Librum vs ttu Ebook Reader
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted e-books & media library options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Librum
Modern e-book reader with self-hostable sync
VS
ttu Ebook Reader
Browser-based ebook reader with progress tracking
| Feature | Librum | ttu Ebook Reader |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 59 · Fair | 64 · Good |
| Category | E-books & Media Library | E-books & Media Library |
| License | GPL-3.0 | MIT |
| Language | C++ | Svelte |
| Setup difficulty | Medium | Easy |
| Min. RAM | 512 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 5,319 | ★ 1,037 |
| First released | 2023 | 2021 |
| Replaces | Kindle, Goodreads | Kindle |
What are Librum and ttu Ebook Reader?
Librum
Librum is a modern e-book reader application with a clean interface and a self-hostable server for syncing a library across devices. It targets readers who want a private, synced reading setup. It is deployed via Docker.
- Modern cross-platform reader
- Self-hostable sync server
- Annotations and bookmarks
- Free e-book sources
ttu Ebook Reader
ttu Ebook Reader is a self-hostable, browser-based reader for EPUB and HTML books with a focus on language-learning readers. It tracks reading progress and statistics entirely in the browser.
- Browser-based EPUB reader
- Reading progress and stats
- Offline capable
- Language-learning friendly
Librum vs ttu Ebook Reader: key differences
Librum is written in C++, while ttu Ebook Reader is built with Svelte. Licensing differs — GPL-3.0 for Librum versus MIT for ttu Ebook Reader. Ttu Ebook Reader is the lighter option, starting around 128 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Librum. Ttu Ebook Reader is the more established project (first released 2021), while Librum arrived in 2023. Librum has the considerably larger community, at 5,319 GitHub stars versus 1,037.
Why pick each one
Choose Librum if…
- Clean modern reader
- Syncs across devices
- Open source
Watch out for
- Self-hosting sync is newer
- Smaller ecosystem
Choose ttu Ebook Reader if…
- No backend needed
- Privacy friendly
Watch out for
- Reader only
- No central library
Frequently asked questions
Is Librum or ttu Ebook Reader better?
Neither is universally better. Librum has the larger community, while ttu Ebook Reader is simpler to set up (easy difficulty). Choose based on the comparison table above and your own setup.
Are Librum and ttu Ebook Reader free and open-source?
Yes. Librum is licensed under GPL-3.0 and ttu Ebook Reader under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Librum and ttu Ebook Reader with Docker?
Librum: yes. ttu Ebook Reader: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Librum or ttu Ebook Reader?
ttu Ebook Reader has the smaller minimum footprint at 128 MB of RAM, compared to about 512 MB for Librum. Real-world usage depends on library size, user count, and enabled features.