Calibre-Web vs Stump
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-Web
Web app to browse and read your Calibre library
VS
Stump
Fast, low-resource comic and ebook media server
| Feature | Calibre-Web | Stump |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 95 · Excellent | 87 · Excellent |
| Category | E-books & Media Library | E-books & Media Library |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Python | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 18,232 | ★ 2,714 |
| First released | 2017 | 2022 |
| Replaces | Kindle, Goodreads | Kindle, ComiXology |
What are Calibre-Web and Stump?
Calibre-Web
Calibre-Web is a web application that provides a clean interface to browse, read, and download books from an existing Calibre library. It targets users who want web access to their e-book collection. It is deployed via Docker.
- Web interface for Calibre libraries
- In-browser e-book reader
- Send to Kindle support
- OPDS feed for apps
Stump
Stump is a free, open-source comic, manga, and ebook server built with Rust for speed and low resource use. It implements the OPDS standard and offers a modern web interface for browsing and reading.
- Comic and ebook serving
- OPDS support
- Modern web reader
- Very low resource use
Calibre-Web vs Stump: key differences
Calibre-Web is written in Python, while Stump is built with TypeScript. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Calibre-Web versus MIT for Stump. Calibre-Web is the more established project (first released 2017), while Stump arrived in 2022. Calibre-Web has the considerably larger community, at 18,232 GitHub stars versus 2,714.
Why pick each one
Choose Calibre-Web if…
- Great companion to Calibre
- Multi-user access
- Lightweight
Watch out for
- Needs an existing Calibre library
- Not a metadata manager itself
Choose Stump if…
- Fast and lightweight
- Clean interface
Watch out for
- Still pre-1.0
- Fewer features than Komga
Frequently asked questions
Is Calibre-Web or Stump better?
Neither is universally better. Calibre-Web has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Calibre-Web and Stump free and open-source?
Yes. Calibre-Web is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Stump under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Calibre-Web and Stump with Docker?
Calibre-Web: yes. Stump: yes.