FreshRSS Local Reading: An Offline RSS Reader

FreshRSS Local Reading is a local reading app for articles from RSS feeds. You import a snapshot of your feeds or a saved archive, read and search everything in one collection, mark what you've read and what's worth keeping, and export the archive when you're done. It's based on FreshRSS, the popular self-hosted feed reader — and the key difference is that it doesn't fetch feeds on its own.

What it does

RSS is still the quietest way to follow the sites you care about: no algorithm, no feed ranking, just new posts in the order they were published. This app is a calm place to read them.

Import a snapshot. Bring articles in by importing an RSS snapshot or a previously saved archive, and they land in one reading collection.

Read and search. Read the article text and search across everything you've imported.

Mark as read or favorite. Keep track of what you've finished, and flag what's worth coming back to.

Save and export. Save the collection or export the archive, so it's yours to keep or move.

What it won't do

• refresh feeds automatically — you update the collection by importing a newer snapshot
• subscribe to feeds or poll websites on a schedule
• sync across devices or share a collection with other people

That first point is the big one. If you want new posts to appear by themselves, you want a full feed reader like FreshRSS itself.

When to reach for it

• You want to read a batch of articles without the noise of social feeds
• You're doing research and want your sources in one searchable collection
• You want an archive of what you read, in a file you control
• You follow a handful of sites and don't need minute-by-minute updates
• You don't want to run a server just to read RSS

How it differs from FreshRSS

FreshRSS is a full, multi-user feed aggregator that runs on a web server. This app keeps the reading part and drops the server.

FreshRSS also supports OPML, the standard format for moving a list of feed subscriptions between readers — useful if you ever outgrow the local app.

What's actually inside

One app. It runs locally with no server, no account, and no background fetching. Your collection stays in the files you save.

Setting it up

The GitHub route (the original). FreshRSS needs a server. Its README lists a light Linux or Windows server, a web server such as Apache 2.4+ or nginx, PHP 8.1+ with several extensions, and PostgreSQL, SQLite, MariaDB, or MySQL. The installation guide covers Docker and manual installs, and there's a public demo if you want to try it first.

That's very reasonable for an always-on reader for you and your household. It's a lot of setup if you just want to read.

The Taku route. Open FreshRSS Local Reading in Taku and import a snapshot.

Who made it

FreshRSS is an open-source project maintained by the FreshRSS community and released under the GNU AGPL 3 license. The Taku version was published to the Taku marketplace by Ricky.

You don't need to be technical to use this

You don't need to understand GitHub, Codex, or Claude Code to read your feeds. Self-hosted tools are great for people who enjoy running servers, and a real barrier for everyone who just wants to read.

Taku is a desktop app built for that: find something useful someone already made, open it in your own workspace, and use it with no setup. Browse the free app library for more reading and research tools, or see our guide to AI source finders for tracking down sources in the first place. If you're studying dense articles, the Reading Glossary Builder maps a text to your own list of terms.

Download Taku and give your reading a quieter home. Taku is in Beta, and the Mac app is available now; there's also an experimental, unsigned Windows build for Windows 10 and 11.

FAQ

What does FreshRSS Local Reading do?

It imports RSS snapshots or a saved archive into one collection, lets you read and search the articles, mark them as read or favorite, and save or export the archive.

Does it update my feeds automatically?

No. You refresh the collection by importing a newer snapshot. For automatic updates, use a full feed reader like FreshRSS.

Do I need a server?

No. It runs locally. The original FreshRSS is the one that needs a web server, PHP, and a database.

Is it the same as FreshRSS?

No. It's based on FreshRSS but keeps only the reading side: no automatic fetching, no multiple users, and no extensions.

Is it free?

The app is free in the marketplace. For what Taku itself costs, see pricing.

Key points

• A local reader for articles you import from RSS snapshots or a saved archive.
• Read, search, and mark articles as read or favorite, then export the archive.
• It doesn't fetch feeds on its own — you import newer snapshots.
• No server, no account, no background activity.
• Based on FreshRSS, the self-hosted aggregator that needs PHP, a web server, and a database.