Kthoom vs LANraragi
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 | Kthoom | LANraragi |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Read-the-docs project | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 56 · Fair | 87 · Excellent |
| Category | E-books & Media Library | E-books & Media Library |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | JavaScript | Perl |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 150 | ★ 3,114 |
| First released | 2011 | 2016 |
| Replaces | ComiXology | ComiXology |
What are Kthoom and LANraragi?
Kthoom
Kthoom is a comic book reader that runs entirely in the web browser, opening CBZ, CBR, and other archive formats. It can be self-hosted as static files for reading comics from any device.
- In-browser comic reading
- CBZ and CBR support
- Static self-hosting
- No server runtime needed
LANraragi
LANraragi is a web application for archiving and reading manga and doujinshi collections stored in archive files. It offers tagging, search, and a responsive reader, all running from a single Docker container.
- Archive-based comic library
- Tagging and search
- Responsive web reader
- Plugin system
Kthoom vs LANraragi: key differences
Kthoom is written in JavaScript, while LANraragi is built with Perl. Kthoom is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for LANraragi. Kthoom is the more established project (first released 2011), while LANraragi arrived in 2016. LANraragi has the considerably larger community, at 3,114 GitHub stars versus 150. LANraragi lists first-class Docker deployment; Kthoom does not.
Why pick each one
Choose Kthoom if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Written in JavaScript
- Tiny footprint — runs in 64 MB RAM
Watch out for
- Reader only, no library
- Minimal organization
Choose LANraragi if…
- Simple single-container deploy
- Good for large archives
Watch out for
- Archive files only
- Niche audience
Frequently asked questions
Is Kthoom or LANraragi better?
Neither is universally better. LANraragi has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Kthoom and LANraragi free and open-source?
Yes. Kthoom is licensed under MIT and LANraragi under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Kthoom and LANraragi with Docker?
Kthoom: check the project docs for container support. LANraragi: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Kthoom or LANraragi?
Kthoom has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for LANraragi. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.