DeDRM Tools vs mangadex-downloader
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?
DeDRM Tools
Calibre plugin suite for removing DRM from purchased ebooks
VS
mangadex-downloader
Command-line downloader for MangaDex manga
| Feature | DeDRM Tools | mangadex-downloader |
|---|---|---|
| Category | E-books & Media Library | E-books & Media Library |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | Python | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | source | bare-metal, binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 15,275 | ★ 904 |
| First released | 2014 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Adobe Digital Editions | Manual downloads |
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 DeDRM Tools or mangadex-downloader better?
Neither is universally better. DeDRM Tools has the larger community, while mangadex-downloader is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are DeDRM Tools and mangadex-downloader free and open-source?
Yes. DeDRM Tools is licensed under GPL-3.0 and mangadex-downloader under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run DeDRM Tools and mangadex-downloader with Docker?
DeDRM Tools: check the project docs for container support. mangadex-downloader: check the project docs for container support.