Newsboat reads RSS and Atom feeds in a text console and is maintained as a fork of Newsbeuter.
Photon
Photon reads RSS feeds in a terminal and supports sixel graphics, according to its project page.
Photongit.sr.ht/~ghost08/photonVisit siteAbout Photon
Photon is a terminal-based RSS/Atom feed reader built with a focus on speed, usability, and Unix philosophy. It supports sixel graphics for displaying images in compatible terminal emulators, offers extensibility via Lua plugins, and can use OpenCL for image scaling and paletted image generation. Unlike full-featured RSS readers, Photon functions only as a feed viewer, so it does not include built-in tools for adding, organizing, or marking feeds and items as read. Users provide feed content via command-line arguments, plain text files with feed URLs, or piped input, and can adjust settings through configuration files and man pages.
Key features
- Terminal-based RSS/Atom feed viewing with sixel image support
- Extensible via Lua plugins for custom functionality
- Optional OpenCL acceleration for image scaling and paletting
- Built-in search to filter cards by title, description, or feed name
- Article view with scraped, description, and raw feed content modes
- Configurable external tools for media extraction and article rendering
Best for: It is best suited for terminal-focused users who want a lightweight RSS viewer with sixel image support and prefer managing feeds via external scripts or text files instead of built-in feed management.
Good for
- Lightweight design focused on speed and Unix philosophy
- Native sixel graphics support for terminal image display
- Extensible via Lua plugins and configurable external tool integration
Watch out for
- No built-in feed management or read-status tracking functionality
- Requires a sixel-compatible terminal emulator for image display
- Relies on external tools for media extraction and article rendering by default
Photon at a glance
- Website
- git.sr.ht/~ghost08/photon
- Category
- Software & Utilities › Linux & Mac Apps
- Type
- Website
- Pricing
- Not confirmed. Check the site
- Platforms
- Web
- Open source
- Not stated
- Language
- English
- Last checked
- Oct 6, 2026 · Online when checked
- Listed
- Oct 5, 2026
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Photon FAQ
Does Photon include built-in feed management or read-status tracking?
No, Photon is designed as a feed viewer only and does not include built-in feed management or item read-status tracking features.
What terminal emulator is required to use Photon's image display features?
You need a sixel-supporting terminal emulator, such as foot or alacritty with sixel support.
Can I customize the external tools Photon uses for media and article handling?
Yes, you can configure custom media extractors via the --extractor argument or PHOTON_EXTRACTOR environment variable, and custom article renderers via the --article-renderer argument or PHOTON_ARTICLE_RENDERER environment variable.
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