Calibre vs Komga
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted e-books & media library options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Calibre
Powerful ebook library manager with a built-in server
VS
Komga
Media server for comics, manga and e-books
| Feature | Calibre | Komga |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 97 · Excellent | 91 · Excellent |
| Category | E-books & Media Library | E-books & Media Library |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Python | Kotlin |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, binary | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 25,999 | ★ 6,688 |
| First released | 2006 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Kindle, Apple Books | ComiXology, Kindle |
What are Calibre and Komga?
Calibre
Calibre is a comprehensive ebook management application for organizing, converting, and reading digital books. Its built-in content server lets you browse and download your library from any device over the network.
- Ebook library management
- Format conversion
- Built-in content server
- Extensive plugin ecosystem
Komga
Komga is a self-hosted media server focused on comics, manga, BD, and e-books with a clean web reader and OPDS support. It targets comic and manga collectors. It is deployed via Docker.
- Comic and manga focused
- Web reader with OPDS
- Metadata and collections
- REST API
Calibre vs Komga: key differences
Calibre is written in Python, while Komga is built with Kotlin. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Calibre versus MIT for Komga. Calibre is the more established project (first released 2006), while Komga arrived in 2019. Calibre has the considerably larger community, at 25,999 GitHub stars versus 6,688.
Why pick each one
Choose Calibre if…
- Industry-standard ebook tool
- Huge feature set
Watch out for
- Desktop UI feels dated
- Server is basic without add-ons
Choose Komga if…
- Excellent for comics
- Good metadata handling
- OPDS for apps
Watch out for
- Less ideal for plain e-books
- Niche focus
Frequently asked questions
Is Calibre or Komga better?
Neither is universally better. Calibre has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Calibre and Komga free and open-source?
Yes. Calibre is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Komga under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Calibre and Komga with Docker?
Calibre: yes. Komga: yes.