OPDS-PSE Reader Hub vs Ladder
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?
OPDS-PSE Reader Hub
Self-hosted ebook conversion and delivery pipeline
VS
Ladder
Bypass paywalls as 12ft.io does
| Feature | OPDS-PSE Reader Hub | Ladder |
|---|---|---|
| Category | E-books & Media Library | E-books & Media Library |
| License | BSD-3-Clause | GPL-3.0-only |
| Language | JavaScript | Go |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 20 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, docker | bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,941 | ★ 8,804 |
| First released | 2013 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Kindle | 12ft, 13ft |
Why pick each one
Choose OPDS-PSE Reader Hub if…
- Released under the BSD-3-Clause license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 6.9k GitHub stars
Choose Ladder if…
- Released under the GPL-3.0-only license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Mature project with 8.8k GitHub stars
- Written in Go
Frequently asked questions
Is OPDS-PSE Reader Hub or Ladder better?
Neither is universally better. Ladder has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are OPDS-PSE Reader Hub and Ladder free and open-source?
Yes. OPDS-PSE Reader Hub is licensed under BSD-3-Clause and Ladder under GPL-3.0-only. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run OPDS-PSE Reader Hub and Ladder with Docker?
OPDS-PSE Reader Hub: yes. Ladder: check the project docs for container support.