Komga vs Mango
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted e-books & media library options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Komga
Media server for comics, manga and e-books
VS
Mango
Archived
Self-hosted manga server and web reader
| Feature | Komga | Mango |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 91 · Excellent | 15 · At risk |
| Status | Actively maintained | Archived |
| Category | E-books & Media Library | E-books & Media Library |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Kotlin | Crystal |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,688 | ★ 1,777 |
| First released | 2019 | 2020 |
| Replaces | ComiXology, Kindle | ComiXology |
What are Komga and Mango?
Komga
Komga is a self-hosted media server focused on comics, manga, BD, and e-books with a clean web reader and OPDS support. It targets comic and manga collectors. It is deployed via Docker.
- Comic and manga focused
- Web reader with OPDS
- Metadata and collections
- REST API
Mango
Mango is a self-hosted manga server and reader written in Crystal, designed to be fast and lightweight. It supports multi-user accounts, reading progress tracking, and an OPDS feed for external readers.
- Manga library and reader
- Multi-user accounts
- Reading progress tracking
- OPDS feed support
Komga vs Mango: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Mango's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Komga is actively maintained. Komga is written in Kotlin, while Mango is built with Crystal. Mango is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Komga. Komga has the considerably larger community, at 6,688 GitHub stars versus 1,777.
Why pick each one
Choose Komga if…
- Excellent for comics
- Good metadata handling
- OPDS for apps
Watch out for
- Less ideal for plain e-books
- Niche focus
Choose Mango if…
- Very lightweight
- Simple to deploy
Watch out for
- Slower development
- Manga-focused only
Frequently asked questions
Is Komga or Mango better?
Neither is universally better. Komga has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Komga and Mango free and open-source?
Yes. Komga is licensed under MIT and Mango under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Komga and Mango with Docker?
Komga: yes. Mango: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Komga or Mango?
Mango has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Komga. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.