Free Programming Books 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?
Free Programming Books
Curated catalog of free programming ebooks and resources
VS
Readest
Cross-platform ebook reader with sync server
| Feature | Free Programming Books | Readest |
|---|---|---|
| Category | E-books & Media Library | E-books & Media Library |
| License | CC-BY-4.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 393,952 | ★ 23,192 |
| First released | 2013 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Paid technical book subscriptions | Kindle, Apple Books |
Why pick each one
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 Free Programming Books or Readest better?
Free Programming Books is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Readest if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Free Programming Books and Readest free and open-source?
Yes. Free Programming Books is licensed under CC-BY-4.0 and Readest under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Free Programming Books and Readest with Docker?
Free Programming Books: check the project docs for container support. Readest: yes.