Libation vs Readest
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?
Libation
Audiobook library manager and Audible backup tool
VS
Readest
Cross-platform ebook reader with sync server
| Feature | Libation | Readest |
|---|---|---|
| Category | E-books & Media Library | E-books & Media Library |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Language | C# | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | binary, source | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,997 | ★ 23,192 |
| First released | 2021 | 2024 |
| Replaces | Audible app | Kindle, Apple Books |
Why pick each one
Choose Readest if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 23.2k GitHub stars
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Libation or Readest better?
Neither is universally better. Readest has the larger community, while Libation is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Libation and Readest free and open-source?
Yes. Libation is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Readest under AGPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Libation and Readest with Docker?
Libation: check the project docs for container support. Readest: yes.