KOHighlights vs KOReader
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?
KOHighlights
Viewer and exporter for KOReader book highlights
VS
KOReader
Document and ebook reader for e-ink and mobile devices
| Feature | KOHighlights | KOReader |
|---|---|---|
| Category | E-books & Media Library | E-books & Media Library |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | Lua |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | binary | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 262 | ★ 28,800 |
| First released | 2017 | 2012 |
| Replaces | Kindle Notebook export | Kindle, Pocketbook reader |
Why pick each one
Choose KOHighlights if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in Python
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Choose KOReader if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Mature project with 28.8k GitHub stars
- Written in Lua
- Tiny footprint — runs in 256 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is KOHighlights or KOReader better?
Neither is universally better. KOReader has the larger community, while KOHighlights is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are KOHighlights and KOReader free and open-source?
Yes. KOHighlights is licensed under MIT and KOReader under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run KOHighlights and KOReader with Docker?
KOHighlights: check the project docs for container support. KOReader: check the project docs for container support.