Kthoom 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?
Kthoom
In-browser comic book and archive reader
VS
Readest
Cross-platform ebook reader with sync server
| Feature | Kthoom | Readest |
|---|---|---|
| Category | E-books & Media Library | E-books & Media Library |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 150 | ★ 23,192 |
| First released | 2011 | 2024 |
| Replaces | ComiXology | Kindle, Apple Books |
Why pick each one
Choose Kthoom if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in JavaScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
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 Kthoom or Readest better?
Neither is universally better. Readest has the larger community, while Kthoom is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Kthoom and Readest free and open-source?
Yes. Kthoom is licensed under MIT and Readest under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Kthoom and Readest with Docker?
Kthoom: check the project docs for container support. Readest: yes.