Kavita vs Upvote RSS

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?
FeatureKavitaUpvote RSS
CategoryE-books & Media LibraryE-books & Media Library
LicenseGPL-3.0MIT
LanguageC#PHP
Setup difficultyEasyMedium
Min. RAM512 MB50 MB
Deploymentdockerbare-metal
GitHub stars★ 11,431★ 492
First released20212025
ReplacesKindle, ComiXology

Why pick each one

Choose Kavita if…

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

Choose Upvote RSS if…

  • Released under the MIT license
  • Written in PHP
  • Tiny footprint — runs in 50 MB RAM
Upvote RSS details

Frequently asked questions

Is Kavita or Upvote RSS better?

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

Are Kavita and Upvote RSS free and open-source?

Yes. Kavita is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Upvote RSS under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Kavita and Upvote RSS with Docker?

Kavita: yes. Upvote RSS: check the project docs for container support.

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