Kavita vs Tranga
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted e-books & media library options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Kavita
Fast self-hosted digital library for all reading
VS
Tranga
Automated manga downloader for Komga and Kavita
| Feature | Kavita | Tranga |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 93 · Excellent | 59 · Fair |
| Category | E-books & Media Library | E-books & Media Library |
| License | GPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | C# | C# |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 11,728 | ★ 389 |
| First released | 2021 | 2023 |
| Replaces | Kindle, ComiXology | ComiXology |
What are Kavita and Tranga?
Kavita
Kavita is a fast, self-hosted digital library that handles e-books, comics, manga, and magazines with a polished reader. It targets readers with mixed digital collections. It is deployed via Docker.
- Handles books, comics and manga
- Fast polished web reader
- Collections and reading lists
- OPDS support
Tranga
Tranga is an automated manga downloader that monitors series from various connectors and saves them in formats ready for Komga and Kavita. It supports scheduling and notifications for new chapters.
- Automated manga downloading
- Komga and Kavita output
- Scheduled checks
- New-chapter notifications
Kavita vs Tranga: key differences
Both projects are written in C#. Kavita is the more established project (first released 2021), while Tranga arrived in 2023. Kavita has the considerably larger community, at 11,728 GitHub stars versus 389.
Why pick each one
Choose Kavita if…
- Great mixed-media support
- Fast and modern
- Active development
Watch out for
- No metadata editing
- Library organization is folder-based
Choose Tranga if…
- Good companion to manga readers
- Active development
Watch out for
- Connector legality varies
- Manga-focused
Frequently asked questions
Is Kavita or Tranga better?
Neither is universally better. Kavita has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Kavita and Tranga free and open-source?
Yes. Kavita is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Tranga under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Kavita and Tranga with Docker?
Kavita: yes. Tranga: yes.