KOReader vs Papra
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?
KOReader
Document and ebook reader for e-ink and mobile devices
VS
Papra
Minimalistic self-hosted document archiving platform
| Feature | KOReader | Papra |
|---|---|---|
| Category | E-books & Media Library | E-books & Media Library |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | Lua | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 28,800 | ★ 5,160 |
| First released | 2012 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Kindle, Pocketbook reader | Evernote, Dropbox |
Why pick each one
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 KOReader or Papra better?
Neither is universally better. KOReader has the larger community, while Papra is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are KOReader and Papra free and open-source?
Yes. KOReader is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and Papra under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run KOReader and Papra with Docker?
KOReader: check the project docs for container support. Papra: yes.