Mango 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 | Mango | Mylar3 |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 15 · At risk | 60 · Good |
| Status | Archived | Actively maintained |
| Category | E-books & Media Library | E-books & Media Library |
| License | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
| Language | Crystal | Python |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 256 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | docker, binary | docker, bare-metal |
| GitHub stars | ★ 1,777 | ★ 1,461 |
| First released | 2020 | 2018 |
| Replaces | ComiXology | ComiXology |
What are Mango and Mylar3?
Mango
Mango is a self-hosted manga server and reader written in Crystal, designed to be fast and lightweight. It supports multi-user accounts, reading progress tracking, and an OPDS feed for external readers.
- Manga library and reader
- Multi-user accounts
- Reading progress tracking
- OPDS feed support
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
Mango vs Mylar3: key differences
The biggest difference is maintenance: Mango's repository is archived and no longer developed, while Mylar3 is actively maintained. Mango is written in Crystal, while Mylar3 is built with Python. Licensing differs — MIT for Mango versus GPL-3.0 for Mylar3. Mango is the lighter option, starting around 256 MB of RAM against 512 MB for Mylar3. Mylar3 is the more established project (first released 2018), while Mango arrived in 2020.
Why pick each one
Choose Mango if…
- Very lightweight
- Simple to deploy
Watch out for
- Slower development
- Manga-focused only
Choose Mylar3 if…
- Strong comic automation
- Good metadata handling
Watch out for
- Configuration is involved
- Depends on external sources
Frequently asked questions
Is Mango or Mylar3 better?
Mango is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Mango if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Mango and Mylar3 free and open-source?
Yes. Mango is licensed under MIT and Mylar3 under GPL-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Mango and Mylar3 with Docker?
Mango: yes. Mylar3: yes.
Which is lighter on resources, Mango or Mylar3?
Mango 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.