13ft vs KOReader
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted e-books & media library options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
13ft
Bypass paywall by acting as GoogleBot
VS
KOReader
Document and ebook reader for e-ink and mobile devices
| Feature | 13ft | KOReader |
|---|---|---|
| Category | E-books & Media Library | E-books & Media Library |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | Lua |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 50 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 4,250 | ★ 28,800 |
| First released | 2023 | 2012 |
| Replaces | 12ft | Kindle, Pocketbook reader |
Why pick each one
Choose 13ft if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Active community (4.2k GitHub stars)
- Written in Python
Choose KOReader if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Mature project with 28.8k GitHub stars
- Written in Lua
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is 13ft or KOReader better?
Neither is universally better. KOReader has the larger community, while 13ft is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are 13ft and KOReader free and open-source?
Yes. 13ft is licensed under MIT and KOReader under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run 13ft and KOReader with Docker?
13ft: check the project docs for container support. KOReader: check the project docs for container support.