COPS vs Foliate
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted e-books & media library options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | COPS | Foliate |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 73 · Good | 65 · Good |
| Category | E-books & Media Library | E-books & Media Library |
| License | GPL-2.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | PHP | JavaScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 134 | ★ 8,757 |
| First released | 2013 | 2019 |
| Replaces | Kindle | Kindle |
What are COPS and Foliate?
COPS
COPS is a lightweight Calibre OPDS and HTML PHP server that exposes a Calibre library without needing Calibre running. It targets users wanting a minimal way to share their library. It is deployed via Docker or a PHP stack.
- OPDS and HTML catalog
- Reads Calibre metadata database
- Very lightweight
- No Calibre process needed
Foliate
Foliate is an open-source ebook reader for the Linux desktop built with GTK. It reads EPUB and other ebook formats with a clean paginated view, customizable themes, annotations, and offline reading. It is a desktop app, not a server.
- Ebook reading
- EPUB and PDF support
- Annotations and highlights
- Offline reading
COPS vs Foliate: key differences
COPS is written in PHP, while Foliate is built with JavaScript. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for COPS versus GPL-3.0 for Foliate. COPS is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Foliate. COPS is the more established project (first released 2013), while Foliate arrived in 2019. Foliate has the considerably larger community, at 8,757 GitHub stars versus 134.
Why pick each one
Choose COPS if…
- Extremely lightweight
- Easy to host
- Good OPDS support
Watch out for
- Read-only catalog
- Basic interface
Choose Foliate if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0 license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 8.8k GitHub stars
Watch out for
- Primarily a desktop reader
- See Foliate desktop app
Frequently asked questions
Is COPS or Foliate better?
Neither is universally better. Foliate has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are COPS and Foliate free and open-source?
Yes. COPS is licensed under GPL-2.0 and Foliate under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run COPS and Foliate with Docker?
COPS: yes. Foliate: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, COPS or Foliate?
COPS has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Foliate. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.