Podcast support
- Newsboat can download, save, and stream podcasts, but requires an external media player for playback.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Private feed support
- Yeschecked 20 Sep 2026
- Purpose
- Newsboat is an RSS/Atom feed reader designed for text terminals on Unix and Unix-like systems.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Reading and search
- The interface has feed, article-list, and article views, and users can search article titles or content.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Release
- The project homepage lists version 2.45, released on 4 October 2026.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Security
- The documentation asks users to report vulnerabilities by email and encrypt messages with the project’s OpenPGP key if possible.checked 9 Oct 2026
Where it runs
- Browser integration
- Users can configure an external browser command to open article links.checked 9 Oct 2026
- Platforms
- The project says it has been tested on Linux with glibc and musl-libc, FreeBSD, and macOS.checked 9 Oct 2026
Money
- Free plan
- Yeschecked 20 Sep 2026
Alternatives to Newsboat
- 1
NewsBlur
Free planOpen sourceAndroidiOSWebAPI8.5From $36 a year - 2
Feeder
Free planAndroidiOSWebAPI8.1From $7.99 a month - 3
FreshRSS
Free planOpen sourceAndroidiOSWebAPI7.9Free plan - 4
Inoreader
Free planAndroidiOSWebAPI7.9From €7.50 a month - 5
Feedreader
Free planWebLinuxSelf-hostedWindows7.5€29 one-time - 6
Feedly
Free planAndroidiOSWebAPI7.4From $1,600 a month