COPS vs DeDRM Tools
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?
COPS
Calibre OPDS and HTML PHP server
VS
DeDRM Tools
Calibre plugin suite for removing DRM from purchased ebooks
| Feature | COPS | DeDRM Tools |
|---|---|---|
| Category | E-books & Media Library | E-books & Media Library |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 130 | ★ 15,275 |
| First released | 2013 | 2014 |
| Replaces | Kindle | Adobe Digital Editions |
Why pick each one
Choose DeDRM Tools if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Mature project with 15.3k GitHub stars
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is COPS or DeDRM Tools better?
Neither is universally better. DeDRM Tools has the larger community, while COPS is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are COPS and DeDRM Tools free and open-source?
Yes. COPS is licensed under GPL-2.0 and DeDRM Tools under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run COPS and DeDRM Tools with Docker?
COPS: yes. DeDRM Tools: check the project docs for container support.