Mango 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?
Mango
Self-hosted manga server and web reader
VS
Readest
Cross-platform ebook reader with sync server
| Feature | Mango | Readest |
|---|---|---|
| Category | E-books & Media Library | E-books & Media Library |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Crystal | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,782 | ★ 23,192 |
| First released | 2020 | 2024 |
| Replaces | ComiXology | 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 Mango or Readest better?
Neither is universally better. Readest has the larger community, while Mango is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Mango and Readest free and open-source?
Yes. Mango is licensed under MIT and Readest under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Mango and Readest with Docker?
Mango: yes. Readest: yes.