Komga vs Plato
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted e-books & media library options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Komga | Plato |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Read-the-docs project |
| Health score | 91 · Excellent | 65 · Good |
| Category | E-books & Media Library | E-books & Media Library |
| License | MIT | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Kotlin | Rust |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker | binary, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,688 | ★ 1,705 |
| First released | 2019 | 2017 |
| Replaces | ComiXology, Kindle | Kobo reader app, Kindle |
What are Komga and Plato?
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
Plato
Plato is an open-source document reader built specifically for Kobo e-ink devices, supporting EPUB, PDF, CBZ, and more. It offers a library view, annotations, and connectivity to OPDS catalogs.
- Built for Kobo devices
- Multi-format support
- OPDS catalog access
- Annotations and bookmarks
Komga vs Plato: key differences
Komga is written in Kotlin, while Plato is built with Rust. Licensing differs — MIT for Komga versus AGPL-3.0 for Plato. Plato is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Komga. Plato is the more established project (first released 2017), while Komga arrived in 2019. Komga has the considerably larger community, at 6,688 GitHub stars versus 1,705. Komga lists first-class Docker deployment; Plato does not.
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 Plato if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- Active community (1.7k GitHub stars)
- Written in Rust
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Komga or Plato better?
Komga is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Plato if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Komga and Plato free and open-source?
Yes. Komga is licensed under MIT and Plato under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Komga and Plato with Docker?
Komga: yes. Plato: check the project docs for container support.
Which is lighter on resources, Komga or Plato?
Plato has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Komga. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.