Calibre vs Petrolette
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted e-books & media library options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
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Calibre
Powerful ebook library manager with a built-in server
VS
Petrolette
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| Feature | Calibre | Petrolette |
|---|---|---|
| Category | E-books & Media Library | E-books & Media Library |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0-only |
| Language | Python | |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 50 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal, binary | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 25,578 | — |
| First released | 2006 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Kindle, Apple Books | Netvibes |
Why pick each one
Choose Petrolette if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0-only license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Tiny footprint — runs in 50 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Calibre or Petrolette 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 Petrolette free and open-source?
Yes. Calibre is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Petrolette under AGPL-3.0-only. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Calibre and Petrolette with Docker?
Calibre: yes. Petrolette: check the project docs for container support.