Liferea

What Liferea is

Liferea is a free feed reader and news aggregator for Linux desktops. Its mail and news client style interface combines feed lists with an embedded browser, so you can manage subscriptions and read articles in one app. Add individual feeds, OPML sources, or accounts from TheOldReader or TinyTinyRSS. Liferea can synchronize with TheOldReader, FreshRSS, FeedHQ, Miniflux, Reedah, and Tiny Tiny RSS.

For offline reading, it saves headlines and can extract full article text. It can also subscribe to some HTML5 sites without feeds. Search looks through subscription titles and content, and saved search rules can be kept in folders. News bins permanently retain headlines you choose to save. Liferea also plays podcasts, can automatically download feed enclosures, and supports gopher phlogs. You can select an internal or external browser and turn off JavaScript in its internal browser. Installation options include Linux distribution packages, Snap, and Flatpak; FreeBSD packages are also listed. The manual says SOCKS connections need to be configured through the desktop environment. Tiny Tiny RSS synchronization requires Tiny Tiny RSS to run on a server you administer.

Who it suits

Liferea suits Linux users who want to collect feeds, search article text, save headlines for offline reading, and listen to podcasts in a desktop app. It may also suit readers who synchronize through supported feed services or use OPML sources.

Getting started

1. Open the Liferea website.
2. Choose a Linux distribution package, Snap, or Flatpak installation option.
3. Install Liferea on Linux.
4. Add individual feeds, an OPML source, or an account from TheOldReader or TinyTinyRSS.

Verdict

Choose Liferea if you want a free Linux desktop reader with offline headlines, full-text extraction, search, and podcast support. Consider the server administration required for Tiny Tiny RSS synchronization and the desktop environment setup needed for SOCKS connections.