COPS vs ttu Ebook Reader
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 | ttu Ebook Reader |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 73 · Good | 64 · Good |
| Category | E-books & Media Library | E-books & Media Library |
| License | GPL-2.0 | MIT |
| Language | PHP | Svelte |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 134 | ★ 1,037 |
| First released | 2013 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Kindle | Kindle |
What are COPS and ttu Ebook Reader?
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
ttu Ebook Reader
ttu Ebook Reader is a self-hostable, browser-based reader for EPUB and HTML books with a focus on language-learning readers. It tracks reading progress and statistics entirely in the browser.
- Browser-based EPUB reader
- Reading progress and stats
- Offline capable
- Language-learning friendly
COPS vs ttu Ebook Reader: key differences
COPS is written in PHP, while ttu Ebook Reader is built with Svelte. Licensing differs — GPL-2.0 for COPS versus MIT for ttu Ebook Reader. COPS is the more established project (first released 2013), while ttu Ebook Reader arrived in 2021. Ttu Ebook Reader has the considerably larger community, at 1,037 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 ttu Ebook Reader if…
- No backend needed
- Privacy friendly
Watch out for
- Reader only
- No central library
Frequently asked questions
Is COPS or ttu Ebook Reader better?
Neither is universally better. ttu Ebook Reader has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are COPS and ttu Ebook Reader free and open-source?
Yes. COPS is licensed under GPL-2.0 and ttu Ebook Reader under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run COPS and ttu Ebook Reader with Docker?
COPS: yes. ttu Ebook Reader: yes.