KOHighlights 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?
KOHighlights
Viewer and exporter for KOReader book highlights
VS
Readest
Cross-platform ebook reader with sync server
| Feature | KOHighlights | Readest |
|---|---|---|
| Category | E-books & Media Library | E-books & Media Library |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Python | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | binary | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 262 | ★ 23,192 |
| First released | 2017 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Kindle Notebook export | Kindle, Apple Books |
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 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 KOHighlights or Readest better?
Neither is universally better. Readest 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 Readest free and open-source?
Yes. KOHighlights is licensed under MIT and Readest under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run KOHighlights and Readest with Docker?
KOHighlights: check the project docs for container support. Readest: yes.