Foliate 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 | Foliate | ttu Ebook Reader |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 65 · Good | 64 · Good |
| Category | E-books & Media Library | E-books & Media Library |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | JavaScript | Svelte |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 8,756 | ★ 1,037 |
| First released | 2019 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Kindle | Kindle |
What are Foliate and ttu Ebook Reader?
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
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
Foliate vs ttu Ebook Reader: key differences
Foliate is written in JavaScript, while ttu Ebook Reader is built with Svelte. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Foliate versus MIT for ttu Ebook Reader. Ttu Ebook Reader is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Foliate. Foliate is the more established project (first released 2019), while ttu Ebook Reader arrived in 2021. Foliate has the considerably larger community, at 8,756 GitHub stars versus 1,037.
Why pick each one
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
Choose ttu Ebook Reader if…
- No backend needed
- Privacy friendly
Watch out for
- Reader only
- No central library
Frequently asked questions
Is Foliate or ttu Ebook Reader 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 Foliate and ttu Ebook Reader free and open-source?
Yes. Foliate is licensed under GPL-3.0 and ttu Ebook Reader under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Foliate and ttu Ebook Reader with Docker?
Foliate: yes. ttu Ebook Reader: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Foliate or ttu Ebook Reader?
ttu Ebook Reader 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.