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Comparison · Collab

Docspell vs FreshRSS

A side-by-side editorial comparison of Docspell and FreshRSS — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

Shared themes:self-hosted

Docspell vs FreshRSS: at a glance

FeatureDocspellFreshRSS
SectorCollabCollab
Velocity score2.56.3
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesdocument-management, nightly-builds, upload-api, stalled-releasesrss reader, self-hosted, security, ssrf
Last editorial update1mo ago11d ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is Docspell?

Docspell's tagged releases stopped in 2025; the upload API only moves on the nightly.

No numbered release has landed since 0.43.0, which was itself a fixes-and-dependencies close-out. Work continues on the rolling nightly tag, where the current build adds optional priority to upload metadata, returns file keys and job ids from the upload API, and exposes a secured endpoint to fetch a file by key. That is real API surface, but it reaches only users willing to run nightly builds.

Read the full Docspell trajectory →

What is FreshRSS?

FreshRSS 1.30.1 adds more security patches and points users to its rolling edge channel.

FreshRSS has moved into a security-first phase. 1.30.0 blocked local-network fetches by default, and 1.30.1 follows with more patched attack scenarios plus fixes to Retry-After and HTTP 410 handling. Small feature work continues alongside, such as a per-feed option for the CLI refresh script.

Read the full FreshRSS trajectory →

Docspell vs FreshRSS: editorial side-by-side

D
Docspell
COLLAB
2.5

Docspell's tagged releases stopped in 2025; the upload API only moves on the nightly.

◆ Current state

No numbered release has landed since 0.43.0, which was itself a fixes-and-dependencies close-out. Work continues on the rolling nightly tag, where the current build adds optional priority to upload metadata, returns file keys and job ids from the upload API, and exposes a secured endpoint to fetch a file by key. That is real API surface, but it reaches only users willing to run nightly builds.

◆ Where it's heading

The project is drifting toward nightly-only distribution: contributors keep landing work, maintainers keep not cutting tags. The newest additions cluster on programmatic ingestion — a caller submitting a document, then retrieving it by key — which points at Docspell being shaped as a component other systems feed rather than a standalone archive.

◆ Prediction

The upload-API work in #3338 is the most likely core of a next tagged release if one is cut. Whether the tagged line resumes at all is not readable from these notes.

F
FreshRSS
COLLAB
6.3

FreshRSS 1.30.1 adds more security patches and points users to its rolling edge channel.

◆ Current state

FreshRSS has moved into a security-first phase. 1.30.0 blocked local-network fetches by default, and 1.30.1 follows with more patched attack scenarios plus fixes to Retry-After and HTTP 410 handling. Small feature work continues alongside, such as a per-feed option for the CLI refresh script.

◆ Where it's heading

Each release now leads with security, and the project keeps steering users toward the edge rolling-release channel for faster patches. Feature work keeps growing in two directions: fetch behavior that is polite to publishers (Retry-After, 410, 429) and operator tooling on the command line (purge, SQLite export, per-feed refresh).

◆ Prediction

Expect more 1.30.x security point releases, with the edge channel pushed harder as the default advice. The next major release will likely add more search, filtering and CLI options, as in every recent major.

Alternatives to Docspell and FreshRSS

Other Collab products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either Docspell or FreshRSS.

See all Docspell alternatives → · See all FreshRSS alternatives →

Recent activity from Docspell and FreshRSS

Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.

  1. 12d agoFreshRSSFreshRSS 1.30.1
  2. 1mo agoFreshRSSFreshRSS 1.30.0 ⚡
  3. 1mo agoDocspellNightly adds upload priority and a file-key download endpoint
  4. 5mo agoFreshRSSFreshRSS 1.29.1
  5. 5mo agoFreshRSSFreshRSS 1.29.0
  6. 8mo agoFreshRSSFreshRSS 1.28.1
  7. 9mo agoFreshRSSFreshRSS 1.28.0
  8. 1y agoDocspell0.43.0 closes the tagged history with fixes and maintenance
  9. 2y agoDocspell0.42.0 hardens the Nix module and adds vertical Japanese OCR
  10. 2y agoDocspell0.41.0 swaps the HTTP stack from blaze to ember
  11. 3y agoDocspell0.40.0 gathers fixes, a Nix flake, and Ukrainian support
  12. 3y agoDocspell0.39.0 lets OIDC and local accounts share an identity

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Docspell and FreshRSS?

Both compete on the same themes — self-hosted — within Collab. FreshRSS is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 2.5), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.

Is Docspell better than FreshRSS?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. FreshRSS is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 2.5), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Collab products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to Docspell?

Top Docspell alternatives in Collab are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "Docspell alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/docspell for the full list with editorial commentary on each.

What are the best alternatives to FreshRSS?

Top FreshRSS alternatives in Collab are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "FreshRSS alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/freshrss for the full list with editorial commentary on each.