SHSelfHostIndex

Kavita vs RERO ILS

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?
KA Kavita Fast self-hosted digital library for all reading VS RE RERO ILS Large-scale ILS that can be run as a service with consortial features,
FeatureKavitaRERO ILS
CategoryE-books & Media LibraryE-books & Media Library
LicenseGPL-3.0AGPL-3.0
LanguageC#Python
Setup difficultyEasyMedium
Min. RAM512 MB512 MB
Deploymentdockerdocker
GitHub stars★ 11,431★ 87
First released20212026
ReplacesKindle, ComiXology—

Why pick each one

Choose Kavita if…

  • Great mixed-media support
  • Fast and modern
  • Active development
Kavita details

Choose RERO ILS if…

  • Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
  • First-class Docker support for quick deployment
  • Written in Python
  • Lightweight — runs in 512 MB RAM
RERO ILS details

Frequently asked questions

Is Kavita or RERO ILS better?

Kavita is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider RERO ILS if its specific feature set fits your needs better.

Are Kavita and RERO ILS free and open-source?

Yes. Kavita is licensed under GPL-3.0 and RERO ILS under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Kavita and RERO ILS with Docker?

Kavita: yes. RERO ILS: yes.

Related comparisons