Komga vs Tranga
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
Tranga
Automated manga downloader for Komga and Kavita
| Feature | Komga | Tranga |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 91 · Excellent | 59 · Fair |
| Category | E-books & Media Library | E-books & Media Library |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Kotlin | C# |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 6,688 | ★ 389 |
| First released | 2019 | 2023 |
| Replaces | ComiXology, Kindle | ComiXology |
What are Komga and Tranga?
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
Tranga
Tranga is an automated manga downloader that monitors series from various connectors and saves them in formats ready for Komga and Kavita. It supports scheduling and notifications for new chapters.
- Automated manga downloading
- Komga and Kavita output
- Scheduled checks
- New-chapter notifications
Komga vs Tranga: key differences
Komga is written in Kotlin, while Tranga is built with C#. Licensing differs — MIT for Komga versus GPL-3.0 for Tranga. Komga is the more established project (first released 2019), while Tranga arrived in 2023. Komga has the considerably larger community, at 6,688 GitHub stars versus 389.
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 Tranga if…
- Good companion to manga readers
- Active development
Watch out for
- Connector legality varies
- Manga-focused
Frequently asked questions
Is Komga or Tranga 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 Tranga free and open-source?
Yes. Komga is licensed under MIT and Tranga under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Komga and Tranga with Docker?
Komga: yes. Tranga: yes.