Kthoom vs Stump
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted e-books & media library options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Stump
Fast, low-resource comic and ebook media server
| Feature | Kthoom | Stump |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 64 MB | 256 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker, binary |
| GitHub stars | ★ 150 | ★ 2,714 |
| First released | 2011 | 2022 |
| Replaces | ComiXology | Kindle, ComiXology |
What are Kthoom and Stump?
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
Stump
Stump is a free, open-source comic, manga, and ebook server built with Rust for speed and low resource use. It implements the OPDS standard and offers a modern web interface for browsing and reading.
- Comic and ebook serving
- OPDS support
- Modern web reader
- Very low resource use
Kthoom vs Stump: key differences
Kthoom is written in JavaScript, while Stump is built with TypeScript. Kthoom is the lighter option, starting around 64 MB of RAM against 256 MB for Stump. Kthoom is the more established project (first released 2011), while Stump arrived in 2022. Stump has the considerably larger community, at 2,714 GitHub stars versus 150. Stump 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 Stump if…
- Fast and lightweight
- Clean interface
Watch out for
- Still pre-1.0
- Fewer features than Komga
Frequently asked questions
Is Kthoom or Stump better?
Neither is universally better. Stump has the larger community; both share a easy setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.
Are Kthoom and Stump free and open-source?
Yes. Kthoom is licensed under MIT and Stump under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Kthoom and Stump with Docker?
Kthoom: check the project docs for container support. Stump: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Kthoom or Stump?
Kthoom has the smaller minimum footprint at 64 MB of RAM, compared to about 256 MB for Stump. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.