dir2opds vs Readest
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?
dir2opds
Minimal OPDS server for personal ebook collections
VS
Readest
Cross-platform ebook reader with sync server
| Feature | dir2opds | Readest |
|---|---|---|
| Category | E-books & Media Library | E-books & Media Library |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Go | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 110 | ★ 23,192 |
| First released | 2018 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Calibre Content Server | Kindle, Apple Books |
Why pick each one
Choose dir2opds if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Go
Choose Readest if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 23.2k GitHub stars
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is dir2opds or Readest better?
Neither is universally better. Readest has the larger community, while dir2opds is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are dir2opds and Readest free and open-source?
Yes. dir2opds is licensed under MIT and Readest under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run dir2opds and Readest with Docker?
dir2opds: yes. Readest: yes.