LANraragi vs Mylar3
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 | LANraragi | Mylar3 |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 87 · Excellent | 60 · Good |
| Category | E-books & Media Library | E-books & Media Library |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Perl | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, bare-metal | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 3,114 | ★ 1,461 |
| First released | 2016 | 2018 |
| Replaces | ComiXology | ComiXology |
What are LANraragi and Mylar3?
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
Mylar3
Mylar3 is an automated comic book downloader and manager for tracking series and grabbing new issues. It maintains a metadata-rich library that pairs well with comic readers like Komga and Kavita.
- Automated comic downloading
- Series tracking
- ComicVine metadata
- Library organization
LANraragi vs Mylar3: key differences
LANraragi is written in Perl, while Mylar3 is built with Python. Licensing differs — MIT for LANraragi versus GPL-3.0 for Mylar3. LANraragi is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Mylar3. LANraragi is the more established project (first released 2016), while Mylar3 arrived in 2018. LANraragi has the considerably larger community, at 3,114 GitHub stars versus 1,461.
Why pick each one
Choose LANraragi if…
- Simple single-container deploy
- Good for large archives
Watch out for
- Archive files only
- Niche audience
Choose Mylar3 if…
- Strong comic automation
- Good metadata handling
Watch out for
- Configuration is involved
- Depends on external sources
Frequently asked questions
Is LANraragi or Mylar3 better?
LANraragi is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Mylar3 if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are LANraragi and Mylar3 free and open-source?
Yes. LANraragi is licensed under MIT and Mylar3 under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run LANraragi and Mylar3 with Docker?
LANraragi: yes. Mylar3: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, LANraragi or Mylar3?
LANraragi has the smaller minimum footprint at 256 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Mylar3. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.